En este trabajo se desarrolla la investigación como estudio de caso, con información generada por los productores asociados en Amigos de Ozolco, durante dos años de operación y acompañamiento. El estudio de caso permite medir y registrar la conducta de las personas involucradas en nuestra situación de estudio, con información verbal y datos obtenidos desde fuentes cualitativas y cuantitativas, primarias y secundarias; esto es, documentos, registros de archivos, entrevistas directas, observación directa, observación de los participantes e instalaciones y objetos físicos.
El presente artículo pretende describir la técnica de las alianzas estratégicas consideradas como herramienta adaptable dentro de la administración estratégica para beneficio del sector agroindustrial; cuya aplicación puede dar origen a mejoras o desarrollo de prácticas eficientes para el cumplimiento efectivo de objetivos y metas.
Although Colombia has the potential to be a cocoa producer for fine flavor and high value markets, it is not greatly recognized as such. In spite of the government’s interest to position the country as a major specialty cocoa producer, no strategic actions have been taken to develop and strengthen this aspect of the value chain.
El propósito del presente artículo es aplicar, como instrumento metodológico, el esquema teórico de los conglomerados para analizar la cadena productiva del aloe en Falcón (Venezuela), y derivar del mismo potenciales elementos clave que es necesario atender para evolucionar de una actividad tradicional y semiindustrial, hacia un competitivo conglomerado industrial sostenido en los atributos de este sector productivo
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 authors engaged in iterative cycles of mixed methods research around particular questions, actions relevant to stakeholders, new proposal formulation and implementation followed by evaluation of impacts. Capacity building occurred among farmers, technical personnel, and students from multiple disciplines. Involvement of research users occurred throughout: women and men farmers, non-governmental development organizations, Ministries of Health and Agriculture, and, in Ecuador, the National Council on Social Participation
One option for practically applying innovation systems thinking involves the establishment of innovation platforms (IPs). Such platforms are designed to bring together a variety of different stakeholders to exchange knowledge and resources and take action to solve common problems. Yet relatively little is known about how IPs operate in practice, particularly how power dynamics influence platform processes.This paper focuses on a research-for-development project in the Ethiopian highlands which established three IPs for improved natural resource management.
Cotton, a major crop worldwide, is harvested in mechanized production systems once at the end of the growing season. To facilitate harvest and maximize fiber quality, the plants are typically defoliated when about 60% of the cotton bolls are open. Due to non-uniform maturation, the bolls that have opened early expose their fiber to weather until harvest, commonly for weeks, degrading fiber quality. Furthermore, high capacity harvesting machines are heavy, potentially compacting the soil that in turn reduces hydraulic conductivity in the wheel tracks and reducing yield.
This review paper responds to the following questions: 1) can existing adaptation options confer useful responses to various degrees of climate change; 2) have certified coffee programs already implemented adaption options; 3) what (additional) implementation steps are required to adapt coffee production to climate change; and 4) which social-institutional changes are additionally required to enable smallholders to adapt to climate change at farm and landscape scales.
This paper examines the role of postsecondary agricultural education and training (AET) in sub-Saharan Africa in the context of the region’s agricultural innovation systems. Specifically, the paper looks at how AET in sub-Saharan Africa can contribute to agricultural development by strengthening innovative capacity, or the ability of individuals and organisations to introduce new products and processes that are socially or economically relevant, particularly with respect to smallholder farmers who represent the largest group of agricultural producers in the region.