| 1. |
- Adu-Baffour, Ferdinand, et al.
(författare)
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Can small farms benefit from big companies’ initiatives to promote mechanization in Africa? A case study from Zambia
- 2019
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Ingår i: Food Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-9192. ; 84, s. 133-145
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- After years of neglect, there is a renewed interest in agricultural mechanization in Africa. Since government initiatives to promote mechanization are confronted with major governance challenges, private-sector initiatives may offer a promising alternative. However, given limited scientific studies on such private-sector options such approaches are often viewed skeptically. One concern is that multi-national agribusiness companies take advantage of smallholder farmers. Another concern is that mechanization causes rural unemployment. To shed light on these concerns, this paper analyzes an initiative of the agricultural machinery manufacturer John Deere to promote smallholder mechanization in Zambia through a contractor model. The analysis focuses on the impact of this initiative on farmers who receive tractor services using Propensity Score Matching. The results indicate that farmers can almost double their income by cultivating a much larger share of their land. The analysis suggests that the increased income is used for children's education and more food, but does not result in increased food diversity. The demand for hired labor increases due to land expansion and due to a shift from family labor, including that of children, to hired labor. Questions that require further investigation are identified, including strategies to incentivize tractor owners to provide services, to also increase land productivity, and to avoid new forms of dependency of agricultural laborers that may result from a shift in the timing of the labor demand.
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| 2. |
- Amid, Javad, 1949-
(författare)
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The dilemma of cheap food and self-sufficiency : The case of wheat in Iran
- 2007
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Ingår i: Food Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-9192 .- 1873-5657. ; 32:4, s. 537-552
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Self-sufficiency in wheat has been one of the major goals of Iranian agricultural policies since the Revolution of 1979. Even so, the country failed to achieve this goal by the early 2000s, despite a satisfactory growth in wheat production. This paper addresses this failure and the political difficulties in introducing reforms that would reduce the need for import. First, the production and consumption of wheat are examined. The conclusion is that the cheap-bread policy has mainly been responsible for the imbalances between domestic supply and demand, and the continued reliance on wheat imports. Moreover, the paper argues that the subsidy program is an expensive safety net for the needy and shows that the Iranian government has intended to reform the program since the early 1990s. However, subsidy reforms are politically sensitive, especially in developing countries where subsidies are considered very important, both for supporting the poor and for political stability. An analysis of the Iranian attempts at subsidy reform suggests that they have not yet succeeded, mainly due to such political considerations.
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| 3. |
- Andersson, Camilla, et al.
(författare)
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The Ethiopian Commodity Exchange and spatial price dispersion
- 2017
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Ingår i: Food Policy. - : Elsevier. - 0306-9192 .- 1873-5657. ; 66, s. 1-11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this article, we study the impact of an institutional intervention on market efficiency in Ethiopia. More specifically, we analyze to what extent the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) in combination with regional warehouses have contributed to a reduction in price spreads between regional markets. Our hypothesis is that warehouses connected to the ECX reduce the dispersion between export prices and local retail prices in different coffee growing areas, as well as the dispersion between export prices and local retail prices in different coffee growing areas. By doing so, the ECX has the potential to improve the market efficiency. To identify the causal effect, we combine retail price data with information on the gradual rollout of warehouses connected to the ECX from 2007 to 2012. Our results suggest that, when two markets both have access to an operating warehouse, the average price spread is 0.86–1.78 ETB lower than it is for markets where at least one part lacks warehouse access. This is a substantial reduction considering that the average price spread over the full period is 3.33 ETB. The main results are robust to various econometric specifications, and our analysis thus suggests that local warehouses connected to the ECX have indeed improved market efficiency
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| 4. |
- Bendz, Anna, 1967, et al.
