Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Agri-food systems'

Taking into account the limitations of official approaches for addressing agri-food research, as well as their associated policies to tackle the problems of hunger and vulnerability of agri-food systems to global change, it becomes necessary to consider new frameworks and alternative policies for research and management of agri-food systems. With this thesis we contribute to the advances of agri-food research by rethinking the way of conceptualizing the agri-food system and by designing and testing analysis tools capable to link the research process with the management dynamics found in the local territory. We focus our attention on those linked to the political paradigm of food sovereignty. To achieve this objective we adopted a deductive and inductive method of research, organized in three phases. During the first phase, and under the wider umbrella of Sociology of Agriculture and Food, we developed a conceptual and theoretical framework which integrates systemic thinking and development studies capable to analyze the political paradigm of food sovereignty. For this purpose, we linked the approach focused in the analysis of socio-ecological systems (SES) with the vulnerability approach focused in the analysis of actors¿ dynamics. As a result, we have obtained an integrate framework that address the ecological and social dimensions of agri-food systems. During the second phase, we tested the framework developed in an empirical case study of a local agri-food system of the canton of Loja, located at the Southern Ecuadorian Andean region. The case is of particular interest due to the recent consideration of comunas and barrios as basic units for citizen participation within decentralized autonomous governments; and, the parallel process of creation of new collective action organizations, such as the recently conformed Agroecological Network of Loja (RAL). Using empirical data obtained from a survey conducted between December 2013 and March 2014 based on questionnaires to households (N = 116) and interviews to key informants (N = 14). We analyzed the role of social and institutional factors on the local agri-food system configuration taking into account the pillars of food sovereignty within the analysis. The results showed the significant, but differentiated, role of institutions (Agroecological Network of Loja), social groups (Saraguro indigenous culture) and income generation strategies on the agri-food system configuration. During the third phase, we assessed the future vulnerability vs resilience of local agri-food system through a participatory scenario development process. Using data obtained from semi-structured interviews (N = 14 and N = 25) and two workshops we analyzed the future trajectories of transformation for the local agri-food system under multiple ecological, socio-economic and political drivers of change. Four scenarios were envisioned by local actors. This assessment showed how drivers of change can affect different components of the local agri-food system when it is conceptualized as SES; and, how different perspectives contribute to build different future trajectories of active transformation. Overall, the results of the research process emphasize the role played by actors (understood as an intersectional group where gender takes meaning from its intersection with ethnicity and class) and novel institutional arrangements action to star the active transformation of agri-food systems in the marginal Andes. These findings have implications in agri-food systems policy design at local level, where the local peasant initiatives of social innovation have to be seen as potential mean to achieve the materialization of the political paradigm of food sovereignty within Andean agri-food system.
Frente a las limitaciones tanto de los enfoques oficiales para la investigación agroalimentaria como de las políticas asociadas para abordar el problema del hambre y la vulnerabilidad de los sistemas agroalimentarios al cambio global, se hace necesario considerar nuevos marcos de análisis y políticas alternativas para el estudio y la gestión de los sistemas agroalimentarios. Con este trabajo de tesis nos proponemos contribuir al avance de la investigación agroalimentaria repensado la forma de conceptualizar el sistema agroalimentario y diseñando herramientas de análisis que vinculen el proceso de investigación con las dinámicas de gestión encontradas en el territorio local, enfocándonos en aquellas vinculadas con la soberanía alimentaria. Para alcanzar este objetivo hemos realizado un proceso (inductivo y deductivo) bajo el paraguas de la sociología de la agricultura y la alimentación, que hemos llevado a cabo en tres fases de investigación. Durante la primera fase, hemos desarrollado un marco teórico y metodológico que integra el pensamiento sistémico y estudios del desarrollo bajo el paradigma político de la soberanía alimentaria. Con este fin hemos vinculado el enfoque centrado en el análisis de los sistemas socio-ecológicos (SES) con el enfoque de vulnerabilidad centrado en el análisis de la dinámica de los actores. Como resultado hemos obtenido un marco integrado que aborda las dimensiones ecológica y social de los sistemas agroalimentarios, tal y como lo requiere el paradigma político de la soberanía alimentaria. Durante la segunda fase, hemos aplicado empíricamente el marco desarrollado en el sistema agroalimentario del cantón Loja, ubicado en los Andes del sur de Ecuador. Este caso de estudio es de particular interés debido a la reciente consideración de las comunas y barrios como unidades básicas para la participación ciudadana dentro de los gobiernos autónomos descentralizados; y, paralelamente, a la creación de nuevos procesos de acción colectiva, como la Red Agroecológica Loja (RAL). Usando datos empíricos obtenidos de cuestionarios a hogares campesino (N = 116) y entrevistas en profundidad a informantes clave (N = 14), realizada entre diciembre de 2013 y marzo de 2014, analizamos el rol de los factores sociales e institucionales sobre la configuración del sistema agroalimentario integrando dentro del análisis los pilares de la soberanía alimentaria. Este análisis mostró el rol significativo, pero diferenciado, de las instituciones (Red Agroecológica Loja), grupos sociales (cultura indígena Saraguro) y las estrategias de generación de ingresos para dar lugar a la configuración del sistema agroalimentario local. Durante la tercera fase, evaluamos la vulnerabilidad vs resiliencia del sistema agroalimentario local mediante un proceso de análisis de escenarios participativos. Hemos analizado las futuras trayectorias de transformación del sistema agroalimentario local bajo múltiples conductores de cambio (de tipo ecológico, socio-económico y político) mediante el análisis de datos obtenidos a partir de entrevistas semi-estructuradas (N = 14 y N = 25) y dos talleres. Los actores locales visionaron cuatro posibles futuros escenarios. Nuestra evaluación muestra cómo los conductores de cambio afectan los diferentes componentes del sistema agroalimentario local cuando se lo conceptualiza como SES; y, cómo las diferentes perspectivas de los actores construyen diferentes trayectorias para la transformación activa del sistema. En general, los resultados del proceso de investigación enfatizan el rol que desempeñan los actores (entendido como un grupo interseccional donde el género se concibe a partir de su intersección con la etnicidad y la clase) y los nuevos arreglos de acción institucional para iniciar la transformación activa del sistema agroalimentario en los sectores marginales andinos.

The agri-food industry has great importance to the UK economy while at the same time proven to give rise to significant socio-environmental problems. The UK agri-food chains have faced several crises and undergone extensive change since the 1990s. However, so far, many improvement attempts in this sector have adopted point analysis of single issues rather than a systems view of the interrelated web of concerns. This thesis recognises a lack, of systemic understanding and systemic improvement approacrtes " within the UK agri-food supply chains and adopts a systems perspective. Therefore, the theoretical background in this thesis is influenced by systems and cognate theories. A review of systems thinking literature is carried out which is subsequently narrowed down focusing on supply chain management and sustainable chain management literature leading to the identification of two gap areas in the body of knowledge. The first gap relates to the improvement of supply chain consumer focus which is identified as a key emerging area in the field of supply chain management. The second gap is about simultaneous improvement of the environmental and economic performance of the UK agri-food chains. The research begins with contextual investigations providing evidence of the misalignment of the UK agri-food chains with the consumer value. Moreover, the contextual research clearly shows that the UK agri- food chains disproportionately pollute the environment and that the existing body of knowledge around the second research gap is in its infancy. The thesis follows by the proposition of a conceptual framework of the evolution of the UK agri-food chain management body of knowledge encapsulating the theoretical propositions of the thesis as well as serving as a guide for the data collection and directing the analyses throughout the thesis. The four rings model of the evolution of the UK agri-food chain management shows how the state of knowledge has evolved in the past and how it should continue to evolve in the future. The rest of the thesis explores and explains how to move the boundary constraints of knowledge within this framework. A multiple case study research strategy is deployed, in line with the research questions posed, the nature of the study and the philosophical approaches underpinning the thesis (the research is argued from a critical realist viewpoint), (enabling the author to develop rich, detailed and contextual knowledge about the UK agri-food chains. In a purposive sample, five case studies have been selected based on the research objectives and in a way to best enable addressing the research gaps. The first research question is addressed through four case studies whereupon significant knowledge is developed about how to improve the consumer orientation of the UK agri-food chains by leveraging the inter- organisational potentials in each case. To that end, a new approach is developed (i.e. the Supply Chain Kano-QFD approach) which is linked to the value stream mapping method. Moreover, the findings of the four case studies are compared and contrasted, and case specific contingencies are discussed. The second research gap is addressed by means of one case study which discusses the challenges ahead in terms of improving the environmental sustainability of the UK agri- food supply chains. The case study challenges the conventional views about the eco- friendliness of the biofuels, provides valuable insights about analysis of the environmental sustainability of the agri-food chains and puts forward key recommendations for future investigation.

This thesis investigates the development of regional agri-food systems and their supply chains to understand how they affect the sustainability of rural regions. It argues that the existing dichotomies of alternative-local and conventional-global do not provide a sufficiently nuanced understanding of the dynamic transitions and interactions that occur in regional agri-food systems. Deploying and extending socio-technological systems theory, the thesis explores the interaction between nested levels of sectoral and general agri-food regimes and reconstructs the emerging logics of interaction. Against this background, it analyses how alternative agri-food supply chain innovations evolve and assesses their various degrees of success. The meat, dairy and horticultural sectors in SW Wales are investigated as case studies, using a mixed methodological approach combining secondary data analysis and interviews with key stakeholders and supply chain actors. The research finds three sub-sectoral systems with highly differentiated socio-technological configurations and equally diversely configured niches. Using the socio- technological systems framework the: socio-technological configuration, degree of system stability and the future transitional pathways of the each sub-sectoral system is examined. This framework also creates the basis for an assessment of how likely their innovations are to be adopted or absorbed by the conventional agri-food system in SW Wales. The thesis finds that meaningful interactions occur not only within each sub-sector and betweentheir niches but also between sub-sectoral systems. The thesis ultimately provides a nuanced analysis of SW Wales’ agri-food systems that shows the complexity of regional food systems and critiques possible sustainable responses from public policy. It demonstrates that a socio-technical regime perspective can uncover the manifold relations between local and regional agri-food innovations and the dominant, multi-layered agri-food system. This constitutes a major empirical and conceptual contribution to the debates on sustainable food and rural development.

According to several studies, in 2017 human-induced warming reached approximately 1°C above pre-industrial levels, increasing at 0.2°C per decade. In this context, it is essential that companies understand the risks of climate change and the tools with which manage them. This thesis work consists of an in-depth study of climate events resulting from climate change that can cause impacts on the studied business system (hazards). Firstly, it has been evaluated the exposure level of the company system with reference to each of the identified hazards. Secondly, it has been identified the possible impacts (consequences) on the business system and the affected impact areas, followed by the evaluation of vulnerability level of the business system against the identified impacts of climate change. Thirdly, the choice of a risk scale (priority) and appropriate interventions of risk mitigation, and finally the implementation of adaptation measures with the appropriate verification of the response effectiveness. The methodological approach has been conducted on two production plant, as object of the study. The activity has included a first phase of discussion with the company and information collection. At the end, a possible set of adaptation actions to face future climate change, with reference to climate events and risk levels previously analysed, has been identified. It is, however, underlined that the purpose of this preliminary study is not to provide a technical and economic feasibility analysis of the suggested interventions, but to illustrate possible adaptation approaches by selecting concrete proposals already implemented in other contexts.

