In this paper is studied the case of Trentino, an Italian Alpine region where alternative food chains are quickly developing, by comparing the development of alternative markets in this context with other Italian peri-urban areas. The mountain environment makes it very difficult for farms to standardize their products according to the requirement of the large retailers. Through alternative food chains, the typicality of products and the savoir faire of the farmers – representing the two main factors of products’ added value – are endorsed and more easily communicated to the market.
The need for domestic smallholder farming systems to better support food and nutrition security in the Caribbean is a pressing challenge. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) faces complex socio-ecological challenges related to historical legacies of plantation agriculture, small population sizes, geographic isolation, jurisdictional diversity, and proneness to natural disasters, all of which underscore the importance of fostering system-wide innovation potential.
Researches on agri-food supply chain coordination have been gaining public attention due to their critical relevance to food availability, security, and safety. Still, the research focus is considerably in its early stage of development. This study was aimed at reviewing a holistic understanding on agri-food supply chain, particularly on issues related to coordination. This review was conducted by analyzing selected articles from peer-reviewed journals and proceedings.
Rainfed agriculture with nearly 58% of the cultivated area is home to about 40% of human and 60% of livestock population in India and contributes 40% of the country's food production. Even after full realizing the full irrigation potential of the country, half of the cultivated area will continue to be under rainfed farming which highly dependent on monsoon rainfall. It is widely believed that increasing rainfall variability is likely to affect the livelihoods of millions of small and marginal farmers in the years to come.
An analysis of the impact of simulation modelling in three diverse crop-livestock improvement projects in Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D) reveals benefits across a range of aspects including identification of objectives, design and implementation of experimental programs, effectiveness of participatory research with smallholder farmers, implementation of system change and scaling-out of results. In planning change, farmers must consider complex interactions within both biophysical and socioeconomic aspects of their crop and animal production activities.
This paper asks: What have been the impacts of farmer- or community-led (informal) processes of research and development in agriculture and natural resource management in terms of food security, ecological sustainability, economic empowerment, gender relations, local capacity to innovate and influence on formal agricultural research and development institutions?
Small actors in agricultural value chains are tied to markets through a series of forward and backward business linkages, which incorporate various types of business models. The complexity of these business models varies according to the commodity, number of actors involved, local context and market structure.
La literatura de los intermediarios que participan en el proceso de innovación les atribuye la capacidad de cerrar brechas y disminuir los costos de transacción entre actores exploradores y explotadores de conocimiento, siendo esta interacción vital para que exista un sistema de innovación. Sin embargo, no hay un consenso en la literatura respecto al impacto real de los intermediarios en el sistema en el que actúan.
El enfoque del des-aprendizaje, entendido como el rompimiento de la inercia del aprendizaje pasado frente al entorno, es un factor importante a la hora de comprender el esfuerzo voluntario que las firmas realizan para abandonar las capacidades que ya no son necesarias para competir en un sistema de innovación. Desde esta perspectiva, el des-aprendizaje es un fenómeno complejo que emerge junto con el aprendizaje.
El valor de la producción agroalimentaria del estado de Puebla ocupa el sexto lugar a nivel nacional. Sin embargo, los beneficios para los productores de hortalizas de la región no han sido los esperados en gran medida debido al intermediarismo y ausencia de análisis relacionados a la cadena de valor, logística y cadena de suministro. El presente estudio recopiló la información de algunos agentes que participan en la cadena de valor de la producción- comercialización de hortalizas en cuatro municipios del Distrito de Desarrollo Rural de Tecamachalco, Puebla, México.