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2. The attitudes of agricultural extension workers towards the use of e-extension for ensuring sustainability in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Afzal, Adeel (author), Al-Subaiee, Faisal Sultan (author), and Mirza, Abdulrahman A. (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2016
- Published:
- Saudi Arabia
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 166 Document Number: D08499
- Journal Title:
- Sustainability
- Journal Title Details:
- 8(10)
- Notes:
- 16 pages.
3. What can rural communities do to be sustained?
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Chen, Rachel J. C. (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2016-09-12
- Published:
- United States
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 168 Document Number: D08534
- Journal Title:
- Sustainability
- Journal Title Details:
- 8(9)
- Notes:
- 14 pages.
4. Farmers’ perception of water quality and risks in the Mashavera river basin, Georgia: analyzing the vulnerability of the social-ecological system through community perceptions
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Withanachchi, Sisira S. (author), Kunchulia, Ilia (author), Ghambashidze, Giorgi (author), Al Sidawi, Rami (author), Urushadze, Teo (author), and Ploeger, Angelika (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2018-08-28
- Published:
- Switzerland: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 12 Document Number: D10388
- Journal Title:
- Sustainability
- Journal Title Details:
- 10(9)
- Notes:
- 26 pages., Via online journal., Competing natural resources usage that leads to dramatic land use changes can threaten the balance of a social-ecological system. When this is the case, communities are directly exposed to the negative consequences of those land use changes. The Mashavera River Basin is considered one of the hotspots of environmental pollution in Georgia. This is of importance for public health because the food production from this basin meets a substantial proportion of the country’s food demand. The farmers’ perception of the water quality and their perceived risks to the economy, health, and lifestyle reflect the status of the environmental and social conditions. The inclusion of farmers’ risk perceptions is an important stage of water quality governance that could enable active civic participation. The approach of this research study was the convergence model in the triangular design of the mixed method approach. As part of the social data, the research study was conducted with a survey of 177 households, for which agriculture was either a main or partial source of income. A few focus group discussions were also conducted. A binary logistic regression analysis was employed as the main method for the analysis. The results from the pollution load index (PLI) were used as the supportive data to verify some geospatial hypotheses. We found that aesthetic attributes (i.e., color changes observed in the river) and the source of the water contamination (i.e., mining sites) were the main predictor variables for a perceived risk to water quality, health, and livelihoods. The people who work in agriculture as the main income source had more concern about their ability to sell their agricultural products as a result of water contamination in the river, compared with people for whom agriculture is a secondary source of income or for self-consumption. Age, amount of land, years of agricultural experience, and the source of water supply for agriculture did not have a significant effect on any of the risk perception or water quality perception models. The results indicate that the health risk is perceived more strongly in areas with more heavily contaminated water compared to less polluted areas. We propose that conducting a public risk perception assessment is an ideal means to detect people’s concerns regarding water quality governance for future risk analysis in Georgia. Another recommendation of this study is an integrated model of risk assessment that combines the results from a public risk perception assessment and a technical assessment. The benefits of such an integrated assessment include finding new hazard-sensitive areas for further analysis, the possibility to cross-check data for verification, communal communication of hazardous conditions by utilizing local knowledge, and the direct participation of the community in monitoring risks.
5. Vertical coordination in organic food chains: a survey based analysis in France, Italy and Spain
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Cavaliere, Alessia (author), Peri, Massimo (author), and Banterle, Alessandro (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2016
- Published:
- International
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 93 Document Number: D10862
- Journal Title:
- Sustainability
- Journal Title Details:
- 8(6) : 569
- Notes:
- 15 pages., The paper analyses characteristics of vertical relationships of organic supply chains with a specific focus on the processing and retailing sectors. The analysis takes into account different regions of the EU Mediterranean area. Data were collected through interviews using an ad hoc questionnaire. The survey was based on a sample of 306 firms, including processors and retailers. The analysis revealed that a relevant aspect for the processing firms of organic products concerns the guaranteeing of safety and quality levels for the products. The main tools to implement the quality management are based on the adoption of specific production regulations and quality controls. The premium price most frequently applied by processors ranges from 10% to 40% and similar values are revealed for retailers. The diffusion of supply contracts allows the vertical coordination between agriculture and processing firms in the organic supply chains. The main distribution channels for the processing firms are represented by specialised shops in organic products, direct sales and supermarkets.
6. How will we eat and produce in the cities of the future? From edible insects to vertical farming - a study on the perception and acceptability of new approaches
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Specht, Kathrin (author), Zoll, Felix (author), Schumann, Henrike (author), Bela, Julia (author), Kachel, Julia (author), and Robischon, Marcel (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019
- Published:
- International
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 99 Document Number: D10870
- Journal Title:
- Sustainability
- Journal Title Details:
- 11(16)
- Notes:
- Via online. 27 pages., Global challenges such as climate change, increasing urbanization and a lack of transparency of food chains, have led to the development of innovative urban food production approaches, such as rooftop greenhouses, vertical farms, indoor farms, aquaponics as well as production sites for edible insects or micro-algae. Those approaches are still at an early stage of development and partly unknown among the public. The aim of our study was to identify the perception of sustainability, social acceptability and ethical aspects of these new approaches and products in urban food production. We conducted 19 qualitative expert interviews and applied qualitative content analysis. Our results revealed that major perceived benefits are educational effects, revaluation of city districts, efficient resource use, exploitation of new protein sources or strengthening of local economies. Major perceived conflicts concern negative side-effects, legal constraints or high investment costs. The extracted acceptance factors deal significantly with the “unknown”. A lack of understanding of the new approaches, uncertainty about their benefits, concerns about health risks, a lack of familiarity with the food products, and ethical doubts about animal welfare represent possible barriers. We conclude that adaptation of the unsuitable regulatory framework, which discourages investors, is an important first step to foster dissemination of the urban food production approaches.