Food sovereignty is an alternative agricultural and rural development paradigm advocated by the international peasant movement La Vía Campesina. This investigation analyses food sovereignty through a historical cross-scale analysis focusing on the livelihoods of peasants in the sertão in North-Eastern Brazil. The overall aim is to assess the implementation and local effects of a policy, which is based on three food sovereignty principles, and determine in what ways and to what extent it promotes food sovereignty in practice. The three food sovereignty principles considered were support of peasants and small-scale family farmers, prioritisation and support of local food systems and commerce and promotion of agroecology. The policy analysed is the Brazilian government’s Food Acquisition Programme (FAP), as implemented in Mirandiba, Pernambuco by the NGO Conviver from 2005-2008. The analysis involved an assessment of the production and earnings by 359 participating families from 18 poor rural communities, as well as detailed case studies of the livelihood strategies of 14 families from two communities. A number of policy debates are explored, including rural poverty, food security and sustainable agricultural and rural development, to which this research provides three main contributions. Firstly, a new framework to explain the process of marginalisation of peasants through the influence of five mediating factors. Secondly, this framework helps deconstruct misconceptions about peasants and thereby provides support to La Via Campesina’s defence of ‘peasants’ and their livelihoods. Finally, as the first known indepth study of the implementation of the FAP on a local level, this investigation contributes to fill a gap in the research and literature on the operation and local impacts of both the FAP and governmental food procurement programmes more generally. This thesis argues food sovereignty can be achieved locally even within a context of general globalisation, through policies such as governmental food procurement programmes. The investigation concludes that food sovereignty is being pursued in areas of Brazil through the FAP and other progressive policies and movements, which are enabling peasants to improve their well-being, food security, self-esteem and to forge an adequate livelihood. The FAP is also contributing to the development of local food commerce systems and the promotion of agroecology both in Mirandiba and Brazil

Agri-food supply chains (ASCs) are becoming increasingly complex, and its actors are in need of sophisticated planning tools to remain competitive in an industry that have been moving away from small individual actors towards large multi-national, highly vertically integrated cooperatives. This case study views reality from an objectivist point of view and utilises a positivist approach to study this reality. It combines qualitative and quantitative methods to study an ASC operating in the Kingdom of Sweden. This ASC’s planning processes are investigated in order to identify processes that are applicable to simulation by considering model verification, validation, and credibility.    The simulation model allowed for system analyses from a strategic perspective and, hence, simplified the planning process of evaluating different scenarios. The model was intrinsically verified and validated in consultation with the supervisor and subject reader and was thus able to accurately imitate the real-world system. The simulated scenarios comprised changes to the ASC’s infrastructure or design. The changes, in turn, comprised decommissions of one or more port-site storage facilities (HPs). Questions that were asked during the evaluation of the experiment results included what happens to the inventory levels of the non-decommissioned HPs when certain ones close? will the demand still be met? and if, then where, will queues arise in the system? It is shown that the non-decommissioned HPs will manage the closed HP’s volumes, but only to a certain extent. One closed HP does not cause severe problems, while two closed ones can create queues, which, in turn, will result in lower than desired inventory levels at the end of the harvesting period. Queues will arise from the closing of just one HP, although this queue is practically negligible, but as two are closed, the queues will create problems. The demand was able to be met even though an HP was closed, but to meet it while two HPs are closed, one of the non-decommissioned ones’ capacity must be increased. This, ultimately, generated or achieved for the host organisation a so called proof of concept (this is argued to generate credibility in the model). Some of the identified characteristics of their ASC are considered generic, while others can only be claimed to be specific the studied ASC. The study thus claims to have initiated a framework for the differentiation of strategic, tactical, and operational planning levels in an ASC.

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A urbanização decorrente do processo de industrialização brasileira,ocorrida a partir da segunda parte do século XX, período pós Segunda Guerra Mundial, causou influência nos aspectos infra estruturais dos grandes centros, com processo massivo de desenvolvimento da produção dos bens de consumo e o estímulo da indústria e, consequentemente, o crescimento populacional da malha urbana. Passado este período, e após a entrada de sucessivas estagnações e recessões econômicas, ocorreram problemas estruturais socioeconômicos quanto à saúde e as questões sociais, ocasionando, entre outras mazelas, a insegurança alimentar. É nesse aspecto, da segurança alimentar e nutricional nos centros urbanos que é abordada a Agricultura Urbana. A atividade concentra-se na produção agrícola dentro de espaços urbanos, e espera-se que promova, além da melhoria no meio ambiente e reorganização dos espaços urbanos ociosos e poluídos, a segurança alimentar com benefícios a saúde dos praticantes da atividade. O presente estudo consistiu em analisar o impacto da Agricultura Urbana sobre a Segurança Alimentar dos praticantes consumidores da atividade de Agricultura Urbana e Periurbana (AUP) no município de Maringá, Estado do Paraná, por meio da avaliação das escalas de insegurança alimentar bem como análise estatística descritiva e regressão múltipla linear. Além disso, foram caracterizados seus integrantes e disponibilidade de alimentos, em quantidade e qualidade socialmente desejáveis. Como resultado, identificou-se que a atividade não tem produzido um quadro de segurança alimentar que atenda às necessidades básicas nutricionais dos praticantes consumidores, os quais estão em situação de insegurança alimentar, e é utilizada, por grande parte da população na situação de segurança alimentar para fins de lazer e terapia.
The urbanization resulting from the Brazilian industrialization process, which occurred after the second part of the twentieth century, after the Second World War, influenced the infra-structural aspects of large centers, with a massive process of development of the production of consumer goods and the stimulation of industry and, consequently, the population growth of the urban network. After this period, and after the entry of successive stagnations and economic recessions, there were socioeconomic structural problems regarding health and social issues, causing, among other problems, food insecurity. It is in this aspect of food and nutritional security in urban centers that Urban Agriculture is addressed. The activity focuses on agricultural production within urban spaces, and is expected to promote, in addition to improving the environment and reorganization of idle and polluted urban spaces, food security with health benefits of practitioners. The present study consisted in analyzing the impact of Urban Agriculture on the Food Safety of consumers of the Urban and Periurban Agriculture (AUP) activity in the city of Maringá, State of Paraná, through the evaluation of food insecurity scales as well as statistical analysis descriptive and linear multiple regression. In addition, its members and food availability were characterized in a quantity and quality that was socially desirable. As a result, it was identified that the activity has not produced a food safety framework that meets the basic nutritional needs of the practicing consumers, which are food insecure, and is used by a large part of the population in the food security situation for leisure and therapy purposes.

Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) champions the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services to help people adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. Moreover, EbA presents an exemplary opportunity to confer social-ecological resilience. But how can such initiatives be effectively implemented and managed towards a resilient supply of key ecosystem services? Through case study research on community-led water sow and harvest (WSH) – a traditional form of EbA in the Peruvian Andes – this thesis explores social-ecological conditions for self-organization, collaboration and learning for the adoption of the practice, as well as the emergence of adaptive co-management (ACM) and its potential for building local water resilience. Qualitative data collected from interviews and participatory observations were thematically coded, and analysed for self-organization using the Multilevel Nested Framework (Ostrom 2009) and subsequently for social learning using ACM literature. This study found that self-organization for the adoption of WSH was primarily influenced by strong leadership, the importance of the water resource to the community, and users bonded by formal institutions of collective choice and social norms rooted in Andean culture. In addition, four types of collaboration and five learning activities were found to conform a social learning process and result in social learning outcomes for enhanced adaptive capacity, indicating the emergence of ACM around community-led WSH. By supporting knowledge exchange through a social network, ACM allows the practice to be scaled-up to create enabling legislation, scaled-out to increase the number of communities adopting WSH, and scaleddeep to support cultural internalization of the practice. Such scaling can potentially enable community-led WSH to build local water resilience through: 1) implementation at the landscape level to match the scale of ecological processes that sustain water ecosystem services; and 2) continuous management over time to support adaptive forms of water resource governance in the face of change and uncertainty.

Public policy regarding innovation in the Canadian value-added agri-food sector does not appear to meet its intended outcomes. Rather than being a commodity producing nation, Canada has attempted to focus its attention on adding value to products that increase economic returns. Innovation capacity and ability to capture opportunities appear to be limiting factors. This research therefore conducted a general review of the food system in Canada with a specific focus on innovation in the functional food and natural health products’ (nutraceutical) sector. The findings are based on interviews with forty representatives of the key actor groups in innovation: industry, academia, government and civil society. The research concluded that the food system is comprised of complex demand networks that include global players working on various elements of innovation. The growing complexities are causing challenges for all actor groups. One major challenge is the lack of a common understanding of the concept of innovation within or among the actor groups including policy-makers. This finding puts into question any policies and measurements currently in place. The research adds new knowledge by expanding the multi-dimensional definition of innovation to include human elements. The research also shows that federal policy as it affects innovation in the Canadian high value-added agri-food sector is not evidence-based. A paradigm shift is required in policy-making to a solutions-led approach that results in public and private policies targeting solutions for a healthier Canada combining human, environmental and societal benefits.

This thesis has two main objectives: (1) to provide a critical political economy study of local-global interlinkages and structural problems of the current agri-food system, using a case study of Thailand; and (2) to explore the possibilities that the current agri-food system can be transformed towards more socially and ecologically sustainable paths. With these two objectives in mind, the thesis asks the central research question: "How have hegemonic and counter-hegemonic forces shaped the agri-food system in Thailand (1990 to 2014)?" The thesis uses a combined neo-Marxist and Gramscian theoretical framework, as well as English and Thai primary and secondary sources. Overall, 87 interviews from 7 provinces in the North, Central, South and Northeastern regions of Thailand are used in this thesis. The thesis argues four main points: (1) that the mainstream agri-food system in Thailand has been shaped to aid capital accumulation by domestic and transnational hegemonic forces, and is sustained through hegemonic agri-food production-distribution, governance structures and ideational order; (2) that the Thai sustainable agriculture and land reform movements' counter-hegemonic ideas, production-distribution practices, and governance structures have managed to influence the agri-food system in Thailand and offer alternatives to certain extents; (3) that hegemonic forces have many measures to co-opt dissent, alternative and reformist forces into hegemonic structures; and (4) that counter-hegemony should be seen as an un-linear ongoing process over a long period of time, where predominantly counter-hegemonic forces may at times retain some hegemonic elements. The threat of co-optation suggests that counter-hegemonic forces need to continually refine and develop clear ideas and practices in order to guard against co-optation. The thesis makes six main original contributions to knowledge. First, it brings new empirical information from the Thai case study into existing literatures on the corporate agri-food system and agrarian political economy. Second, the thesis brings new empirical information from Thailand into existing literatures on alternative agri-food and agrarian movements. Third, the research extends neo-Marxist and Gramscian theoretical perspectives in the study of the agri-food system. Fourth, the dissertation provides new perspectives as well as recent data on Thai agrarian development and social movements. Fifth, the work provides new perspectives as well as recent data on practices and discourses of Thai localism. Sixth and finally, the thesis provides a new perspective on polarised politics in Thailand. Empirical exploration of the agri-food system in Thailand supports the thesis' argument that transformative change in the agri-food system can appropriately be seen as an un-linear process over a long period of time, which challenges agri-food studies from the Marxist tradition which tend to focus on "crisis and change". Through the combined neo-Marxist and Gramscian theoretical approach, the thesis suggests the importance of counter-hegemonic struggles at ideational and material levels, and that social movements do not necessarily have to resemble stereotypical images of politicised, structured, and leftist national movements. Moreover, by providing new perspectives on Thai localism and polarised politics in Thailand, particularly how cross-class alliances can further or frustrate counter-hegemonic movements, this thesis points to the importance of analysing social movements in relation to established political authority.

