AgribusinessPub Date : 2026-04-10Epub Date: 2025-07-18DOI: 10.1002/agr.70004
Hongqiang Yan, Ashok K. Mishra, Xi Zhou
{"title":"Do All Food and Beverage Firms Benefit From Voluntary ESG Reporting? Evidence From China's Listed Companies","authors":"Hongqiang Yan, Ashok K. Mishra, Xi Zhou","doi":"10.1002/agr.70004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.70004","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study investigates the relationship between voluntary Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting and firm performance—measured by Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE), and Tobin's Q—in China's food and beverage (F&B) sector. Using a fixed effects panel model on a data set of both reporting and non-reporting listed firms from 2008 to 2023, we find that, overall, the issuance of standalone ESG reports is negatively associated with firm performance across all three measures. However, the results also reveal that this relationship becomes positive when firms exhibit ESG performance above the industry median. These findings suggest that ESG reporting, in isolation, may represent a costly signal in the short term. Nonetheless, firms that effectively implement ESG initiatives and earn superior scores from third-party agencies can achieve improved outcomes over time. Implications for the F&B sector are discussed.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55544,"journal":{"name":"Agribusiness","volume":"42 2","pages":"623-640"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147683862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AgribusinessPub Date : 2026-04-10Epub Date: 2024-12-15DOI: 10.1002/agr.22003
Carlos Moreno-Miranda, Liesbeth Dries
{"title":"The Role of Coordination Mechanisms and Transaction Costs Promoting Sustainability Performance in Agri-Food Supply Chains: Evidence From Ecuador","authors":"Carlos Moreno-Miranda, Liesbeth Dries","doi":"10.1002/agr.22003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.22003","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Social tensions and resource depletion pose significant challenges to the agri-food sector, highlighting the need for coordinated strategies to ensure sustainability in supply chains. Despite its critical importance, the relationship between coordination mechanisms and sustainability performance remains underexplored. This study examines the interrelations between transactional characteristics, relational and formal coordination, and sustainability performance in agri-food supply chains. By surveying 204 farmers and 135 downstream players across diverse supply chain arrangements, this research employs structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis to analyze data suitability and test hypotheses. The empirical findings reveal nuanced relationships: relational governance has a significantly positive connection to economic and social sustainability within supply chains. There is also a positive, indirect relation between relational governance and ecological performance through the promotion of resource efficiency. Formal coordination practices facilitate strategic relationships and efficient resource allocation and as such connect to social and economic viability of supply chains. Transaction costs play a role as mediator between formal and relational coordination, and sustainability outcomes. Effective management of transaction costs can mitigate inefficiencies and foster collaborative efforts. By understanding these dynamics, policymakers and stakeholders can develop strategies to promote resilience and sustainability in global food systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":55544,"journal":{"name":"Agribusiness","volume":"42 2","pages":"653-676"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/agr.22003","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147683817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AgribusinessPub Date : 2026-04-10Epub Date: 2025-09-16DOI: 10.1002/agr.70036
Yingxue Ren, Runzeng Gao, Min Zhang, Maotong Cheng
{"title":"Willingness to Pay for Traceability in the Post-Fukushima Nuclear-Contaminated Water Era: Chinese Consumers’ Attitudes and Preferences for Seafood","authors":"Yingxue Ren, Runzeng Gao, Min Zhang, Maotong Cheng","doi":"10.1002/agr.70036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.70036","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework, this study explores Chinese consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for traceable seafood after the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water incident. A valid sample of 510 respondents (88.6% from coastal regions) was analyzed using structural equation modeling with bootstrap-mediated path analysis. Key findings reveal: (1) Emotional attitude (<i>β</i> = 1.495, <i>p</i> < 0.001) exerted a significantly stronger direct effect on WTP than cognitive assessment (<i>β</i> = 0.273, <i>p</i> < 0.05), validating affective dominance in crisis contexts; (2) Sociocultural factors indirectly amplified WTP through emotional attitude (<i>β</i> = 0.981, <i>p</i> < 0.001), while market information influenced WTP via cognitive assessment; (3) Product awareness positively impacted emotional attitude (<i>β</i> = 0.075, <i>p</i> < 0.05). Theoretically, the research expands the S-O-R framework by integrating nuclear-risk contexts and cultural schemas, demonstrating emotion-behavioral primacy under crises. Practically, enhancing blockchain-based traceability systems—particularly for coastal consumers—could significantly elevate WTP, advising regionally differentiated policies (e.g., real-time radiation certifications for coastal zones, subsidized labels for inland markets). Notable limitations include regional sampling bias, reliance on self-reported data, and a cross-sectional design, warranting future longitudinal, cross-regional, and mixed-method studies.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55544,"journal":{"name":"Agribusiness","volume":"42 2","pages":"553-568"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147684008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AgribusinessPub Date : 2026-04-10Epub Date: 2025-08-18DOI: 10.1002/agr.70021
