Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems最新文献

{"title":"Editorial: Continuous living cover: adaptive strategies for putting regenerative agriculture into practice","authors":"Evelyn C. Reilly, Ashley Conway-Anderson, Jose G. Franco, Jacob M. Jungers, E. B. Moore, Carol Williams","doi":"10.3389/fsufs.2023.1320870","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1320870","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":36666,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems","volume":"78 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138600135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Potential food safety risks in tomato value chains in urban settings of Eastern Ethiopia: a qualitative investigation","authors":"Kebede Amenu, B. Megersa, M. Jaleta, Getachew Dinede, H. Worku, Kemal Kasim, Mukerem Taha, Abdulmuen M. Ibrahim, Jafer Kedir, Lina Mego, K. Roesel, Ralph Roothaert, Ramasamy Srinivasan, Delia Grace, Theodore J. D. Knight-Jones","doi":"10.3389/fsufs.2023.1254000","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1254000","url":null,"abstract":"The value chains of tomatoes in Ethiopia are largely informal which may pose potential food safety risks. Value chains (VCs) mapping was carried out with emphasis on tomatoes in two major cities in eastern Ethiopia—Harar and Dire Dawa—which were assessed to identify practices likely to result in unsafe food, considering production, transportation, retail, preparation, and consumption.Qualitative methods were used to map the VCs to understand the flows, actors, and practices. Group discussions and key informant interviews were performed to better understand the processes, practices, beliefs, and food safety risks in these VCs.The two cities are supplied by two vegetable VCs: the first and larger being from distant producers in central Ethiopia, and the second from surrounding rural and peri-urban producers. The long-distance VCs involve producers, brokers, transporters, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. The local producers, however, bring their fresh products directly to the cities without the involvement of VC actors other than final retailers and consumers. The study suggests microbiological contamination risks along tomato VCs, potentially including soil contamination, use of sewerage-contaminated irrigation water, untreated manure, unhygienic handling and storage conditions, and dirty contact surfaces during transportation and retailing. Tomatoes are mostly harvested by hand picking, collected, and sorted on the ground exposing to sunlight and physical bruising with potential contamination. More importantly, tomatoes are widely consumed raw without “a kill-step” that certainly contributes to food-borne infections. Suggestions by study participants for improving food safety and hygiene include funding toward improved infrastructure and facilities in the sectors, supporting VC actors with improved technology for quality production, and increasing awareness of good and hygienic practices. Consumers were particularly concerned about contamination with agrochemicals without much emphasis on the potential microbial contaminants. Fresh tomatoes are prepared in a variety of ways and are often consumed raw or slightly cooked. Further recommendations included using health extension workers to conduct awareness campaigns on improved food safety and hygienic practices.The qualitative VC mapping generated useful information for designing intervention strategies, especially targeting developing food safety interventions and an awareness communication campaign.","PeriodicalId":36666,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems","volume":"17 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138603534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bundled climate-smart agricultural solutions for smallholder farmers in Sri Lanka","authors":"G. Amarnath, A. Taron, N. Alahacoon, Surajit Ghosh","doi":"10.3389/fsufs.2023.1145147","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1145147","url":null,"abstract":"Smallholder farmers are among the most vulnerable to climate shocks in Sri Lanka. Lack of education and technical skills, poverty, risks inherent to agricultural investments, limited assets, and financial capital are major reasons for low investments in enhancing adaptive capacity. The study explores the use of agricultural technologies in improving smallholder resilience to water-related disasters and their opportunities for recovery. We tested four bundled services to promote climate-smart agriculture practices namely weather index insurance (WII), agronomic advisories dissemination via SMS, weather services, and climate-resilient seeds of maize and rice. The integrated solutions are referred to as Bundled Solutions of Index Insurance with Climate Information and Seed Systems (BICSA) to manage agricultural risks in Sri Lanka. The study conducted the bundled solutions in three agroecological regions spread over five districts and covering more than 2,500 farmers in three cropping periods of Maha and Yala seasons. The results demonstrate that providing bundled solutions significantly protects smallholders against moderate drought events. The satellite-based weather index insurance can offset the long-term consequences of severe yield losses and mitigate the long-term drop in farm productivity. Our findings demonstrate the importance of bundled insurance to mitigate financial risks associated with extreme weather events and enhance resilience to climate change among vulnerable smallholders. It is evident from the study promoting a viable business model among seed companies, insurance companies, and technological partners, along with public institutions such as agricultural extension services can help production-level improvements and develop strategies at both the farm and policy levels that will support a transition to a more