No Rio Grande do Sul, a bovinocultura de corte é uma atividade de importância histórica, fundamental na formação da economia, cultura e, mesmo, do ‘território’ do estado. A atividade foi favorecida pelo ecossistema pastoril que caracteriza as regiões da Campanha e dos Campos de Cima da Serra. Esta última está localizada no nordeste do estado do Rio Grande do Sul, onde é produzido o Queijo Serrano. A produção de queijo remonta à época da ocupação do território pelos primeiros habitantes não indígenas, tendo características específicas e sendo feito artesanalmente. A produção de queijo a partir do leite da bovinocultura de corte constitui uma particularidade do sistema, já que ele não foi intencionalmente organizado em função da produção do queijo. Por outro lado, a atividade de queijaria tem importância crescente na ocupação das famílias, e o Queijo Serrano, além de reconhecido e procurado por consumidores, tem potencial de gerar externalidades positivas, constituindo fonte de renda, ocupação, e contribuindo para manutenção de uma cultura e de um ecossistema. Por estar localizado em uma área sem aptidão à agricultura de escala, muitas das características do sistema de produção foram preservadas. O mesmo observa-se no modo de organização social. Ainda, por estar situado sobre um ecossistema de pastagens naturais, a manutenção do sistema pecuário, significa a preservação de um modo sustentável de exploração dos recursos naturais, que traz consigo também a preservação de valores culturais e históricos.
In Rio Grande do Sul, cattle raising is a historically important activity, crucial in the formation of economy, culture and even the 'territory' of the state. The activity was favored by the pastureland ecosystem characterizing the areas of the Campanha and the Campos de Cima da Serra. The latter is located in the northeast of Rio Grande do Sul where the Serrano Cheese is produced. Its production dates back to the period of land occupation by the early nonindigenous people, it has specific features and it is still produced in artisanal fashion. Cheese production from milk of beef cattle is a particularity of the system, as it was not purposefully organized to produce cheese. On the other hand, cheese have a growing importance in family occupation, and the locally-produced cheese is appreciated for by the consumers, but also has the potential to generate positive externalities, constituting a source of income and occupation as well as contributing to the maintenance of a culture and an ecosystem. As it is located in an area unsuitable for full-scale agriculture, many of the characteristics of the production system were conserved. The same is observed in the mode of social organization. Also, because it is located on an ecosystem of natural grasslands, the maintenance of the cattle raising system by the cheese production entails the conservation of a sustainable mode of exploitation of natural resources, which brings with it the conservation of cultural and historical values.

Nanotechnology, the scientific study of manipulating matter on an atomic scale (1 to 100 nanometers) that provides new properties in materials and devices had received considerable research attention and public funding support during the last decade in the US. This emerging technology promises to improve the competitiveness of most of the US industrial sectors. Malerba (2004) an innovation system researcher has developed the theoretical framework "Sectoral System of Innovation (SSI)" to study the process by which new technologies and knowledge are produced and transferred to industrial sectors, where actors interact based on an institutional framework to generate innovation processes. In this dissertation I studied the agriculture and food processing sector, which is a key sector of the US economy that has provided with enough food for the US population, but in an unsustainable way that has harmed the environment, natural resources and human health. The US agrifood sector is facing new challenges of increasing food demand, which need to be addressed in a more sustainable way that takes consideration on economic, environment, and social aspects. The main questions that this dissertation research focuses on studying how much attention the public nanotechnology agrifood research agenda has paid to sustainability issues during the last decade in the US and what role has played the system's actors in influencing this research agenda. The analysis of the policy process in which system's actors try to influence the research agenda is framed in the Advocacy Coalition Framework (Sabatier 1993) that complemented the Sectoral System of Innovation approach in studying the formation of advocacy groups to achieve their coalition's policy goals. Three data sources were utilized to achieve my research goals, the CNS-ASU nanotechnology publications dataset 2000-2010(Porter A, Youtie J et al. 2007; De Bellis 2009)which was used to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the agrifood nanotechnology research publications in the US, semi-structured interviews with key actors and their interaction in advocacy coalition groups, and a literature review of several official documents and public hearing with respect to the US nanotechnology system to evaluate the influence of advocacy groups in the policy process. Utilizing Vantage point data mining and Nvivo qualitative analysis software I conducted the data analysis of my research. The results show increasing research attention toward environmental research and food safety issues that can indirectly impact positively on sustainability development, as well as increasing research attention in studying environmental, health and safety issues (EHS) that can reduce potential risks. The analysis of actors' interaction to influence the policy process, two advocacy coalitions was identified. On one side, a coalition that advocate for more research funding oriented to applied research to achieve the potential that this coalition members believe this technology has to revolutionize the way food is produced giving more competitiveness to the US agrifood sector, this coalition is composed by researchers, federal agency managers and industry representatives. On the other side, a rival coalition that raise concerns respect to potential risks associated to this technology that required to be addressed by the public research agenda. This coalition mainly composed by environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other social actors claim for a regulatory framework that guarantee a nanotechnology development environmental friendly that benefit the society. The influence of these two coalitions have succeed in allocating more federal funding resources to research nanotechnology in the agrifood sector, with particular emphasis in EHS research that show the right path to a sustainable development that guarantee enough resources for the future generations.

Nowadays, around 690 million undernourished people worldwide, even though the world already produces enough food to feed more than the whole current population. This situation is far from diminishing due to the current COVID-19 worldwide health contingency and other environmental threats, e.g., climate change. This work establishes key parameters to build a sustainable agri-food system that allows characterizing the degree of sustainability of the global agri-food system following the food sovereignty framework. It is divided into three main sections, two of them has a published article. The first one proposes a quantitative methodology that analyzes food systems' functioning at the international level. That section presents a database with 97 indicators distributed into six categories: 1) access to resources; 2) productive models; 3) commercialization; 4) food consumption and the right to food; 5) agrarian policies and civil society organization, and 6) gender. Then, the second section advances the concept of food sovereignty as a conceptual framework to analyze agri-food systems' sustainability following the steps proposed by Jabareen (2009) to build conceptual frameworks. The third section presents a quantitative multivariate assessment of 43 indicators of food sovereignty and 39 indicators of socio-demographic and social well-being and environmental sustainability in 150 countries. Finally, I conclude this dissertation with final remarks and further work on the forthcoming final paper submitted in the first quarter of 2021.
Avui en dia, al voltant de 690 milions de persones desnodrides a tot el món, tot i que el món ja produeix prou menjar per alimentar més que tota la població actual. Aquesta situació està lluny de disminuir a causa de l’actual contingència sanitària mundial COVID-19 i d’altres amenaces ambientals, per exemple, el canvi climàtic. Aquest treball estableix paràmetres clau per construir un sistema agroalimentari sostenible que permeti caracteritzar el grau de sostenibilitat del sistema agroalimentari global seguint el marc de sobirania alimentària. Es divideix en tres seccions principals, dues d’elles tenen un article publicat. El primer proposa una metodologia quantitativa que analitza el funcionament dels sistemes alimentaris a nivell internacional. Aquesta secció presenta una base de dades amb 97 indicadors distribuïts en sis categories: 1) accés als recursos; 2) models productius; 3) comercialització; 4) el consum d'aliments i el dret a l'alimentació; 5) polítiques agràries i organització de la societat civil, i 6) gènere. A continuació, la segona secció fa avançar el concepte de sobirania alimentària com a marc conceptual per analitzar la sostenibilitat dels sistemes agroalimentaris seguint els passos proposats per Jabareen (2009) per construir marcs conceptuals. La tercera secció presenta una avaluació quantitativa multivariant de 43 indicadors de sobirania alimentària i 39 indicadors de benestar social-demogràfic i social i de sostenibilitat ambiental a 150 països. Finalment, conclou aquesta dissertació amb observacions finals i treballs posteriors sobre el proper treball final presentat el primer trimestre del 2021.

Dans un contexte de foisonnement des circuits courts de proximité, les enjeux de qualité invitent à déplacer la focale géographique, de produits spécifiques caractérisés par leur origine vers des produits ordinaires caractérisés par leur provenance. Se pose alors la question des modalités d’attachement de ces produits ordinaires aux milieux géographiques. À la fois aliments du quotidien et éléments de matériel végétal communs, les pommes et les pommes de terre permettent d’aborder les enjeux de reconnexion entre agriculture et alimentation autour de la notion de système agri-alimentaire territorial. Sur trois espaces de moyenne montagne – en France (Ardèche, Bauges) et en Italie (Ligurie) – cette thèse propose une analyse des trajectoires de dix collectifs passant par des phases de controverses qui les conduisent à se tourner vers des dispositifs de qualification plus souples que les indications géographiques. Conservant des logiques d’enracinement inspirées d’une rhétorique du terroir, ils ne versent pas pour autant dans le modèle des circuits courts de proximité, et maintiennent pour la plupart la question variétale au cœur de leurs préoccupations. La thèse montre que cette dernière ne peut être traitée à l’échelle des territoires qu’à condition d’envisager la production alimentaire de manière intégrée, c’est-à-dire en impliquant une diversité d’acteurs, capables de concevoir dans un même mouvement différentes étapes de qualification, de la gestion du matériel végétal à la consommation des aliments. L’émergence et la viabilisation de tels systèmes agri-alimentaires territoriaux ouvrent des débats politiques, et posent la question des modalités de l’action publique pour favoriser de tels dispositifs, dont on observe qu’ils tiennent principalement à des figures individuelles et à des lieux de médiation
In a context of proliferation of short supply chains, issues of quality invite a shift in geographical focus, moving from specific products characterized by their origin to ordinary products characterized by their provenance. This shift raises the question of the modalities of attachment that these common products have to geographical areas. Everyday foods and common plant materials such as apples and potatoes allow for particular discussion around the issues concerning the reconnection of agriculture and food, specifically around the concept of territorial agri-food systems. Looking at three medium mountain areas - in France (Ardèche, Bauges) and Italy (Liguria) - this thesis proposes an analysis of the trajectories of ten different food collectives through the varying phases of controversy that are driving them towards qualification devices which are more flexible than purely geographical indications. Maintaining the logic of 'rooting', inspired by a territorial rhetoric, the collectives do not fall into the short supply chains model, and maintain, for the most part, the varietal question at the heart of their concerns. This thesis shows that this varietal question can only be treated at the territorial level if we consider the production of food as integrated. That is to say, involving a variety of stakeholders, capable of designing various stages of qualification in the same movement, from plant material management to food consumption. The emergence and realizable qualities of these territorial agri-food systems incite political debate, and raise the question of the public action modalities to promote these devices, which we notice are mainly due to individuals and places of mediation

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has not spread rapidly in the UK, and in the north east of England its growth has been particularly slow. The purpose of this study was to develop an action research programme into CSA in this location to discover if it could be animated using a community-based participatory action research approach and to find out what benefits would accrue to participants of such a scheme. Participatory action research (PAR) with local collaborators took place between 2006 and 2009. Some data collection relating to the global CSA movement continued through to 2011. The thesis documents how two research groups adapted to restraints and opportunities to achieve their aims through the iterative cycle of planning, acting, observing and reflecting. The benefits to participants are understood and analysed in terms of community development and care theory. The thesis also includes an in-depth examination of action research and a comprehensive account of the history and development of CSA. The distinctive contribution to knowledge is in two regards. First, the use of PAR in facilitating stakeholder collaboration to develop CSA schemes enables an analysis of the role of PAR in animating rural development initiatives. Second, the specific socio-economic characteristics of Weardale mean that this research provides a highly original and distinctive contribution by examining how PAR might animate local food initiatives in a deprived area. The analysis demonstrates how the structure, form and practice of CSA reflect an ethic of care. PAR also stems from motivations of care and concern and is a search for knowledge and action that can contribute towards addressing situations that are deemed to be socially, economically or environmentally unsatisfactory. It is claimed that, although individual CSAs may focus their attention on achieving their immediate goals and tasks, nevertheless, CSA contains within it the potential to effect wider transformational change.