Mercy Mburu, Amin Mugera, John Mburu, Rose Nyikal, Oghaiki Asaah Ndambi
{"title":"Climate-Smart Dairy Practices: The Role of Practice Clusters in Enhancing the Performance of Dairy Farms in Kenya","authors":"Mercy Mburu, Amin Mugera, John Mburu, Rose Nyikal, Oghaiki Asaah Ndambi","doi":"10.1002/agr.70021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.70021","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Climate variability is affecting the productivity, profitability, and resilience of smallholder dairy producers in developing countries. The adoption of climate-smart (CS) dairy practices has been promoted to mitigate these negative effects. However, while interest in dairy CS practices is growing, empirical evidence on their adoption patterns and impact on key farm performance indicators, particularly cost of production and gross margin, remains limited. Moreover, the influence of adoption drivers appears to be highly context-specific, underscoring the need for more nuanced and rigorous analysis. This study evaluates the impact of adopting seventeen CS dairy practices, grouped into four dominant clusters, on milk yield, variable production costs and gross margin. The analysis is based on a cross-sectional survey of 665 smallholder dairy farmers across three milksheds in Kenya. Latent class analysis is employed to group the practices into dominant clusters. The multinomial endogenous treatment effects model is used to estimate the effects of those clusters on milk yield, variable production costs and gross margin, while accounting for selection bias and endogeneity stemming from both observed and unobserved heterogeneity across households. The findings reveal that belonging to any of the four clusters is influenced by access to and frequency of extension services from various providers. There is significant variability in milk yield, production costs and gross margin across the clusters. These results underscore the need for targeted policy interventions to enhance smallholder dairy productivity, profitability, and resilience amid climate variability.</p>","PeriodicalId":55544,"journal":{"name":"Agribusiness","volume":"42 2","pages":"717-732"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/agr.70021","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147684010","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AgribusinessPub Date : 2026-04-10Epub Date: 2025-06-08DOI: 10.1002/agr.22067
Ying Wang, Satoru Shimokawa
{"title":"Does ESG Matter for Unlisted Companies in the Agri-Food Industry? Evidence From Japan's Unlisted Agri-Food Companies","authors":"Ying Wang, Satoru Shimokawa","doi":"10.1002/agr.22067","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.22067","url":null,"abstract":"<p>While ESG (environmental, social, and governance) is emphasized among listed companies for their stakeholders and ESG disclosures, ESG engagement among unlisted companies has been rarely examined due to data limitations. This is particularly problematic for the agri-food industry that has significant impacts on the environment and consists mostly of unlisted companies. Thus, by constructing a unique data set of 514 unlisted agri-food companies in Japan from 2018 to 2024, we investigate the patterns of ESG engagement and its association with economic performance across food supply-chain sectors and companies' ownership types in the agri-food industry. We find that ESG practices are more prevalent in the agricultural, food manufacturing, and wholesale sectors than in the retail sector, particularly among independent companies. However, these ESG practices have no influence on total sales in all cases and are negatively associated with net profits in the wholesale sector and among independent companies. These results suggest that ESG implementation may impose economic burdens on unlisted companies, underscoring the need for more effective public support and cross-sector collaboration.</p>","PeriodicalId":55544,"journal":{"name":"Agribusiness","volume":"42 2","pages":"516-533"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/agr.22067","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147683386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AgribusinessPub Date : 2026-04-10Epub Date: 2025-09-08DOI: 10.1002/agr.70031
Ping Wei, Hongman Liu, Junbo Wang