resilient farming system.","PeriodicalId":36666,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems","volume":" 41","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138612614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Digitainability and open innovation: how they change innovation processes and strategies in the agrifood sector?","authors":"Isabelle Piot-Lepetit","doi":"10.3389/fsufs.2023.1267346","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1267346","url":null,"abstract":"By developing a conceptual analysis, this research explores the possibility of fostering a convergence between digitalization and sustainability, also named digitainability. This convergence is often seen as an opportunity to solve the various challenges the agrifood sector faces nowadays, especially those of feeding more people without deteriorating the environment and creating social divides and, at the same time, managing specific risks related to climate change, biodiversity loss, and hunger. The research describes how open innovation is becoming an imperative and explains the contribution of startups in the development of these new innovative initiatives. It also explains how sustainability considerations are closely linked to the development of servitization in the business context. Finally, it explores how these changes impact established companies, forcing them to develop ambidextrous innovation strategies to maintain and support their competitive advantage. In doing so, the paper illustrates some of the well-known effects of this ongoing change, while identifying the opportunities created and the challenges for which more research is still needed.","PeriodicalId":36666,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139200988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Can development of large scale agricultural business entities improve agricultural total factor productivity in China?: an empirical analysis","authors":"Xiaoying Ju, Huizhao Li, Jianxu Liu, Peng Yao","doi":"10.3389/fsufs.2023.1281328","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1281328","url":null,"abstract":"Large scale agricultural business entities (hereinafter referred to as “the large scale entities”) are newly sprouted in the process of China’s agricultural transformation from traditional production to modern mode, while the improvement of agricultural total factor productivity is an important driving force to realize agricultural transformation in China. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore whether the former has a promoting effect on the latter. First of all, the effective improvement of agricultural total factor productivity by the large scale entity development is analyzed from the two aspects of scale effect and technology utilization effect, and the effect mechanism is discussed in depth in this paper. Secondly, empirical test was carried out by using the panel data of prefecture-level cities from 2015 to 2020. The benchmark regression results show that the development of large scale entities can significantly improve agricultural total factor productivity. The mechanism test results indicate that the development of large scale entities improves the agricultural total factor productivity by raising the agricultural mechanization level. The results of heterogeneity analysis show that the difference between large scale entities would affect the benchmarking results. Therefore, it is believed through the study as discussed in this paper that devoting greater effort to support the development of large scale entities is an important measure to improve agricultural total factor productivity and promote China’s agricultural transformation, but it is necessary to act according to local conditions based on the difference of entity types in the process.","PeriodicalId":36666,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems","volume":"58 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139206843","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Editorial: Evaluating the adoption and impacts of agricultural technologies","authors":"F. Areal, V. Pede","doi":"10.3389/fsufs.2023.1340035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1340035","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":36666,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139208919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Editorial: Sustainability and efficiency of food packaging: from food preservation to sale","authors":"R. Pandiselvam, G. V. Nevarez-Moorillón","doi":"10.3389/fsufs.2023.1335769","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1335769","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":36666,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139200753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Floods stress in lowland rice production: experiences of rice farmers in Kilombero and Lower-Rufiji floodplains, Tanzania","authors":"Paulo Sulle Michael, Lupakisyo Mwakyusa, Hilda G. Sanga, M. Shitindi, Damiano R. Kwaslema, Max Herzog, J. Meliyo, B. Massawe","doi":"10.3389/fsufs.2023.1206754","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1206754","url":null,"abstract":"The resilience of rice production to floods is a crucial aspect of agricultural development in flood-prone regions. However, little is known about the farming practices and challenges of rice farmers in two river basins in Tanzania: Lower-Rufiji and Kilombero, where rice is the main crop grown. This study aimed to investigate the experiences of farmers in these two rice-growing floodplains regarding the impact of floods on lowland rice production and farmer livelihoods, and the strategies they use to cope with floods. The study used a mixed-methods approach that involved household surveys, key informant interviews, and transect walks to collect data from 180 rice farmers and 14 experts and community leaders. The data analysis revealed