The recent threat of climate change has exacerbated the inherent risks in smallholder farming such as soil degradation, resulting in an unprecedented decline in agricultural yields in developing countries. This has threatened the livelihoods of large segments of populations that are heavily dependent on agriculture for survival in these regions. This dissertation focuses on identifying barriers and enablers of effective management of these risks, with an aim of coming up with potential policy interventions that can reduce vulnerability to the mentioned risks. To achieve this, the dissertation utilizes various methods and approaches as well as diverse datasets in two countries in sub Saharan Africa i.e. Namibia and Kenya. Diversification into non-farm activities is seen by many as a risk management strategy in rural areas where highly variable low farm incomes are transformed into stable high non-farm incomes, thus improving the welfare of the rural populations. While this theory of change is uncontested, the importance that the agricultural sector plays as a source of livelihood for rural populations, as well as food provisioning for urban populations, cannot be downplayed. This is more so given the limited non-farm opportunities in developing countries and the exponential population growth in these countries. The two factors combined impede on the envisioned transformation of rural production sectors and also create a sub-population of food insecure urban poor due to rural-urban migration. To mitigate these problems, rural agricultural development is still paramount and strategies that enhance resilience to risks in the sector are still vital. Chapter 2 of this dissertation focuses on this issue and addresses how farm diversification can be leveraged for improved food security in the rural areas, which has potential spill-over effects to other segments of the population. Focusing on northern Namibia, the study evaluates how different levels of diversification in both crop and livestock farming affect household food security outcomes i.e. per capita food expenditure and dietary diversity score. The study employs relatively new econometric methods in these type of studies to evaluate the joint determinants to both crop and livestock diversification, as well as their singular and joint effect on mentioned food security outcomes. The results show that high levels of diversification in either enterprise leads to high food security outcomes. Combined with climate change adaptation strategies that create resilience of agricultural production to climatic shocks, the use of sustainable agricultural intensification practices can further enhance productivity in the sector. Inputs like inorganic fertilizer, organic manure and improved seeds can further build on resilient systems to improve yields. Chapter 3 of this dissertation addresses this issue by looking at whether changes in the larger agri-food systems can be used to incentivize take up of such practices at the farm level. The study evaluates how the emergence of large traders in smallholder grain markets can drive the uptake of inorganic and organic fertilizer and improved seeds. The study thus expands the intervention space available to policy makers who have in the past resorted to potentially distortionary direct policies in the input markets e.g. through subsidy provision, as well as in the output markets e.g. through regulation of prices. To achieve this, the study uses a large panel dataset from Kenya spanning over a decade to evaluate how engagements between farmers and these market actors can be leveraged to drive adoption of these sustainable intensification inputs. Results show that engagements between large grain traders and farmers enhance use of inorganic fertilizer. There is no evidence that these engagements lead to enhanced use of improved seeds or manure. However, past use of improved seeds and manure are shown to affect their subsequent use, implying path dependency in the use of these sustainable inputs hence low dis-adoption rates. Traditional technology adoption studies show that access to information is a critical success factor for the uptake of new technology. Proxy variables for information access, for example proximity to extension services or frequency of extension contact, have consistently been shown to be positively correlated with technology adoption. In the context of climate change, access to weather information can be a critical factor to adoption of adaptation technology. Chapter 4 of this dissertation deals with this issue and assesses whether provision of weather information to farmers can enhance adoption of improved farming technologies that are resilient to climatic shocks. The study focuses on northern Namibia where access to such information, as the study shows, is very limited. A framed experiment approach is utilised to evaluate how climate change-induced uncertainty affects farmers' decision making in a farming season, based on their elicited behavioural attitudes towards risk and uncertainty. Further, the study tests whether providing weather information that reduces this uncertainty leads to adoption of technologies that are welfare improving. Lastly, the demand for weather information is assessed by eliciting the willingness to pay for information under various levels of weather uncertainty. Results indicate that high levels of uncertainty dampen uptake of welfare improving technologies, regardless of individual attitudes towards uncertainty. Availing of weather information leads to welfare improving technology choice, given the prevailing levels of weather uncertainty. There is also a high demand for weather information which is shown to increase with increase in the level of weather uncertainty. The chapters in the dissertation therefore identify key policy variables that can be used to manage vulnerability to risks emanating from climate change and unsustainable production in smallholder farming. Access to comprehensive climate information encompassing weather information and climate change-specific management information on both crop and livestock farming is shown to be a key factor in the uptake of adaptation strategies like use of resilient inputs and farm diversification. Interventions along the value chain like teaming up with large market actors in a private-public engagement is shown to be a potential pathway towards enhancing uptake of sustainable intensification inputs. Other policy variables like credit provision, high education and access to off-farm incomes are also key in explaining uptake of risk management strategies by smallholder farmers in Namibia and Kenya.

In order to feed its growing population and avoid national food insecurity, South Africa will need to greatly increase the amount of food it produces by 2050. There are, however, many issues and challenges facing the agri-food system of South Africa that could make this feat difficult. Namely: an economy in recession; climate change; uncertain land reform policies; a high crime rate; rising input costs such as fuel, fertiliser and electricity; poor infrastructure; increased foreign competition; insufficient access to funding and markets resulting in a high failure rate in agricultural entrepreneurship; and a depreciating and fluctuating exchange rate. This study aims to explore and contribute to the understanding of how the stakeholders of the agri-food system of South Africa could double food production by 2050. More specifically, the objective of this study was to establish whether the stimulation of the agri-food system of South Africa, resulting in increased food production, could be achieved by the enhancement of agricultural entrepreneurship through the development of efficient and effective organised agricultural groups participating in innovative multi-stakeholder agri-food ecosystems. Through a qualitative exploratory study with thirteen (13) agricultural entrepreneurs and three (3) agri-food system experts, this research study established that, the agri-food system of South Africa could be stimulated through enhanced agricultural entrepreneurship. Furthermore, this study found that agricultural entrepreneurship is enhanced when the agricultural entrepreneurs are a part of efficient and effective organised agricultural groups. It was also established that the issues and challenges facing the agri-food system of South Africa could be overcome if the stakeholders of the agri-food system established and participated in innovative multi-stakeholder agri-food ecosystems.
Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2020.
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
MBA
Unrestricted

The agri-food sector is responsible for 26% of the total global carbon emissions. This puts the sector under the critical eye of the world, which demands radical solutions to this. For this, alternatives to unsustainable practices have already been implemented and have led to the transformation of the systems into more sustainable ones. And, studies that seek to understand these transformations have been carried out, which belong to the Sustainability Transitions field. However, this branch of studies has been more prominent in countries of the northern hemisphere, and not so much in countries of the south. This is why, this study aimed to extend the knowledge on sustainability transitions in countries from the global south by studying the case of the blueberry sector in Peru, and the possible factors that may be hindering or boosting a sustainable transition. The study focused on the evaluation of secondary data on the context and relevant events within the blueberry sector in Peru from 2004 to 2021, also interviews were held to support the information gathered previously. The study showed that factors that act as a booster for a transition, within the Peruvian context, are the price of a product in the global market, and also the enactment of certain laws that promote certain activities like organic production. Also, those hindering factors were the price of cultivation of the blueberries and the activity of informal institutions called “services”. Moreover, the study shows that two out of the three alternatives for sustainable change that were analyzed lacked consideration for social sustainability aspects. Finally, the insights provided in this study could help to better understand how sustainability transitions could unravel in similar South American regions.

Há atualmente muitos desafios globais e tendências que podem influenciar a alimentação e a agricultura nas próximas décadas. A insegurança alimentar ainda se faz proeminente em um cenário que progrediu quanto à produtividade agrícola, mas regrediu quanto à viabilidade do acesso aos alimentos. Paralelamente, o crescimento demográfico robusto, a alteração dos padrões de consumo e a consequente pressão sobre os recursos naturais passaram a oprimir a sustentabilidade dos sistemas alimentares. Nesse sentido, o circuito curto agro-alimentar aparece como uma proposta para revitalizar relações socioeconómicas ora apartadas pela modernidade, coadjuvando na ressignificação dos valores territoriais. A sua atuação se mostrou representativa na dinamização da economia local, para além de fomentar o consumo ético de alimentos e minimizar os impactos ambientais. Ademais, alguns agentes observados e entrevistados em regiões brasileiras e portuguesas revelaram possuir diversos comportamentos ambientalistas e indicaram compreender a importância deste circuito em uma conjuntura global e de longo prazo; ABSTRACT: There are many global challenges and trends that influence food and agriculture along the next decades. Food insecurity is still prominent in a scenario that developed the farming productivity but shrank the population’s access to said production. Moreover, the solid demographic growth, the alteration in consumption patterns and the consequent pressure over natural resources are risking the food chain sustainability. Therefore, the short agri-food supply chain rises as a proposition to revitalize socio economic bonds - once separated by the contemporaneity - co-acting in reframing territorial values. The usage of the short agricultural circuit is representative when fostering the local economy and the ethical consumption of food and also reducing the environmental impacts. Furthermore, some observed and interviewed agents - in Brazilian and Portuguese areas - have revealed to have several positive environmental behaviours and showed a comprehension of the circuit’s importance in the long term and in a global sphere.

