Special Issue "COVID-19 Crises & Implications to Agri-Food Sector"

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 December 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Gabrijel Ondrasek
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Soil Amelioration, Faculty of Agriculture University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: nanostructured aluminosilicates; composite materials; functional materials; ash matrices; adsorbents; drug carrier; drug delivery; bone tissue engineering; biosensors; biomarkers; ecoengineering; bioengineering; waste management; end-to-waste point; circular bioeconomy
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human food supply is strongly dependent on agronomy sciences and agriculture. Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis and the global lockdown measures (border closure, social restrictions/distancing, limited access to raw materials and agrochemicals, labour shortages), unprecedented disruptions in agri-food systems as well as food safety and security have occurred. The COVID-19 pandemic has strongly impacted even some of the most resilient agri-food sub-sectors (e.g., free-range farming, organic agriculture), in both self-sufficient and strongly import-dependent economies. Such disturbances in the agri-food market and challenges to the demand–supply system have never been recorded before and are still persisting, as no effective and holistic solutions have been found so far. Many fresh and low-processed agri-foodstuffs have a short shelf-life or require special post-harvest storage and transport conditions, which additionally elevates the production costs and weakens agriculture competitiveness with respect to its productivity before the pandemic. Many agricultural sectors have failed to change and adapt to the new situation caused by the pandemic, recording huge losses. However, some agricultural businesses were able to react, demonstrating strong resilience and flexibility, by applying ICT and smart innovative solutions (e-farm-to-market-to-table food supply, e-gardening, e-advisory services) and by diversifying their production modalities and offer (supported aggregations, development and promotion of locally based models).

For this Special Issue, manuscripts presenting novel research, reviews based on big-data (meta)-analyses, research opinions, and short communications—ranging from specific case studies to works at regional, (inter)national, and global level—that will contribute to the elucidation and better management of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and its implications for agriculture, are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Gabrijel Ondrasek
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Lockdown
  • COVID-19
  • Agriculture
  • Agroecosystems
  • Food production
  • Organic farming
  • Labor shortage
  • Meta analyses
  • Big data analyses
  • Farm-to-table
  • E-market
  • Crisis agro-management
  • E-gardening
  • Agrochemicals
  • Food security
  • Food safety
  • Smart agriculture
  • ICT
  • Innovations
  • Precision agriculture
  • IoT

