| 1. |
- Egeskog, Andrea, 1981, et al.
(författare)
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Actions and opinions of Brazilian farmers who shift to sugarcane : an interview-based assessment with discussion of implications for land-use change
- 2016
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Ingår i: Land use policy. - Kidlington : Elsevier. - 0264-8377 .- 1873-5754. ; 57, s. 594-604
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sugarcane ethanol systems can deliver large greenhouse gas emissions savings if emissions associated with land-use change are kept low. This qualitative study documents and analyzes actions and opinions among Brazilian farmers who shift to sugarcane production. Semi-structured interviews were held with 28 actors associated with sugarcane production in three different regions: one traditional sugarcane region and two regions where sugarcane is currently expanding. Most farmers considered sugarcane a land diversification option with relatively low economic risk, although higher risk than their previous land use. Beef production was considered a low-risk option, but less profitable than sugarcane. In conjunction with converting part of their land to sugarcane, most farmers maintained and further intensified their previous agricultural activity, often beef production. Several farmers invested in expanded production in other regions with relatively low land prices. Very few farmers in the expansion regions shifted all their land from the former, less profitable, use to sugarcane. Very few farmers in this study had deforested any land in connection with changes made when shifting to sugarcane. The respondents understand "environmental friendliness" as compliance with the relevant legislation, especially the Brazilian Forest Act, which is also a requirement for delivering sugarcane to the mills. Indirect land-use change is not a concern for the interviewed farmers, and conversion of forests and other native vegetation into sugarcane plantations is uncontroversial if legal. We derive hypotheses regarding farmers' actions and opinions from our results. These hypotheses aim to contribute to better understanding of what takes place in conjunction with expansion of sugarcane and can, when tested further, be of use in developing, e.g., policies for iLUC-free biofuel production.
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| 2. |
- Melin, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Value stream mapping for sustainable change at a Swedish dairy farm
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environment and Waste Management. - Olney : InderScience Publishers. - 1478-9876 .- 1478-9868. ; 25:1, s. 130-140
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This case study increases our understanding of Lean implementation in which value stream mapping (VSM) is used to create an action plan at a small dairy and cattle farm in southwest Sweden. The researchers, the farmer-owner, and farm employees followed a step-by-step approach that resulted in ideas for operational improvements for the dairy activity. Data were collected in interviews with the farmer/owner, researcher participation in workshops, and researcher observations. The results reveal that VSM is an effective way to create a culture of collaboration among the farm staff and to better define their roles and responsibilities as well as improve routines, communications, and task completion. In the two-to-three year period following the VSM project, specific improvements were observed in milk production/quality and animal health. The results also reveal that while Lean principles are relevant given the repetitive nature of agriculture routines and tasks, the VSM element of lead-time reduction is less relevant owing to the unique value adding biological processes in the agriculture sector. © The Author(s) 2019. Published by Inderscience Publishers Ltd.
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| 3. |
- Nybom, Jozefine, et al.
(författare)
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Farmers’ strategic responses to competitive intensity and the impact on perceived performance
- 2021
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Ingår i: SN Business & Economics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2662-9399. ; 1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- A large percentage of small- and medium-sized farms have ceased operations in the last 2 decades in part due to their inability to respond to increased competitive intensity. Consequently, the strategic responses farmers adopt to competitive intensity are important to understand as they may influence performance and ultimately their survival. Based on a sample of 388 randomly selected farmers in Sweden and using structural equation modelling, we find that as perceptions of competitive intensity increase, so does their market orientation (MO) and lean production orientation (LPO), but not entrepreneurial orientation (EO). Moreover, we find that farmers who indicate greater (in order of importance) MO and LPO report better overall performance, while increased EO surprisingly contributes negatively to performance. Our findings contribute to the limited body of research on strategic responses to competitive intensity in the agricultural sector and subsequent payoff on farm performance.
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| 4. |
- Barth, Henrik, 1971-, et al.
(författare)
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A Green Lean approach to global competition and climate change in the agricultural sector – A Swedish case study
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Cleaner Production. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 0959-6526 .- 1879-1786. ; 204, s. 183-192
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Increased global competition in the agricultural sector is rapidly changing the structure of farms and farming. As the number of small and diversified farms (often family-owned) decreases, the number of large and specialized farms (often corporate-owned) is increasing. In this transformation, the agricultural sector is more and more concerned with strategy, innovation, and competition in the effort to be more productive and more profitable. At the same time, the sector faces demands that it become more environmentally responsible in its policies and practices. This paper proposes a Lean Implementation Framework that small and mid-size farms can use as they aim to increase production and profit and yet support environmental sustainability. This case study takes an action-oriented research approach that focuses on the implementation of a Green Lean approach at 34 Swedish farms using various Lean tools. The paper describes how training sessions, farm visits, workshops, and counseling were used to introduce the farmers to the benefits and risks of the implementation of a new business model that added Green elements to the traditional business model design. The paper concludes with recommendations for adaptations to the Framework and suggestions for future research. © 2018
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| 5. |
- Jonsson, Linus, 1986, et al.
(författare)
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What undermines healthy habits with regard to physical activity and food? : Voices of adolescents in a disadvantaged community
- 2017
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Ingår i: International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. - Abingdon : Taylor & Francis. - 1748-2623 .- 1748-2631. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study aimed to illuminate factors that undermine the healthy habits of adolescents from a multicultural community with low socioeconomic status (S.E.S.) in Sweden with regard to physical activity (P.A.) and food, as stated in their own voices. Adolescents (n = 53, 12–13 y/o) were recruited from one school situated in a multicultural community characterized by low S. E.S. Embracing an interpretive approach, 10 focus-group interviews were conducted to produce data for the study. The focus-group interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The analysis resulted in two major themes: (1) the availability of temptations is large, and support from the surroundings is limited; and (2) norms and demands set the agenda. The adolescents’ voices illuminate a profound awareness and the magnitude of tempting screen-based activities as undermining their P.A. and healthy food habits. Moreover, several gender boundaries were highlighted as undermining girls’ P.A. and healthy food habits. The adolescents’ stories illuminated that it is difficult for them, within their environment, to establish healthy habits with regard to P.A. and food. To facilitate the adolescents’ healthy habits, we suggest that support from family, friends, the school, and society at large is essential.
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