Tesis por compendio
[ES] Algunos productos se caracterizan por su falta de homogeneidad, lo que significa que productos con diferentes características pueden ser obtenidos de un mismo proceso de producción debido a factores incontrolables como la naturaleza de las materias primas o las condiciones ambientales durante la producción. Hay cuatro aspectos que caracterizan la falta de homogeneidad en el producto: los subtipos homogéneos que se obtienen de un mismo lote de producción, la cantidad de productos que componen cada subtipo, el valor de cada uno de los subtipos, y el estado de los productos. La falta de homogeneidad en el producto dificulta la gestión de los procesos de las empresas y cadenas de suministro en el momento en el que los clientes requieren homogeneidad entre las unidades de producto que adquieren. Un ejemplo de esto se produce en el sector de la cerámica, en el que los clientes requieren que todas las unidades que van a ser ensambladas juntas tengan el mismo color, espesor y calidad por razones estéticas y de seguridad. Otro ejemplo es el extraído del sector agroalimentario, en el que el mercado final requiere productos que cumplan con un tamaño mínimo, un color particular, o sabor en el caso de las frutas. Además, el sector agroalimentario tiene la complejidad añadida producida por el deterioro de los productos a lo largo del tiempo, y la necesidad de los mercados de ofrecer a los clientes productos con una mínima duración tras su venta. En esta Tesis, se define como productos heterogéneos a aquellos productos que se pueden clasificar en subtipos homogéneos con una cantidad variable, mientras que los productos perecederos son aquellos que, además de ser heterogéneos, tienen falta de homogeneidad en su estado. De acuerdo con estos conceptos, el sector cerámico comercializa productos heterogéneos mientras que el sector agroalimentario comercializa productos perecederos. Esta Tesis propone marcos conceptuales y modelos de Investigación Operativa que soporten la gestión de cadenas de suministro con productos heterogéneos y perecederos en la toma de decisiones centralizada y distribuidas relacionadas con los niveles de decisión estratégica, táctica y operativa. El objetivo es mejorar la competitividad, sostenibilidad y flexibilidad de la cadena de suministro para adaptarse a los requerimientos del mercado bajo condiciones de incertidumbre. Para esto, se han propuesto modelos de Investigación Operativa deterministas e inciertos, cuyos resultados se comparan concluyendo que los resultados obtenidos con los modelos inciertos se adaptan mejor al comportamiento real de las cadenas de suministros.Los modelos de Investigación Operativa propuestos han contribuido a tres áreas de investigación: problemas operativos en el sector cerámico, problemas estratégicos en el sector agroalimentario y problemas de planificación en el sector agroalimentario. Las principales novedades en los problemas operativos en el sector cerámico son el modelado de las características de las baldosas cerámicas, la consideración de los requerimientos de homogeneidad entre unidades de diferentes líneas de pedido, y la posibilidad de realizar entregas parciales y entregas con retraso. Esta Tesis contribuye a los problemas estratégicos en el sector agroalimentario al diseñar una cadena de suministro completa de productos agroalimentarios frescos considerando el aspecto perecedero de los productos e integrando decisiones tácticas, y determinando el impacto real que tiene considerar el aspecto perecedero de los productos durante el diseño de la cadena de suministro ...
[CA] Alguns productes es caracteritzen per la seua falta d'homogeneïtat, el que significa que productes amb diferents característiques poden ser obtinguts d'un mateix procés de producció degut a factors incontrolables com la naturalesa de les matèries primeres o les condicions ambientals durant la producció. Hi ha quatre aspectes que caracteritzen la falta d'homogeneïtat en el producte: els subtipus homogenis que s'obtenen d'un mateix lot de producció, la quantitat de productes que componen cada subtipus, el valor de cada un dels subtipus, i l'estat dels productes. La falta d'homogeneïtat en el producte dificulta la gestió dels processos de les empreses i cadenes de subministrament en el moment en què els clients requerixen homogeneïtat entre les unitats de producte que adquirixen. Un exemple d'açò es produïx en el sector de la ceràmica, en el que els clients requerixen que totes les unitats que seran acoblades juntes tinguen el mateix color, grossària i qualitat per raons estètiques i de seguretat. Un altre exemple és l'extret del sector agroalimentari, en el que el mercat final requerix productes que complisquen amb una grandària mínima, un color particular, o sabor en el cas de les fruites. A més, el sector agroalimentari té la complexitat afegida produïda pel deteriorament dels productes al llarg del temps, i la necessitat dels mercats d'oferir als clients productes amb una mínima duració després de la seua venda. En aquesta Tesi, es definix com a productes heterogenis a aquells productes que es poden classificar en subtipus homogenis amb una quantitat variable, mentres que els productes peribles són aquells que, a més de ser heterogenis, tenen falta d'homogeneïtat en el seu estat. D'acord amb aquests conceptes, el sector ceràmic comercialitza productes heterogenis mentres que el sector agroalimentari comercialitza productes peribles. Aquesta Tesi proposa marcs conceptuals i models d'Investigació Operativa que suporten la gestió de cadenes de subministrament amb productes heterogenis i peribles en la presa de decisions centralitzada i distribuïdes relacionades amb els nivells de decisió estratègica, tàctica i operativa. L'objectiu és millorar la competitivitat, sostenibilitat i flexibilitat de la cadena de subministrament per adaptar-se als requeriments del mercat sota condicions d'incertesa. Per a açò, s'han proposat models d'Investigació Operativa deterministes i incerts, els resultats es comparen concloent que els resultats obtinguts amb els models incerts s'adapten millor al comportament real de les cadenes de subministraments. Els models d'Investigació Operativa proposats han contribuït a tres àrees d'investigació: problemes operatius en el sector ceràmic, problemes estratègics en el sector agroalimentari i problemes de planificació en el sector agroalimentari. Les principals novetats en els problemes operatius en el sector ceràmic són el modelatge de les característiques de les rajoles ceràmiques, la consideració dels requeriments d'homogeneïtat entre unitats de diferents línies de comanda, i la possibilitat de realitzar lliuraments parcials i lliuraments amb retard. Aquesta Tesi contribueix als problemes estratègics en el sector agroalimentari al dissenyar una cadena de subministrament completa de productes agroalimentaris frescos considerant l'aspecte perible dels productes, integrant decisions tàctiques, i determinant l'impacte real que té considerar l'aspecte perible dels productes durant el disseny de la cadena de subministrament ...
[EN] Some products are characterised by their lack of homogeneity, what means that products with different characteristics can be obtained from the same production process due to uncontrollable factors such as the nature of raw materials or the environmental conditions during production. There are four aspects that characterize the lack of homogeneity in the product: the homogeneous subtypes to be obtained from a production lot, the quantity of products that belong to each subtype, the value related to each of the subtypes and the state of the products. The lack of homogeneity in the product hinders the management of the supply chain or company's processes at the time customers require the homogeneity among the acquired units of product. An example of this is produced in the ceramic tile sector, in which customers need all acquired ceramic tiles that are going to be jointly assembled to have the same colour, thickness and quality for aesthetic and safety reasons. Another example is the extracted from the agri-food sector, in which final markets require products that meet some characteristics such as a minimum size, a particular colour or flavour in the case of fruits. In addition, the agri-food sector has the added complexity produced by the deterioration of products over time, and the need of markets to offer to end consumers products with a minimum durability after sale. In this Thesis, heterogeneous products are defined as products for which different subtypes can be obtained in a variable quantity while perishable products are those that, apart from being heterogeneous, have a lack of homogeneity in their state. According to these concepts, ceramic sectors would commercialize heterogeneous products while the agri-food sector would do so with perishable products. This Thesis proposes conceptual frameworks and Operations Research models to support the management of supply chains with heterogeneous and perishable products in centralized and distributed decision-making processes related to strategic, tactical and operative decisional levels. The objective is to improve the supply chain competitiveness, sustainability and flexibility to adapt to market requirements under uncertain conditions. For this, both deterministic and uncertain Operations Research models have been proposed, whose results are compared concluding that results obtained with uncertain models better fit with the behaviour of real supply chains. The proposed Operations Research models have contributed to three research areas: operational problems in the ceramic sector, strategic problems in the agri-food sector and planning problems in the agri-food sector. Main novelties in the ceramic operational problems are the modelling of the characteristics of ceramic tile products, the consideration of homogeneity requirements between units from different order lines, and the possibility of making partial deliveries and delayed deliveries. This Thesis contributes to strategic problems in agri-food products by designing an entire fresh agri-food supply chain considering the perishability of products and integrating tactical decisions, and by determining the real impact that considering the products' perishability has on the supply chain design process ...
This Thesis has been developed in the Research Centre of Management and Production Engineering (CIGIP, for its acronym in Spanish “Centro de Investigación en Gestión e Ingeniería de Producción”) of the Universitat Politècnica de València with the support of the predoctoral grant Programme of Formation of University Professors (FPU, for its acronym in Spanish “Formación de Profesorado Universitario”) from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Ref. FPU15/03595). The supervisors of this Thesis are Dr. Angel Ortiz, and Dra. María del Mar Alemany Diaz that are Professors in the Research Centre of Management and Production Engineering (CIGIP) of the Universitat Politècnica de València. The FPU grant has been endorsed by the supervisor Dr. Ángel Ortiz. This Thesis has also been supported by the project ‘RUC-APS: Enhancing and implementing Knowledge based ICT solutions within high Risk and Uncertain Conditions for Agriculture Production Systems’ (Ref. 691249) funded by the EU under its funding scheme H2020-MSCA-RISE-2015, the project ‘Methods and models for operations planning and order management in supply chains characterised by uncertainty in production due to the lack of product uniformity’ (PLANGES-FHP) (Ref. DPI2011- 23597) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The projects RUC-APS and PLANGES-FHP have been led by the one of the supervisors of this Thesis Dr. María del Mar Eva Alemany. In order to obtain the international mention for this Thesis, three months of research stages have been made in the research agency Agenzia Lucana di Sviluppo e di Innovazione in Agricoltora, located in Metaponto (Italy)
Esteso Álvarez, A. (2020). Operations research models for the management of supply chains of perishable and heterogeneous products in uncertain contexts. Application to the agri-food and ceramic sectors [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/141099
TESIS
Compendio

Utilizando extensa revisão bibliográfica, esta dissertação aborda a problemática da relação entre consumo, produção e políticas públicas alimentares analisando o papel e as potencialidade dos Programas de Alimentação Escolar. O objetivo principal consiste em estudar o potencial das compras públicas como mecanismo de enfrentamento de problemas relacionados ao consumo e produção de alimentos, que pode se dar tanto através da integração de políticas à saúde dos escolares, como mediante a criação de mercados para os produtores locais. O estudo foi realizado com base em uma revisão da literatura sobre países e contextos em que a alimentação escolar foi acionada como uma política de abastecimento e segurança alimentar. Constatou-se que as compras locais, através do Programa de Alimentação Escolar, são consideradas como multiplicadoras de forças beneficiando, simultaneamente, as crianças e a economia local. No Brasil, ainda são poucos os estudos abordando os programas públicos alimentares como políticas públicas capazes de construir uma reconexão entre produção e consumo. Desta forma, a dissertação descreve as experiências dos municípios de Rolante (RS), Belo Horizonte (MG), e Fernandes Pinheiro (PR), que inovaram na forma de adquirir produtos da agricultura familiar, sem infringir a legislação vigente. Já na esfera internacional, estudou-se as reformas da alimentação escolar em Nova Iorque e Roma, que através da compra de gêneros alimentícios de pequenos produtores locais puderam oferecer aos escolares uma alimentação de qualidade, além de proporcionar novas oportunidades aos produtores locais. Nos países em desenvolvimento, estudos mostram a importância de se formular programas de longo prazo, tais como os Programas de Alimentação Escolar do Quênia e Índia. As experiências descritas nesta dissertação pretendem trazer uma contribuição para que se possa pensar em estratégias de mudança do setor público assim como dos comportamentos dos cidadãos, de tal forma que possam desenvolver hábitos alimentares mais saudáveis e que tenham consciência que seus atos afetam o ambiente. O estudo conclui que as políticas públicas, tais como o Programa de Alimentação Escolar podem produzir mudanças positivas tanto na produção quanto no consumo de alimentos na sociedade contemporânea, contribuindo desta forma para o desenvolvimento com sustentabilidade.
Using vast bibliographic research, this dissertation approaches the problematic relationship between consumption, production and public feeding policies, analysing the role and the potential for School Feeding Programs. The main goal is to study the potential of public purchasing programs as a mechanism for confronting problems related to consumption and food production, that can be performed not only by the integration of policies to school children’s health, but also through the creation of a market for local producers. The study was based on a literature review of the countries and contexts where school feeding programs were used as supply and food security policy. It was found that buying local, through the School Feeding Program, is considered a power multiplier, benefiting both children and the local economy. In Brazil, there are not many studies that approach the public feeding programs as public policies capable of creating a reconnection between production and consumption. In this way, the dissertation describes the experiences of three cities: Rolante (RS), Belo Horizonte (MG) and Fernandes Pinheiro (PR), which have used innovative ways of acquiring products from familiar agriculture, without breaking the existing laws. In an international sphere, the school feeding improvements in New York and Rome were studied. It was found that they could offer school children quality food by purchasing from small local producers, while also providing these producers new opportunities. In developing countries, studies show the importance of creating long-term programs, such as the School Feeding Programs in Kenya and India. The experiences described in this dissertation are intended to encourage people to think about changing strategies in the public sector, as well as changing citizens’ behavior, in order to create healthier eating habits and awareness that their acts affect the environment. The study concludes that public policies, such as the School Feeding Program, can create positive changes not only in the production, but also in the consumption of food in a contemporary society, contributing then to sustainable development.