(författare)
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Why do people accept or reject climate policies targeting food consumption? Unpacking justifications in the public debate in online social forums
- 2023
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Ingår i: Food Policy. - 0306-9192. ; 121
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A shift in dietary habits will be required to meet global climate targets. However, from a social dilemma perspective, major voluntary shifts in diet patterns are unlikely. Hence, government interventions are called for. This may be a perilous political endeavor, since food habits and choices are assumed to be personal and contentious matters and any food regulation policy risks stepping over the line for what people accept, risking policy legitimacy. In order to construct feasible policy measures, it is therefore important to gain knowledge of the prerequisites for support of climate food regulations and to understand why people accept or oppose regulations. The aim of this paper is to do so by analyzing the public debate concerning meat-free days in school canteens and a tax on meat in two public online social forums in Sweden. We seek to 1) map the arguments supporting (non)acceptability of the two food consumption regulation issues and 2) analyze what policy-specific and factual beliefs are reflected in the arguments and then detangle their meaning and content as revealed in the arguments. We find that policy-specific beliefs around freedom, fairness, and effectiveness are commonly used in support of or objection to these policies, but to different degrees, and often linked to factual beliefs about consequences for health or disadvantaged social groups. We conclude that the general reluctance of policy makers to interfere with what people eat is not necessarily well founded, and that better policy design, framing, and communication have the potential to increase policy support.
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| 5. |
- Bjerke, Lina, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Innovation in agriculture : An analysis of Swedish agricultural and non-agricultural firms
- 2022
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Ingår i: Food Policy. - : Elsevier. - 0306-9192 .- 1873-5657. ; 109
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper contributes to the literature on innovation in agri-food sectors. It presents a quantitative analysis of how innovation and innovation capacities differ between agricultural firms and firms in other sectors. With unique survey data on Swedish firms, we show that one-third of the firms in the agriculture sector are innovation creators. Moreover, incremental innovations in the form of firm-level technology adoption are not more prevalent in agriculture than in other sectors. These results indicate that agriculture does not appear as a special case concerning innovation output, besides their higher incidence of process innovations. The peculiarity of the sector rather seems to be related to firm-level innovation capacities. Our results suggest that agriculture is different in how they source relevant knowledge, which is a finding that could question the design of innovation support policies that emphasize collaborative research. Our findings rather point to a need of strengthening in-house knowledge capacities in agricultural firms. That would improve their capacity to participate in and benefit from collaborations with partners operating at higher levels in the knowledge system.
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| 6. |
- Bryngelsson, David, 1981, et al.
(författare)
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How can the EU climate targets be met? : A combined analysis of technological and demand-side changes in food and agriculture
- 2016
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Ingår i: Food Policy. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 0306-9192 .- 1873-5657. ; 59, s. 152-164
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To meet the 2 °C climate target, deep cuts in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will be required for carbon dioxide from fossil fuels but, most likely, also for methane and nitrous oxide from agriculture and other sources. However, relatively little is known about the GHG mitigation potential in agriculture, in particular with respect to the combined effects of technological advancements and dietary changes. Here, we estimate the extent to which changes in technology and demand can reduce Swedish food-related GHG emissions necessary for meeting EU climate targets. This analysis is based on a detailed representation of the food and agriculture system, using 30 different food items. We find that food-related methane and nitrous oxide emissions can be reduced enough to meet the EU 2050 climate targets. Technologically, agriculture can improve in productivity and through implementation of specific mitigation measures. Under optimistic assumptions, these developments could cut current food-related methane and nitrous oxide emissions by nearly 50%. However, also dietary changes will almost certainly be necessary. Large reductions, by 50% or more, in ruminant meat (beef and mutton) consumption are, most likely, unavoidable if the EU targets are to be met. In contrast, continued high per-capita consumption of pork and poultry meat or dairy products might be accommodated within the climate targets. High dairy consumption, however, is only compatible with the targets if there are substantial advances in technology. Reducing food waste plays a minor role for meeting the climate targets, lowering emissions only by an additional 1–3%. © 2016 The Authors
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| 7. |
- Chegere, Martin Julius
(författare)
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Post-harvest losses reduction by small-scale maize farmers: The role of handling practices
- 2018
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Ingår i: Food Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-9192. ; 77, s. 103-115
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Concerns about food insecurity have grown in Sub-Saharan Africa due to rapidly growing population and food price volatility. Post-harvest Losses (PHL) reduction has been identified as a key component to complement efforts to address food security challenges and improve farm incomes, especially for the rural poor. This study analyses the role of recommended post-harvest handling practices in PHL reduction; and conducts a cost-benefit analysis of adopting practices associated with lower losses. The study finds that maize farmers lose about 11.7 percent of their harvest in the post-harvest system. About two-thirds of this loss occurs during storage. The study shows that adoption of recommended post-harvest handling practices is highly correlated with lower PHL. Lastly the study finds that the cost of implementing some of the recommended practices outweighs the benefits associated with lower PHL. It then discusses the reasons why some farmers may not adopt some of the practices and points out some contributions to the literature.
