Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Louisa Prause
Summary: Academic and political discussions on the digitalization of agriculture have mainly focused on ecological sustainability, neglecting social sustainability aspects, particularly labor. Digital technologies are bringing new forms of labor control and intensification of work processes, with risks of working-class fragmentation along age lines. The importance of designing agricultural policies that foster fair and equitable working conditions is emphasized in the results.
Article
Environmental Studies
Nieves Lopez-Estebanez, Carolina Yacaman-Ochoa, Rafael Mata-Olmo
Summary: This paper discusses the Multifunctional and Territorialized Agri-Food Systems (MTLAFS) in areas of direct urban influence, with a focus on the metropolitan region of Madrid. MTLAFS are considered as alternatives to the dominant global model of mass production and consumption. The paper analyzes the factors that negatively impact the resilience of Local Agri-Food Systems (LAFS) and describes the re-territorialization strategies that allow the establishment of MTLAFS. The research identifies and describes the characteristics of selected case studies in the Madrid region that classify as MTLAFS based on agri-environmental and food governance indicators. The paper concludes with recommendations to enhance the socio-ecological resilience of MTLAFS through the use of the agro-urban project.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Leticia Perez-Sienes, Mar Grande, Juan Carlos Losada, Javier Borondo
Summary: In this study, we contribute to the understanding of the agri-food market by exploring its efficiency and the role of the local Hurst exponent in predicting its trend. The analysis of the time series data for different agri-commodities reveals that mean reversion is more probable and occurs faster during anti-persistent periods. Therefore, we conclude that the Hurst exponent can help anticipate the future trend and range of expected prices in this market.
Article
Agricultural Economics & Policy
Ibrahim Bousmah, Gilles Grenier
Summary: By using a rich longitudinal micro-database from the Canadian Employer-Employee Dynamic Database, factors influencing the recruitment and retention of Canadian-born and immigrant workers in the primary agriculture and food processing sectors are identified. Policymakers are investigating whether immigrants with previous Canadian experience are more likely to stay in these sectors after entering.
Article
Anthropology
W. Nathan Green
Summary: This article explores how the emerging Chinese food regime affects the local agrarian transitions in Cambodia's rice sector. It highlights the increased dependence of farmers on export markets due to Chinese investments and trade agreements, as well as the minimal state support provided to farmers in Cambodia.
JOURNAL OF PEASANT STUDIES
(2022)
Article
Anthropology
Diana Mincyte
Summary: This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the concepts of the food regime and gender regime to examine the current deagrarianization trends. It aims to establish a research agenda for studying the food regime through the lens of gender and labor relations. By integrating insights from feminist scholarship and early discussions on family farming, it highlights the significance of social reproduction in shaping agro-food systems. The paper also reevaluates the importance of family, kinship, and strong ties as forms of social organization in capitalist production, emphasizing the role of household-level ideology and the temporalities of social and biological reproduction in conceptualizing the evolution of the food regime.
JOURNAL OF PEASANT STUDIES
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Maria Ancin, Emilio Pindado, Mercedes Sanchez
Summary: This study examines global perceptions of new digital technologies in the agri-food sector expressed on Twitter. The findings show that digitalization in the agri-food sector is widely discussed on Twitter, with various actors participating in these discussions. Artificial Intelligence is the most mentioned technology, followed by the Internet of Things, Big Data, Machine Learning, and Cloud Computing. These technologies are primarily associated with improving production efficiencies, crop yield, and cost reduction, and are connected to the concept of sustainability. The sentiment analysis indicates a generally positive tone and social acceptance of these technologies. The study also identifies differences among countries, highlighting a greater engagement with digital technologies in developed regions. The COVID-19 pandemic is seen as an opportunity to accelerate digital transformation in the agri-food sector worldwide.
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Foivos Anastasiadis, Maria Alebaki
Summary: The wine industry is complex with intertwined product and services supply chains involving numerous stakeholders and flows, requiring future research perspectives such as sustainability, resilience, and circular economy. The study aims to provide a tool for designing targeted future research by employing an end-to-end mapping approach using data from the Greek wine supply chain.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Irene Navarro-del Aguila, Jeronimo de Burgos-Jimenez
Summary: This study analyzes the initial development of short supply chains and the emergence of hybrid chains. By studying the case in southeastern Spain, the study identifies the synergies that enable the coexistence of these chains, such as personnel sharing, infrastructure and service sharing, product range complementarity, and understanding of consumer needs.
Review
Agronomy
Joseph MacPherson, Ariane Voglhuber-Slavinsky, Mathias Olbrisch, Philipp Schoebel, Ewa Doenitz, Ioanna Mouratiadou, Katharina Helming
Summary: Digital agriculture has the potential to improve efficiency, productivity, and food security, but its impact on other principles of sustainable development needs more attention. The adoption and sustainability of digital agriculture will depend on future data ownership regimes.
AGRONOMY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Arman Derakhti, Ernesto D. R. Santibanez Gonzalez, Abbas Mardani
Summary: In recent years, the concept of Industry 4.0 has garnered attention in various fields. The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of managing the agri-food supply chain to ensure food security. This study systematically analyzes the literature to address the challenges and barriers of applying Industry 4.0 in agri-food supply chain management.