Un enjeu important des entreprises agroalimentaires marocaines est d’optimiser leurs investissements en technologies de l’information et de la communication. Un autre enjeu concerne l’adaptation de leurs structures organisationnelles en fonction de leur orientation stratégique. En effet, la performance de ces entreprises est conditionnée par la valeur de leur système d’information c'est-à-dire sa qualité et sa contribution aux processus métiers et aux échanges électroniques avec les partenaires. Cette recherche a pour objectif de comprendre comment la capacité du système d’information logistique contribue à la performance des entreprises agroalimentaires marocaines.La démarche adoptée est fondée sur une enquête par questionnaire dans 75 entreprises. Les résultats de cette recherche permettent de comprendre le processus de conversion de ressources complémentaires (le soutien des dirigeants et les compétences du personnel informatique) en un système d’information de qualité, contribuant aux activités du processus logistique et aux échanges électroniques avec les partenaires et enfin personnalisé en fonction de l’orientation stratégique de l’entreprise
The challenge of Moroccan Agricultural and food companies is to optimize their investments in information technologies and to adapt their organizational structures according to their environment. Indeed, the performance of these companies is conditioned by the success of their information system to determine the value in a competitive context. The purpose of this research is to understand how the capacity of logistics information systems contributes to the performance of Moroccan Agricultural and food companies.The quantative approach was used in this study through a survey with themanagers and production or logistics managers of 75 Moroccan Agricultural and foodcompanies.The results of this research explained the process of converting the information systems (IS) resources according to the strategic configuration of thecompanies.This research highlighted the importance of IS capabilities and the SI exchange value of the process of supply chain information system in the contribution to the performance

Au delà de la gestion de la qualité, la traçabilité répond à des enjeux stratégiques pour les entreprises. L'évolution technologique propice à une informatisation intensive et la reconfiguration du paysage logistique amènent à considérer la traçabilité, non plus seulement à l'échelle de l'entreprise mais de la supply chain dont le périmètre mouvant ne cesse de s'élargir. Notre recherche s'est ainsi intéressée à la traçabilité totale des supply chains. Définie comme la capacité à assurer le long des supply chains et si possible en temps réel, le suivi des flux physiques couplés aux flux d'informations, des flux financiers, des ressources et des activités, la traçabilité totale apparaît comme un support de pilotage des supply chains. Notre travail découle d'une question de recherche centrale, «quels facteurs expliquent et influencent la concrétisation de la traçabilité totale des supply chains ?», et prend appui sur le secteur agroalimentaire en France. L'analyse est conduite au niveau de l'entreprise (décision) et de la supply chain (mise en oeuvre), elle se base sur une méthodologie qualitative. Ce travail contribue à donner corps au concept de traçabilité totale en identifiant six dimensions fondamentales. Il propose un cadre d'analyse sur les motivations des entreprises à déployer une traçabilité totale et les éléments qui influencent sa mise en oeuvre. Il ressort ainsi que la traçabilité totale est une préoccupation présente dans les entreprises, mais que leurs intérêts sont variés. Des facteurs, favorables (ou non) à sa mise en oeuvre, sont aussi repérés. Ils sont liés aux caractéristiques de l'entreprise, de la supply chain et aux relations inter-organisationnelles
Traceability is a relevant and up-to-date issue for companies. The main challenges for companies are not only related to quality, they are of concern from a strategic point of view. Changes in technology and the globalization have contributed to develop traceability of supply chains. Indeed, traceability is to be achieved not only at the company level, but also for supply chains, which have been extended. The research focuses of « total traceability of supply chains ». The total traceability can be defined as the ability to monitor, along supply chains and if possible in real time, physical flows and related information and financial flows, as well as resources and activities. The question we tried to answer was: « what are the factors influencing and explaining the implementation of a total traceability of supply chains? ». The research is based on the case of french agri-food sector. We conducted a twofold qualitative analyses; enterprise and supply chain level because the decision is a choice of the company, and the total traceability is organized at the supply chain level. The main contribution is to provide a conceptual framework of the total traceability concept. Six dimensions characterize the concept. Furthermore, we present an analytical framework to identify what are the enablers and which factors explain the implementation of total traceability. It appears that total traceability is a current interest in every interviewed company, but their motivations are diverse. The identified factors that explain the implementation are related to the characteristics of the company, of the supply chain, of the inter-organizational relationships between the actors

O presente trabalho visa analisar o impacto da agenda de Objetivos do Milênio (ODM) definida pela Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU) na criação e no desdobramento de projetos voltados para o desenvolvimento sustentável, com foco na ótica dos pequenos agricultores brasileiros. Para que este objetivo pudesse ser alcançado, foi empenhada uma pesquisa qualitativa exploratória por meio de estudos de caso sobre os projetos \"Rede de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional\" e \"Clima da Caatinga\", promovidos pela Prefeitura de Maracanaú (CE) e pela Associação Caatinga, respectivamente. A amostra foi selecionada tendo por critério de representatividade a condecoração dos projetos na edição de 2013 do Prêmio ODM Brasil, a sua localização no estado mais premiado (Ceará), e a divisão do prêmio nas categorias \"Governos Municipais\" e \"Organizações Sociais\". A pesquisa contou com a realização de entrevistas em profundidade e entrevistas em grupo com lideranças e beneficiários dos dois projetos que, somadas às análises de documentos de fontes primárias e secundárias e observação não estruturada dentro do contexto de execução dos projetos, propiciou a elucidação dos papel e influência da ONU e das políticas públicas para o desenvolvimento e amadurecimento dos projetos estudados. Verificou-se que as iniciativas da ONU no âmbito do programa Objetivos do Milênio, apesar de produzirem baixo impacto na motivação que levou à criação dos projetos analisados, assumiram papel relevante para os seus respectivos desdobramentos, contribuindo para a sua reorientação ao planejamento de longo prazo e facilitando o estabelecimento de parcerias estratégicas. Além disso, as políticas públicas de incentivo se mostraram uma relevante ferramenta no processo de intervenção e transformação de realidades de vulnerabilidade social e degradação ambiental. Ante a isto, concluímos que os incentivos promovidos pelas organizações internacionais na esteira da definição de agendas sustentáveis, como os ODM, possuem grande potencial contributivo para a consolidação de projetos que visem a promoção do desenvolvimento sustentável.
This paper aims to analyze the impact of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) defined by the United Nations (UN) on the creation and deployment of projects focused on sustainable development, focusing on the perspective of small Brazilian farmers. In order to achieve this objective, a qualitative exploratory research was undertaken through case studies on the \"Food and Nutrition Security Network\" and \"Caatinga Climate\" projects, promoted by the City Hall of Maracanaú (CE) and the Caatinga Association , respectively. The sample was selected considering the presence of the projects in the 2013 edition of the Brazil ODM Award, its location in the most contemplated state (Ceará), and the division of the award in the categories \"Municipal Governments\" and \"Social Organizations\". The research included in-depth interviews and group interviews with leaders and beneficiaries of the two projects, which, together with the analysis of documents from primary and secondary sources and unstructured observation within the context of project execution, provided the elucidation of the roles and influence of the UN and public policies for the development and maturing of the studied projects. Following the investigation, it was found that UN initiatives under the Millennium Development Goals, although having a low impact on the motivation that led to the creation of the projects analyzed, have played a relevant role in their respective developments, contributing to their reorientation to the long-term planning and facilitating the establishment of strategic partnerships. In addition, the public policies have proved to be an important tool in the process of intervention and transformation of realities of social vulnerability and environmental degradation. It was concluded that the incentives promoted by international organizations through the definition of sustainable agendas, such as the MDGs, have great contributory potential for the consolidation of projects regarding the promotion of sustainable development.

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The technological capabilities play a crucial role in determining the production processes efficiency and effectiveness and increase the degree of enterprises innovativeness. Its measurement can help enterprises evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in terms of their ability to generate, use and adapt technologies and products, that is, it can assist them understanding the enterprise technological behavior and potential and serving as a diagnosis and decision making system. This project aimed to develop a technological capability measurement model (index) directed at agri-food systems. The developing of index model is applied on farms and agro-industrial enterprises of production chains of a plant segment (wheat grain, wheat flour/ premixture and pastry) and of an animal segment (fluid milk and cheese). The methodology adopted for this purpose has a deductive and theoreticalinstrumental character. The study made use bibliographical review and exploratory research for building indexes architectures and observational research to collect data to validate the proposed index model. The model proposes the measure of the entreprise technological capability stage based on five macroelements: (i) physical resources, (ii) technological upgrading, (iii) processes and routines, (iv) learning mechanisms and (v) coordination and accessibility. This macroelements are decomposed into meso and microelements. The descriptors include numerical, binary and categorical variables. The AHP method was used to assign indicators weights. To evaluate the proposed índex, interviews with farms and agro-industrial were conducted, totaling 200 farms and 19 enterprises. In general, the proposed index capture inter-firm differences in terms of technological capacity performance and serve as an analytical tool to generate useful information for identifying improvement opportunities for the company. It also captures the technological dynamic differences between companies and between regions.
A capacidade tecnológica é um importante fator na determinação da eficiência e da eficácia dos processos produtivos e no aumento do grau de inovatividade das empresas. Sua mensuração pode auxiliar as empresas a avaliarem seus pontos fortes e fracos em termos da capacidade de gerar, de usar e de adequar tecnologias e produtos, ou seja, pode colaborar na compreensão do comportamento e do potencial tecnológico da empresa e servir como um sistema de diagnose e de tomada de decisão. Este projeto teve por objetivo desenvolver um modelo de mensuração de capacidade tecnológica (sistema de índices) voltado aos sistemas agroindustriais. O desenvolvimento do modelo de índice foi direcionado a empresas dos elos agropecuários e de processamento industrial de cadeias de produção de origem vegetal (farinha de trigo/pré-mistura e massas) e de origem animal (leite fluído e queijo). A metodologia adotada para tal objetivo tem caráter dedutivo e teórico-instrumental. O presente estudo fez uso de pesquisa bibliográfica, de pesquisa exploratória para a construção da arquitetura do índice e de pesquisa observacional para a coleta de dados para validação das arquiteturas de índice elaboradas. O modelo de índice desenvolvido contempla cinco macroelementos para identificar o estágio de capacidade tecnológica de uma empresa. Os macroelementos, decompostos em mesoelementos e microelemento, são: (i) recursos, (ii) atualização tecnológica, (iii) processos e rotinas; (iv) mecanismos de aprendizagem e (v) articulação e acessibilidade. O índice contempla indicadores de variáveis numéricas, binárias e categóricas. Para a ponderação dos elementos que compõe o Indice, foi utilizado o método de análise multicritério AHP. Para a análise de aplicabilidade do modelo de índice proposto, foram realizadas entrevistas em unidades agrícolas e agroindustriais dos segmentos estudados, totalizando 200 propriedades rurais e 19 empresas. De maneira geral, a arquitetura elaborada captou diferenças interempresariais em termos de desempenho de capacidade tecnológica e pôde servir como ferramenta analítica para gerar informações úteis para identificação de oportunidades de melhoria para as empresas e captar diferenças de comportamentos tecnológicos entre empresas e regiões.