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| 8. |
- Edenbrandt, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Is food labelling effective in reducing climate impact by encouraging the substitution of protein sources?
- 2021
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Ingår i: Food Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-9192 .- 1873-5657. ; 101
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study investigates consumer willingness to substitute high-emissions meat products with lower-emissions protein products, including blends of meat and vegetables. Survey data, including a choice experiment, are combined with data on the respondents' actual purchase behaviour. The traffic light carbon label has an effect on choice behaviour, as it increases the willingness to purchase lower-emissions protein products such as chicken and meat substitutes. We further find that the willingness to purchase these lower-emissions products is largest among individuals who are already purchasing most sustainably. We discuss policy implications from the expected impacts of carbon labels, and how such labels affect different types of consumers.
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| 9. |
- Edenbrandt, Anna Kristina, et al.
(författare)
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Interested, indifferent or active information avoiders of carbon labels : Cognitive dissonance and ascription of responsibility as motivating factors
- 2021
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Ingår i: Food Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-9192 .- 1873-5657. ; 101
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Active avoidance of information is gaining attention in the behavioural sciences. We explore motivations for active avoidance of carbon emissions information. In the first stage of a stated preference survey, respondents indicated whether they wished to access carbon emissions information (info-takers) or not (info-decliners) when selecting a protein source. In the second stage, all respondents were provided with carbon emissions information. The info-takers reduced emissions from their food choices by 32%, while the info-decliners also reduced their emissions (by 12%). This indicates active information avoidance among at least some info-decliners. We explore how cognitive dissonance, responsibility feelings and personal norms affect a person's actions when information is imposed upon them, and their role as motivators for actively avoiding carbon emissions information on meat products. Individuals who experience climate-related cognitive dissonance and/or responsibility feelings change behaviour more following climate information, and it also increases choice task uncertainty mostly among these. These findings point to the potential of increasing impact from information by simultaneously increasing personal responsibility feelings and activating social norms.
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| 10. |
- Elofsson, Katarina, et al.
(författare)
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The impact of climate information on milk demand : Evidence from a field experiment
- 2016
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Ingår i: Food Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-9192 .- 1873-5657. ; 58, s. 14-23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It has been suggested that carbon labelling of food, on voluntary or non-voluntary basis, could reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. However, there is limited empirical evidence on the influence of such labels on consumer purchases. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether voluntary carbon labelling affects the demand for milk. A randomized field experiment was conducted in 17 retail stores in Sweden, where a sign provided consumers with qualitative information about the carbon impact of climate-certified milk. The results suggest that the sign increased the demand for the climate-certified milk by approximately 6-8%, and the result is robust to alternative model specifications. The effect is entirely driven by large stores, such as supermarkets. We find no statistically significant impact on total milk sales, and the dataset is too small to verify the consequences for other milk brands. The effect on the demand for the labelled milk is short-lived.
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