Article
Geography
Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern, Mary Jo Dudley, Anna Zoodsma, Bhavneet Walia, Rick Welsh
Summary: Drawing on US Department of Labor data and a qualitative case study of New York state horticultural growers, this article explores farmers' experiences with the H-2A agricultural guestworker visa program. The study finds that the program is particularly challenging for small to mid-scale farmers due to its high costs, bureaucratic structure, and political dependency. However, farmers who use the H-2A program still consider it the best option for accessing reliable and experienced farm labor.
JOURNAL OF RURAL STUDIES
(2022)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Lin Bai, Minghao Liu, Ying Sun
Summary: According to FAO estimates, one-third of all food produced for human consumption in the world is lost or wasted, amounting to approximately 1.3 billion tons. Storage and distribution stages contribute significantly to the food waste, resulting in resource waste and economic losses. The development of smart cold chain systems, integrating artificial intelligence and traditional preservation technology, provides solutions for reducing food waste. However, the lack of general standards and high costs pose obstacles to the development of the intelligent cold chain system. Governments and researchers need to integrate cold chain systems with AI technology, establish relevant regulations and standards, and promote development towards intelligence, standardization, and technology.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Felipe Dizon, Anna Josephson, Dhushyanth Raju
Summary: The paper highlights the severity of malnutrition in South Asia and the limitations of public food transfer programs in addressing nutrition issues. However, supply-side food and agricultural interventions such as home garden cultivation and animal agriculture show promise in improving nutrition. Efforts to reduce hunger and malnutrition must be accompanied by measures to address challenges such as climate change, urbanization, food loss, and food safety hazards in the region.
GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY-AGRICULTURE POLICY ECONOMICS AND ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Agricultural Economics & Policy
Luc Christiaensen, Zachariah Rutledge, J. Edward Taylor
Summary: As countries develop, agriculture's role as a domestic employer decreases, but the broader agri-food system expands, creating new job opportunities beyond the farm. The advent of the digital revolution is reshaping the labor market, while issues such as agricultural trade and foreign labor face new challenges.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Louisa Prause
Summary: Academic and political discussions on the digitalization of agriculture have mainly focused on ecological sustainability, neglecting social sustainability aspects, particularly labor. Digital technologies are bringing new forms of labor control and intensification of work processes, with risks of working-class fragmentation along age lines. The importance of designing agricultural policies that foster fair and equitable working conditions is emphasized in the results.
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Sarah Hackfort
Summary: The digitalization of agriculture has introduced various forms of inequality, including in technology development, benefit distribution, data sovereignty, digital literacy, and problem-solving capacities. While there are emancipatory initiatives challenging existing inequalities, the structural nature of inequalities and corporate power continue to limit the potential impact of digital agriculture initiatives.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Miriam Boyer, Franziska Kusche, Sarah Hackfort, Louisa Prause, Friederike Engelbrecht-Bock
Summary: This study analyzes the broad field of biomass policy in Germany and explores how the image of sustainability of biomass use in the bioeconomy is constructed and maintained. Through ideology critique, the study identifies four central ideological strategies that uphold the image of sustainability and emphasizes the importance of considering the materiality of nature in the bioeconomy context.
SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Sarah Hackfort, Christoph Kubitza, Arnold Opiyo, Anne Musotsi, Susanne Huyskens-Keil
Summary: This study investigates the impact of the commercialization of African indigenous vegetables on gender relations in labor, decision-making power, and access to resources. The findings reveal that while women experience economic empowerment through commercialization, it does not contribute to gender equality in terms of labor redistribution or land rights. Instead, it increases women's labor burden.
AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN VALUES
(2023)
Article
Geography
Sarah Hackfort
Summary: The digital transformation of agriculture is seen as a sustainable strategy, but recent studies highlight the monopoly and power dynamics in the digital economy that determine control over digital technology and distribution of benefits. Empirical research is needed to understand and break unsustainable lock-ins in agriculture. This article fills this research gap by examining lock-ins in Germany and identifying the need for disruption at multiple levels for sustainable transformations.
JOURNAL OF RURAL STUDIES
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Louisa Prause, Philippe Le Billon
Summary: This study compares movements resisting agro-industrial and mining projects, finding that outcomes mainly depend on specific cases and political opportunities, while resistance motives, narratives, and practices differ across both sectors. This difference can be explained by sector-specific factors and presents challenges for cross-sectoral alliances.
JOURNAL OF PEASANT STUDIES
(2021)
Article
Political Science
Beate Friedrich, Sarah Hackfort, Miriam Boyer, Daniela Gottschlich
POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE
(2019)
Article
Development Studies
Louisa Prause
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES-REVUE CANADIENNE D ETUDES DU DEVELOPPEMENT
(2019)
Article
Political Science
Louisa Prause, Nina-Kathrin Wienkoop
PARTECIPAZIONE E CONFLITTO
(2017)
Article
Political Science
Sarah Hackfort, Hans-Juergen Burchardt
CRITICAL POLICY STUDIES
(2018)