The handmade production of milk derived configures different territories in the local, regional and global geographical scales. That autonomous initiative expresses the farmer's obstinacy found by the territoriality and identity in the search of his social reproduction. It leans on the combination with other activities as agriculture, commercialization net and consuming market that demands the referred products that keep the symbolic relations to the territories based in the tradition and in the cultural habits of the groups. It is used raw material produced exclusively in the rural establishment and/or acquired with neighbors, friends and relatives. It uses family workforce and in agreement with the processed volume, it absorbs temporary workers. The handmade cheese constitutes an objective of persecutions moved by the formal market and by the institutional net due to the illegality and of the non execution of the legislation in vigor. The incompatibility of the legislation and the forbearing character to the handmade section is visible, once that the model was incorporated in Brazil in the decade of 1950 in agreement to the demands of the United States market and addressed to the great production, disrespecting the handmade production. The strategy of the production of handmade cheeses orientates this thesis and it is enunciated as general objective of the present study: to watch the configuration of SIAL handmade cheese maker of Sergipe, its contribution for the different actors' social reproduction, the circulation of local/territorial capital and their reflexes in the social/cultural/economical of the appropriate space conformed in territory. To unmask that alternative in the rural space is based in the cultural approach of the geography through the analyses of the categories territory, territoriality, identity and nets, interlaced by the ruled discussions in the local productive systems, configured in the concentration of small industries of cheese in Sergipe semi-arid of São Francisco, target of the research. The analyses of that strategy were addressed for beyond the mercantile dimensions, linking to the inherent social and cultural dimensions in/the activity. Like this, there is the possibility to understand the appropriate space transformed in cheese territory that is heterogeneous and multiple, differently of many of the territories listed in the research in the regional and global scales. The reading of the different territories will allow to understand the paradigm of GI - Geographical Indications servant in the countries of Europe and defended by the actors and the institutional net that supports the handmade production in Latin America. Differently of the experiences listed in the regional scale, in Sergipe, after ten years, it was not identified progresses in relation to the elaboration of normative, addressed to that section, lasting long the informality. The mismatch of the politics for the handmade ambit in that State evidences a disconnection among the actions fomented by the institutional net in the territories for handmade cheese in the regional and global scales when there are advanced researches motivated by the symmetrical with intentions to the qualification of the products in an articulate way respecting the local knowing-doing.
A produção artesanal de derivados do leite configura distintos territórios nas escalas geográficas local, regional e global. Essa iniciativa autônoma expressa a obstinação do agricultor alicerçado pela territorialidade e identidade na busca da sua reprodução social. Apoia-se na combinação com outras atividades como a agricultura, a rede de comercialização e o mercado consumidor que demanda os referidos produtos que resguardam relações simbólicas nos territórios, fundamentadas na tradição e nos hábitos culturais dos grupos. Utiliza matéria-prima produzida exclusivamente no seu estabelecimento rural e/ou adquire com vizinhos, parentes e outros. Emprega mão de obra familiar e de acordo com o volume processado, absorve trabalhadores temporários e permanentes. O queijo artesanal constitui alvo de perseguições movidas pelo mercado formal e pela rede institucional em decorrência da ilegalidade e do não cumprimento da legislação em vigor. A incompatibilidade da legislação e o caráter impeditivo para com o setor artesanal é visível, uma vez que esse modelo foi incorporado pelo Brasil na década de 1950 em acordo com as exigências do mercado dos Estados Unidos e direcionada à grande produção, desconsiderando a produção artesanal. A estratégia da produção de queijos artesanais norteia esta tese e enuncia-se como objetivo geral do presente estudo: desvelar a configuração do SIAL queijeiro artesanal sergipano, sua contribuição para a reprodução social de diferentes atores, a circulação de capital local/territorial e os seus reflexos no tecido social/cultural/econômico do espaço apropriado conformado em território. Desvendar essa alternativa no espaço rural fundamentase na abordagem cultural da geografia por meio das análises da categoria território e dos conceitos da territorialidade, identidade e redes, entrelaçadas pelas discussões pautadas nos sistemas produtivos locais, configurados na concentração de fabriquetas de queijo no Sertão Sergipano do São Francisco. As análises dessa estratégia foram direcionadas para além das dimensões mercantis, vinculando às dimensões sociais e culturais inerentes na/a atividade. Desse modo, tem-se a possibilidade de entender o espaço apropriado, transformado em território queijeiro que é heterogêneo e múltiplo, diferentemente dos vários territórios elencados nesta pesquisa nas escalas regional e global. A leitura dos outros territórios permitirá entender o paradigma das IG- Indicações Geográficas criado nos países da Europa e defendidas pelos atores e a rede institucional que apóia a produção artesanal na América Latina. Dessemelhante das experiências elencadas na escala regional, em Sergipe, após dez anos, não se identificaram avanços com relação à elaboração de normativas direcionadas a esse setor, perdurando informalidade. O descompasso das políticas para o âmbito artesanal neste Estado evidencia uma desconexão com as ações fomentadas pela rede institucional nos territórios queijeiros artesanais nas escalas regional e global quando avançam pesquisas motivadas pelas relações simétricas com vistas à qualificação dos produtos, de forma articulada, respeitando o saber-fazer local.

Des groupes agro-alimentaires se tournent vers les filières laitières artisanales pour assurer leur approvisionnement. De cette tendance émergent des business inclusifs (BI). Malgré l’engouement qu’ils suscitent auprès des acteurs du développement agricole, ils restent délicats à mettre en œuvre. Mais dans quelle mesure la coordination de ces BI relève de démarches inclusives ? Quelles sont les barrières à leur adoption et les conséquences sur leur durabilité? Un cas d’étude est analysé pour explorer ces questions, le projet DEEP (Danone Egypt Ecosystem Project). Initié en 2011 par le fond Danone Ecosystème, en partenariat avec Danone Egypte et l’ONG CARE, il promeut un business model réplicable de centres de collecte de lait (CCL) de vache auprès des petits producteurs, dans des coopératives agricoles publiques. Ce BI tente de sécuriser l’approvisionnement de la laiterie Danone et de contribuer au développement socio-économique des villages hôtes. Dans la thèse, un cadre analytique transdisciplinaire est élaboré ; la gestion de la qualité permet d’associer une approche chaîne de valeur (CV) et une approche système agroalimentaire localisée (SYAL). Des données socio-économiques sont collectées entre 2014 et 2016, individuellement et collectivement, auprès des acteurs directement ou indirectement impliqués dans ce BI. Si l’extrême diversité des activités, des objectifs et des ressources des acteurs qui « gravitent » autour du produit lait et du BI est mise en évidence, améliorer la qualité du lait semble être un but partagé. La distance et les asymétries de pouvoirs entre les partenaires limitent la promotion de stratégies répondant à la complexité et à la variabilité du contexte égyptien. Au dépend de la collaboration, des logiques d’intégration et de coercition s’installent dans la chaîne de valeur inclusive (CVI), pilotée en aval par l’entreprise avec l’ONG. Si la qualité sanitaire du lait fourni par les CCL s’améliore, la qualité compositionnelle se dégrade. L’entreprise rejette fréquemment les livraisons des CCL sans mécanisme de compensation et la CVI construite est fragile. Le BI est alors abordé en examinant l’évolution du SYAL laitier d’Halabeya. Après 6 années d’interventions, le CCL y est un acteur central des réseaux de collecte de lait. Il influence la qualité sanitaire via les institutions qui l’organisent (analyses de la qualité du lait, fixation des prix ou connaissances sur l’hygiène). La promotion d’un pôle concentrant l’offre de services agricoles pour les fournisseurs du CCL échoue. Une multitude d’entreprises familiales de proximité, organisées en réseaux spécialisés mais non coordonnés, l’assurent. Il semble que la généricité de la construction de CVI durable doive passer par la systématisation de processus de partenariat. En Egypte, une cellule de coordination villageoise pourrait être créée. Réunissant divers acteurs clef du SYAL, elle pourrait activer les ressources territoriales aux profits des habitants et du BI, en l’associant dans un comité de pilotage avec des représentants de l’état, de l’entreprise investisseuse et de l’ONG. Ce comité de pilotage s’attacherait à bâtir un business model adapté au territoire et aux besoins des partenaires, puis à piloter la CVI construite. L’utilisation de l’amélioration de la qualité du lait pourrait catalyser l’action collective. Par la sensibilisation des partenaires, l’implication de l’état, le recours à des facilitateurs et la possibilité pour les territoires de communiquer sur ces interventions, limiter les asymétries de pouvoir devient envisageable. Original par son utilisation de la gestion de la qualité comme un facteur d’inclusion, le cadre d’analyse permet d’aborder des échelles variées et plus ou moins distantes et pose les bases d’un cadre d’action favorisant la territorialisation des partenariats de BI. Ainsi, bâtir des CVI durables, c’est contribuer à l’émergence de territoires autonomes, voie prometteuse dans les pays du Sud comme du Nord
Agri-food companies turn to traditional dairy sector to ensure their supply of milk. Inclusivebusinesses (IB) have emerged from this trend. Despite the enthusiasm raised among the playersof agricultural development, such businesses remain difficult to implement. But to what extentdoes IB coordination fall into an inclusive approach? What are the obstacles to the adoption ofsuch processes and the consequences for their sustainability? A case study is analyzed to explorethese issues, the DEEP project (Danone Egypt Ecosystem Project). Initiated in 2011 by the DanoneEcosystem fund, in partnership with Danone Egypt and the NGO CARE, it promotes a replicablebusiness model of cow milk collection centers (MCC) in public agricultural cooperatives targetingsmall producers. This IB’s aims are to secure the sourcing of Danone’s dairy and to contribute tothe socio-economic development of associated villages. In this thesis, a transdisciplinary analyticalframework is developed; the quality management has been used to link a value chain (VC)approach and a localized agri-food system (SYAL) approach. Socio-economic data were collectedbetween 2014 and 2016, individually and collectively, directly or indirectly from the playersinvolved in this IB. While the extreme diversity of the activities, objectives and resources of actorsevolving around the milk product and the IB is highlighted, improving the quality of the milk seemsto be a common goal. Both the distance and the differences in power between partners limit thepromotion of strategies responding to the complexity and variability of the Egyptian situation.Logics of integration and coercion take place within the inclusive value chain (IVC) drivendownstream by the company with the NGO, to the detriment of collaboration. If the sanitaryquality of the milk provided by the MCC is improving, its compositional quality deteriorates. Thecompany frequently rejects deliveries from MCCs, without a mechanism for compensation, whichlead to the precarity of such built IVC. The IB is therefore discussed by examining the evolution ofthe dairy SYAL from Halabeya. After 6 years of interventions, the MCC became a central playerwithin the milk collection networks. It influences milk sanitary quality through the institutions thatorganize it (milk quality analyses, pricing or hygiene knowledge). The promotion of a hubdelivering agricultural services to MCC suppliers fails. Numerous local family businesses, organizedin specialized networks lacking of coordination, ensure it. It seems that the genericity of theconstruction of sustainable IVC must go through the systematization of partnership processes. InEgypt, a coordination cell in the village could be established. Bringing together various key actorsof the SYAL, this cell could activate the territorial resources in favour of the inhabitants and the IB,by associating it in a steering committee with representatives of the state, the investing companyand the NGO. This steering committee would work on building a business model adapted to theterritory and to the needs of the partners, before piloting the IVC built. Using milk qualityimprovement could catalyze the collective action. By raising awareness of partners, involving thestate, using facilitators and giving the capacity for the territories to communicate on theseinterventions, therefore limiting the differences in power becomes possible. Through its use ofquality management as an inclusion factor, the analytical framework allows approaching distantscales, and lays the foundations for an action framework fostering the territorialization of IBpartnerships. Therefore building sustainable IVCs go hand in hand with the emergence ofautonomous territories, a promising path towards the Southern countries as well as the Northern