{"title":"Towards Sustainable Agri-Food Systems: The Role of Environment, Society, and Governance in Upgrading Export Quality","authors":"Ping Wei, Hongman Liu, Junbo Wang","doi":"10.1002/agr.70031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.70031","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>As climate change and food safety incidents rise, global markets demand stricter sustainability and quality standards for agri-food products. Environment, society, and governance (ESG) plays a crucial role in sustainable transformation for agri-food exports. Utilizing matched data from Chinese listed agri-food companies and China Customs, this study reveals a positive impact of ESG performance on upgrading the export product quality within agri-food enterprises. The mechanisms driving this optimization include promoting green technology innovation and establishing brand reputation advantages. However, a detailed examination demonstrates that this positive impact of ESG performance is not absolute. Companies that implement quality competitive strategies, undergo digital transformation, engage in general trade, and export to regions with stringent nontariff barriers rely more on ESG capacities. Lastly, we also consider the international coordination of ESG standards. The findings reveal that firms adopting the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework in ESG disclosure are more likely to achieve quality upgrading through ESG. This highlights the critical importance of maintaining consistency and comparability in ESG standards. Within the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and the transition towards sustainable agri-food systems, these findings offer novel insights for establishing green, efficient, and sustainable agri-food systems.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55544,"journal":{"name":"Agribusiness","volume":"42 2","pages":"569-589"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147683524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AgribusinessPub Date : 2026-04-10Epub Date: 2025-11-10DOI: 10.1002/agr.70052
Jiali Han, Wenjie Ouyang, Zhiyi Gai, ZhiDong Feng
{"title":"Optimizing Resource Allocation to Enhance Sustainable Management of Agricultural Enterprises: Insights From Biological Asset Management Practices of Listed Companies in China","authors":"Jiali Han, Wenjie Ouyang, Zhiyi Gai, ZhiDong Feng","doi":"10.1002/agr.70052","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.70052","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Biological assets are the core production factors for agricultural enterprises and significantly affect their sustainable operations. This article takes A-share listed agricultural companies that disclosed biological assets separately from 2012 to 2021 as the research sample to explore the impact of biological asset holdings on corporate profitability. The study finds a dual effect and regulatory mechanism between agricultural enterprises' holdings of biological assets and their profitability: the expansion of scale has a lagging inhibitory effect on profitability; current growth significantly promotes profitability; and the lagging scale inhibitory effect is weakened by the regulatory effect of biological asset growth fluctuations. This means that the growth fluctuations of biological assets can activate and enhance the operational efficiency of enterprises regarding their existing large-scale assets, transforming redundant resources into competitive advantages and alleviating the burden of the scale of biological assets on the enterprise. Furthermore, a high inventory turnover rate will inhibit the profitability of agricultural enterprises holding biological assets; in the context of policy support, fiscal and tax subsidies have a phased impact on corporate profitability, initially suppressing and then promoting it due to excessive reliance and the timing of fund disbursement. Based on this, the article proposes suggestions from three aspects: optimizing biological asset operation strategies, improving market-oriented sales mechanisms, and enhancing the timeliness of government subsidies, aiming to provide references for agricultural listed companies to improve asset efficiency and for the government to refine industrial policies, thereby supporting the sustainable development of agricultural enterprises. [EconLitCitations: M14, M21,M41, Q12].</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55544,"journal":{"name":"Agribusiness","volume":"42 2","pages":"748-765"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147683548","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AgribusinessPub Date : 2026-04-10Epub Date: 2025-10-31DOI: 10.1002/agr.70050
Lisa-Marie Schulte, Awudu Abdulai
{"title":"The Role of Certifications in Improving Household Food Security Among Peruvian Farmers","authors":"Lisa-Marie Schulte, Awudu Abdulai","doi":"10.1002/agr.70050","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.70050","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Achieving global food security requires sustainable transformations in agri-food systems. Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) such as Organic and Fairtrade aim to internalize certain social and environmental costs while promoting more equitable value distribution, improved market access, and sustainable production practices. Using farm-level data from 392 mango producers in Peru, this study examines the determinants of certification adoption and evaluates the welfare effects of Organic and Fairtrade certifications, both individually and in combination. To address potential selection bias arising from both observable and unobservable factors, we employ a two-stage Multinomial Endogenous Switching Regression (MESR) model. Our findings indicate that several factors significantly influence the adoption of certifications, including farmers' age, land tenure, access to transportation, land size, as well as crop and mango variety diversification. The results also show that Organic + Fairtrade double certification increases total household and food expenditures per adult equivalent among mango farmers. Disaggregating the effects by farm size further reveals a positive impact of Organic certification on food security among medium holders ( > 5 ha ≤ 16 ha), whereas Fairtrade certification enhances dietary diversity, particularly among marginal holders ( ≤ 2 ha) and smallholders ( > 2 ha ≤ 5 ha). These findings underscore the importance of taking into account scale effects in certification impact analysis and highlight the potential of Organic and Fairtrade schemes to improve household welfare and food security among mango producers in Peru.