that floods were the dominant stressor affecting rice production, occurring mostly during the long rainy season and experienced by all farmers in both locations. Floods not only caused significant crop losses, especially in Lower-Rufiji where farmers reported losing between 75 and 100% of their yield in cases of extreme floods, but also made it difficult to establish and manage crops, leading to crop land abandonment. Floods also affected the livelihoods of rice farmers by forcing them to abandon, rent, or sell their farms. Coexistence of floods with other biotic and abiotic stresses such as crop diseases and droughts also limited the use of short maturing high yielding rice varieties. Farmers have adopted on-farm strategies such as adjusting planting schedules, using different varieties of rice, changing to other crops or activities after the floods to cope with floods, but these practices face numerous challenges. The study recommends the development of early warning systems, breeding for flood-tolerant rice varieties, introgression of tolerance traits to multiple stresses and improving crop establishment methods to enhance the resilience of farmers to floods and other extreme climate events.","PeriodicalId":36666,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems","volume":"25 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139206254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The beauty in imperfection: how naturalness cues drive consumer preferences for ugly produce and reduce food waste","authors":"Meizhen Xiao, Yi Jiang, Binbin Cao","doi":"10.3389/fsufs.2023.1313814","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1313814","url":null,"abstract":"An important reason for food waste is the rejection of ugly produce by consumers. Most previous research has examined the absolute negative impacts of ugly produce on consumers’ preferences, no research has examined the conditions in which consumers prefer ugly (vs. typical) produce instead.This research investigates the circumstances under which these aesthetic imperfections become advantageous.We conducted two between-subject design randomized experiments featuring two produce categories to examine when and why consumers prefer ugly produce.We found that naturalness cues boost and even reverse consumers’ preferences for ugly produce when combining ugly appearance with naturalness cues. The subtyping effect mediates the interaction of appearance (typical vs. ugly) of produce and naturalness cues (present vs. absent) on produce’s evaluations.Our findings provide more cost-effective strategies for retailers to reduce food waste. This paper fills in the research gaps on taping into the novel condition in which consumers prefer ugly (vs. typical) produce and the psychological mechanism behind this process. Based on schema incongruity theory, we argue that naturalness cues, as an enabler corresponding to the incongruous features of ugly produce, facilitate consumers to resolve the schema incongruity triggered by the ugly appearance and, in turn, boost consumers’ preferences for ugly produce.","PeriodicalId":36666,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139212444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Urban agroecology enhances agrobiodiversity and resilient, biocultural food systems. The case of the semi-dryland and medium-sized Querétaro City, Mexico","authors":"Gabriela Valeria Villavicencio-Valdez, J. Jacobi, M. Schneider, M. A. Altieri, H. Suzán-Azpiri","doi":"10.3389/fsufs.2023.1066428","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1066428","url":null,"abstract":"Small-scale agroecological practices in the urban areas of Querétaro, México, as in other mid-sized cities, could maintain agrobiodiversity pools and sufficient productivity for a food sovereignty baseline. The application of agroecological principles fosters agrobiodiversity and socio-ecological resilience in urban food production. Emerging urban gardens result from an immediate necessity for food that does not appear in local statistics, nor is there any account of them in any cadastral source or land register of Querétaro City. Based on studies of 28 urban gardens, we survey and analyze farming practices using socio-ecological resilience methodologies and the Diagnostic Survey of Agroecological Practices. We find that the agroecological management of urban gardens results in significantly more species richness than in conventionally managed plots, likely due to the multifunctional purposes associated with biocultural memory. The number of social actors participating in agroecological management is increasing. It represents an urban strategy of resilience that contributes to enhancing the microclimate and nutrient cycling, as well as to improving water management and biodiversity. Results also indicate that gardens of approximately 200 m2 harbor the highest levels of agrobiodiversity. This area size for home vegetable production appears optimal for user-friendly management practices in urban settings and could represent the minimum benchmark for a family and a goal for urban planning and policy recommendations. Urban gardens contribute to the adaptive capacities of city dwellers to enhance their food security and sovereignty. Therefore, given that 70% of the national population face some level of food insecurity, we argue that, along with the protection of land-use rights, the promotion of a diverse urban landscape could improve long-term socio-ecological and food supply resilience. Additionally, urban gardens promote neighborhood social inclusion and affordable access to food. The empirical results and insights from this study in Querétaro can inform land-use policies for urban agriculture more broadly, especially in Latin American metropolitan areas.","PeriodicalId":36666,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139211209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}