Over the past decade, concerns regarding food safety and access to and control over food have become widespread in South Korea and are often associated with concerns over the global agri-food system. Large consumer cooperatives that have memberships that can exceed 800,000 members have emerged as a popular and effective way of addressing these concerns. Yet, these important alternatives to the global agri-food system have received little attention by researchers and policymakers alike. This study investigated attitudes towards an ongoing agricultural and rural crisis and food concerns for consumers and farmers in South Korea. Further, the roles of consumer cooperatives in addressing this crisis and as an alternative to the global food system were documented. Surveys were conducted with 412 conventional consumers and 452 consumers that were members of consumer cooperatives as well as 166 conventional farmers, and 118 farmers that grow food for these cooperatives. In addition, 11 Korean food experts that reflect a wide diversity of stakeholder interests including government, NGO, universities and farmers were also interviewed. Korean consumers identified that freshness was the most important factor when they purchase foods, followed by food safety and price. It seemed that the global agri-food system is unlikely to address these consumer concerns. Public rallies that raised concerns about the import of beef from the US reflected widespread public resistance to agricultural globalization and the pursuit of economic liberalization by the Korean government. Participants perceived that government policies neglected domestic agriculture and were the primary cause of low rate of food self-sufficiency in Korea. Both conventional farmers and member farmers strongly opposed policies that promote industrial economic growth at the expense of local farmers and food systems. Farmers in this study were generally highly critical of the global agri-food system, especially those that were relatively young and well educated. Member farmers benefitted from their relationships with consumer cooperatives, and earned an 11-30% premium compared to farmers that sell their products to large retail markets. Korean consumer cooperatives represent an important frame for building alternative food systems and for promoting cooperation between consumers and farmers into the future.
February 2016

This dissertation presents the results of a research about meat consumption in universities targeting students at the University of Aveiro. This is a timely research topic addressed in a context of climate change and agri-food systems sustainability and the role of education for sustainable development. The motivation for this study is to understand the student’s perceptions and attitudes about meat consumption. In the last few years universities adopted climate change mitigation measures, dealing with topics such as recycling, water and energy consumption and cutting food-related carbon emissions by removing beef and lamb from dietary offer. In this context is important to perceive the students’ knowledge about sustainability action plans, mainly in the university niche. The results show PhD and male students with a low level of awareness to reduce meat consumption and thus stressing the importance of climate change education and climate literacy in Universities. Female students are usually more receptive to diet changes since eating meat is sometimes linked to male stereotypes. This dissertation results will support a participatory discussion in the university that should include stakeholders, students, teaching and non-teaching staff to better analyze the theme of decarbonization through dietary changes and reducing the carbon footprint.
Esta dissertação apresenta os resultados de uma investigação sobre o consumo de carne em universidades, dirigida a alunos da Universidade de Aveiro. Este é um tópico de grande importância, abordado no contexto de alterações climáticas e sustentabilidade dos sistemas agroalimentares, assim como no papel da educação para o desenvolvimento sustentável. A motivação para este estudo é entender as perceções e atitudes dos alunos em relação ao consumo de carne. Nos últimos anos, as universidades adotaram medidas de mitigação referentes às mudanças climáticas, com temas como reciclagem, consumo de água e energia e redução das emissões de carbono relacionadas aos alimentos, eliminando carne de vaca e cabrito das ementas. Nesse contexto, é importante perceber o conhecimento dos alunos sobre os planos de ação de sustentabilidade, principalmente no nicho universitário. Os resultados mostram estudantes de doutoramento e do sexo masculino menos recetivos na redução do consumo de carne e, assim, enfatizando a importância da educação em relação às alterações climáticas, incluindo nas universidades. As estudantes geralmente são mais recetivas às mudanças na dieta, já que comer carne, por vezes, está relacionado com estereótipos masculinos. Os resultados desta dissertação irão apoiar uma discussão participativa na universidade que deve incluir stakeholders, alunos, docentes e não docentes para uma melhor análise do tema da descarbonização através de mudanças alimentares e redução da pegada de carbono.
Mestrado em Ecologia Aplicada

STEM education is a top priority in the educational development of youth across the United States as the country tries to address the need of having a more well equipped, prepared, and educated workforce. Agriculture, food, and natural resources (AFNR) has the ability to provide a relevant context for engaging students in STEM education through experiential learning. Tragically, both STEM and AFNR struggle to reach and engage more diversified audiences, especially students of color. AFNR education provides an authentic avenue to center STEM engagement around addressing societal grand challenges like food and nutritional security, childhood-obesity, and climate change; issues faced by all communities. The approaches and steps taken to address these AFNR related grand challenges can all be explored through the lens of food systems. Food systems is a concept within AFNR that encompasses the interdisciplinary components of AFNR, STEM, and social sciences that provides a breakdown for the process and system involved in getting food from farm to fork. In an era where youth are more disconnected from understanding where their food comes from, food systems education has the ability to reconnect youth to the root of this issue and the potential to lead them to explore finding solutions to the grand challenges facing their generation. Furthermore, food systems education provides a context to engage youth in authentic learning experiences in nonformal and formal classroom settings around relevant issues with the potential to enhance their interests and concerns around these topics.

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe elementary school students’ interests and concerns about the food system, and their overall engagement in the learning experience after participating in an authentic learning based Virtual Agri+STEM Camp focused on food systems education, AFNR, and STEM activities. The convenience sample for this study was made up of elementary school students between grades 3^rd and 8^th grade (N = 99) who were either in the classroom or participating in an at-home Agri+STEM session. The majority of these students were from rural communities and most of them were African Americans. Quantitative data was collected before and after participation in the Virtual Agri+STEM Camp experience that using the research developed Food System Interest and Food System Concern instrument. Previous AFNR related experiences were also reported by students. The researcher also used an adapted version of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) and STEM Semantics survey to measure student engagement and attitudes after participating in the experience. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data, which included means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages. To explore the relationships between each of the variables, correlations were also computed.

There were four conclusions for this study. First, students that participated in the Virtual Agri+STEM Camp were motivated and engaged in the learning process while doing the Agri+STEM Camp activities. Second, students that participated in the Virtual Agri+STEM Camp were interested and concerned about the food system before and after participating in the Virtual Agri+STEM Camp. Third, African American student participants reported less previous AFNR experiences, yet they reported more interests and concerns in the food system than Caucasian American participants before and after completing the Virtual Agri+STEM Camp. Lastly, Students that felt more competent, saw the value, and were interested/enjoyed the Agri+STEM experience were more likely to be interested and concerned about the food system. Recommendations for future research and implications for practice and policy were discussed.

Die Lebensmittelsicherheit hat in der türkischen Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft in den letzten Jahren erheblich an Bedeutung gewonnen. Dies ist vor allem der Tatsache geschuldet, nach dem die Türkei im Jahr 2005 als Beitrittskandidat der Europäischen Union (EU) akkreditiert wurde, denn die EU ist mit Abstand der wichtigste Handelspartner der Türkei für Agrarprodukte. Die Türkei hat im Jahre 2012 einen Handelsüberschuss im Agrarsektor von 3,6 Mrd. allein Euro mit den EU-27 Ländern erwirtschaftet (Eurostat, 2013). Das Dissertationsprojekt befasst sich im Rahmen einer empirischen Untersuchung mit den Zertifizierungssystemen im türkischen Agribusiness und es wurde insbesondere untersucht, welche Einflussgrößen auf die Zertifizierungsentscheidungen in der türkischen Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft existieren. Dazu wurden anhand einer Online-Befragung Daten von weiterverarbeitenden Betrieben gesammelt und für weite Teile der Türkei systematisiert. Überdies wurden sieben persönliche Interviews in ebensolchen Unternehmen durchgeführt sowie Experten aus dem türkischen Ministerium für Landwirtschaft sowie dem EU-Ministerium zum Thema Zertifizierungssysteme befragt. Da die Türkei Nettoexporteur von Agrarprodukten ist, wird dieser eine entschiedene Einfluss auf die künftige internationale Wettbewerbsfähigkeit ihrer Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft allgemeinen zugerechnet.

"May 2003"
Bibliography: leaves 161-180.
x, 180 leaves : ill., map ; 30 cm.
Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library.
This study analyses driving forces, determinants and implications of emerging contractual arrangements in the Chinese agri-food system based on the transaction cost approach.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, School of Economics, 2003

Increasingly, firms like Patagonia, IKEA, General Mills, or Barilla actively seek to understand their interdependence with nature, build innovative capabilities, and generate more radical shifts toward sustainability. This creates exciting opportunities to investigate exactly how these companies obtain knowledge about ecosystem dynamics and processes and how they use it both to cope with climate change or declining ecosystem resilience and contribute to maintain or even strengthen ecosystems. Despite the considerable potential to advance research on organizational strategy and corporate sustainability, the notion of ‘ecological knowledge’ has yet to enter the scholarly work of management and business organization in a substantive manner. At present, we know almost nothing about the processes, mechanisms, and routines that enable an organization to, first, recognize the value of such knowledge and to, then, systematically access, co-create, integrate and utilize such knowledge into its broader knowledge and resource base. My dissertation attempts to fill this gap and opens up new directions for research on the role of ecological knowledge in corporate sustainability management. More specifically, I ask: What are the processes through which organizations can effectively access, co-create, integrate and utilize ecological knowledge with current organizational knowledge and strategies? I link strategic and organization-focused concepts of knowledge and the perspective of absorptive capacity with the notion of ecological knowledge from modern ecology, especially from the social-ecological systems literature, to shed light on the processes through which organizations can effectively access, co-create, integrate and utilize new ecological knowledge into their operational and strategic decision making. I adopt a qualitative, emergent, and inductive strategy drawing on a grounded research approach to gain an in-depth, cross-validated, and processual understanding of the mechanisms through which organizations can promote and enhance ecosystem health including biodiversity. I undertook my study on the organic agriculture sector, a sub-sector of the modern agriculture and agri-food industry. I collected data from nineteen agriculture and agri-food organizations based in British Columbia (BC), the westernmost province of Canada, using multiple data sources including in-depth interviews, observations, company documents, reports, newspaper articles and field reports. Based on my analysis, I develop a grounded theory about the processes through which organizations can successfully deepen their ecological knowledge and then utilize this knowledge to more sustainably manage their relationships with nature and contribute to protecting or even strengthening ecosystem functionality. With my dissertation, I address the call from scholars in Organization and the Natural Environment (ONE) and Corporate Sustainability for more transdisciplinary cross-fertilization as an essential approach to building compelling new theory and models in the field. First, my analysis offers a more fine-grained understanding of the types, components, dimensions, and characteristics of ecological knowledge. Second, my analysis uncovers a micro-level account of the processes by which individuals as critical actors identify, evaluate and make sense of the organization-environment interrelationships across various scales of time and space. I also identify the multiple personal characteristics of individual actors that influence these processes in various stages and circumstances. Third, my study offers insights into the factors that can strengthen an organization’s relational capacity to build mutual trust and collaboration with holders of ecological knowledge. Fourth, it sheds light on how firms engage with and motivate multiple community stakeholders in building a collaborative process of mutual learning, knowledge sharing, and knowledge co-creation to build joint capacity for coping successfully with many complex challenges of sustainability, thus contributing to the wellbeing of the entire social-ecological system. Collectively, these contributions provide a deeper and more holistic understanding of the processes of acquiring and co-creating ecological knowledge that can allow an organization to transition successfully towards greater ecological sustainability. My dissertation also offers numerous practically relevant insights for businesses facing the challenges of economic, social and environmental sustainability, as well as specific guidance on how companies can protect or enhance their supply of natural capital and contribute toward greater stability of the broader human-nature systems in which they are embedded.
Graduate
2021-11-15