</p>","PeriodicalId":55544,"journal":{"name":"Agribusiness","volume":"42 2","pages":"603-622"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/agr.70050","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147684272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Economic Dimension of Sustainability: Assessing the Impact of Sustainability Standards on Small-Scale Banana Farmers in Colombia","authors":"Julieth Lizcano-Prada, Jahir Lombana-Coy, Leydis Marcela Maestre-Matos","doi":"10.1002/agr.70012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.70012","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Sustainability standards (SS) have emerged in response to changes in sustainable consumer behavior, affecting the production and distribution of agri-food products. This study assesses how SS influence the economic dimension of sustainability among small-scale banana farmers in Colombia. Drawing on a comprehensive survey of 99 small banana farmers associated with six cooperatives, the study employs Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine how SS criteria contribute to the economic dimension of sustainability, using banana agribusinesses in Magdalena (Colombia) as a case study.</p>\u0000 <p>The findings reveal a strong and statistically significant correlation between SS criteria and the economic dimension of sustainability. Specifically, Market conditions were identified as the most influential factor shaping sustainability in this context. Meanwhile, Business partnerships exert moderate effects, whereas Local development shows no appreciable impact. SS have the potential to enhance market and financial access, and economic sustainability for small-scale farmers; however, its success depends on targeted interventions and robust partnerships within agri-food value chains.</p>\u0000 <p>These findings provide policy recommendations for developing strategies to improve the sustainability performance of small-scale producers and promote their sustainable growth. Future research should adopt longitudinal approaches and explore the interconnected economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability to gain a more comprehensive understanding of SS impacts on agriculture.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55544,"journal":{"name":"Agribusiness","volume":"42 2","pages":"486-499"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/agr.70012","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147684209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AgribusinessPub Date : 2026-04-10Epub Date: 2025-04-07DOI: 10.1002/agr.22048
Jiaojiao Ding, Amin Mugera, Xia Zhao
{"title":"Outsourcing Fertilizer Mechanization Services to Different Types of Service Providers: Assessing the Impact on Fertilizer Application for Wheat Producers in China","authors":"Jiaojiao Ding, Amin Mugera, Xia Zhao","doi":"10.1002/agr.22048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.22048","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Agricultural mechanization services (AMS) are important for promoting sustainable agricultural development. However, little is known about the effect of outsourcing fertilizer mechanization services (FMS) for fertilizer application to different types of service providers. This study simultaneously investigates the determinants and effect of outsourcing FMS to different types of service providers for fertilizer application in rural China. The multinomial endogenous treatment effects model that accounts for potential selection bias and endogeneity is employed to analyze cross-sectional survey data of wheat producers. The results reveal that the likelihood of outsourcing FMS is influenced by household (gender, education, off-farm employment, and risk attitude) and farm (farm size, land topography, soil fertility) characteristics, membership to cooperative, and the availability of AMS at village level. The treatment effect estimates suggest that outsourcing FMS can decrease fertilizer application by at least 6.6%. Outsourcing both FMS and fertilizer supply has a greater reducing effect on fertilizer application compared to only outsourcing FMS. Besides, outsourcing both FMS and fertilizer supply to organization providers has a higher effect on reducing fertilizer application and enhancing yield compared to outsourcing to individual service providers. The results have policy implications for promoting agri-environmental sustainability in the agricultural sector.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55544,"journal":{"name":"Agribusiness","volume":"42 2","pages":"460-472"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147686848","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}