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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Article
Purchasing Bakery Goods during COVID-19: A Mind Genomics Cartography of Hungarian Consumers
Agronomy 2021, 11(8), 1645; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11081645 - 18 Aug 2021
Viewed by 278
Abstract
At both global and national levels, COVID-19 caused huge changes both in politics and economics, including the agricultural sector and the food industry, from producers, manufacturers, and traders to consumers. Since March 2020, many restrictions and protective measures were introduced worldwide, which only [...] Read more.
At both global and national levels, COVID-19 caused huge changes both in politics and economics, including the agricultural sector and the food industry, from producers, manufacturers, and traders to consumers. Since March 2020, many restrictions and protective measures were introduced worldwide, which only began to be relaxed in the last weeks of spring 2021 as the number of people vaccinated against the coronavirus increased in Hungary. The aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes of Hungarian consumers toward food purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic, in terms of safety. The research was based on the purchase of bakery products, which are basic food products and are most often found in an unpackaged form in Hungarian stores. The BimiLeap® study, a revolutionary tool for uncovering people’s minds, was completed by 125 participants, gathered by a snowballing technique. There were no significant differences among consumers’ attitudes based on the traditional socio-demographic descriptors; however, the mindset-based classification was able to differentiate significantly. The three identified mindsets covered people who themselves consider bakery products, the purchase method, and being in the store as the highest risk of a potential COVID infection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue COVID-19 Crises & Implications to Agri-Food Sector)
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Article
Covid-19 Pandemic and Food Waste: An Empirical Analysis
Agronomy 2021, 11(6), 1063; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11061063 - 25 May 2021
Viewed by 519
Abstract
This paper investigates the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on food waste using an original dataset from 176 agrifood business operators in the European Union (EU). Our objective is to assess whether and why the pandemic crisis affected food waste level. Unlike previous studies [...] Read more.
This paper investigates the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on food waste using an original dataset from 176 agrifood business operators in the European Union (EU). Our objective is to assess whether and why the pandemic crisis affected food waste level. Unlike previous studies that addressed the issue at a consumer level, our research focuses on pre-consumption waste covering stages of the agrifood supply chain from input suppliers to retailers. Considering the importance of waste reduction for the sustainability of food production, the study provides an insight into the ability of the agrifood supply chain to cope with a major shock and its resilience. A multinomial logit regression model is used to estimate the effect of Covid-19, testing whether the ability to innovate, the role in the supply chain, the magnitude of the shock and policy support were drivers of changes in food waste. We find that three main factors affect the change in a firm’s food-waste level during the Covid-19 pandemic: The magnitude of the disruption of the sale channel, the firms’ ability to adapt the business model to the new pandemic environment, and the adoption of public policies mitigating the lockdown effects. The first driver was associated with an increase in food waste, while the others were associated with a decrease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue COVID-19 Crises & Implications to Agri-Food Sector)
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Article
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Agri-Food Companies in the Region of Extremadura (Spain)
Agronomy 2021, 11(5), 971; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11050971 - 13 May 2021
Viewed by 692
Abstract
The coronavirus pandemic is having an economic impact, previously non-existent, on the world economy. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on agri-food companies in the region of Extremadura (Spain). A multiple-case study based on in-depth interviews was [...] Read more.
The coronavirus pandemic is having an economic impact, previously non-existent, on the world economy. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on agri-food companies in the region of Extremadura (Spain). A multiple-case study based on in-depth interviews was carried out in the period February 2020–January 2021. The results reveal the existence of negative and positive impacts, both financial (decrease in turnover; decrease/displacement in the demand for products; budget reduction in R&D projects; increase in certain product sales) and operational (difficulty in marketing activities, lack of staff, stoppage in company activity, and supply problems), depending, principally, on the nature of the products, the changes generated in consumer behavior, and mobility problems. Likewise, changes were observed in processes (search of clients in other markets, increased use of technology in communication and marketing activities, and development of new products) and procedures (reorganization of personnel activities, implementation of new health protocols) in companies to overcome the obstacles imposed by the new situation. In conclusion, the change in surrounding conditions, and the characteristics of the spread of the pandemic, have impacted on the strategies, behavior, processes, dynamics and results of organizations regardless of their size and the nature of their work product or service. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue COVID-19 Crises & Implications to Agri-Food Sector)
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Review

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Review
Understanding Food Security Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Thailand: A Review
Agronomy 2021, 11(3), 497; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11030497 - 06 Mar 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1110
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted worldwide food security including in Thailand. This review aims to understand people’s behaviors with regard to promoting food security during the COVID-19 pandemic by covering three main cases at a community level: the food bank, the food exchange, [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted worldwide food security including in Thailand. This review aims to understand people’s behaviors with regard to promoting food security during the COVID-19 pandemic by covering three main cases at a community level: the food bank, the food exchange, and the food pantry. A systematic review of news content analysis and in-depth interviews were employed for data collection. Based on integrated behavioral models of motivation–opportunity–ability (MOA), the theory of planned behavior (TPB), and value–belief–norm (VBN), key results indicated that altruistic values including beliefs in opinion leaders and the benefits from food security behaviors were influences on people’s practices. The attitude toward food as a crucial factor for living, the influence of family members and neighborhoods, and the perception of what constituted enough food led people’s behavioral intentions with regard to food security. The intrapersonal communication of opinion leaders was an important initial step linking to people’s understanding of others. The most frequent qualities of opinion leaders were: having a determination to help, thinking of the benefits of local people, and believing in community capacity. Self-reliance and procedural knowledge of how to behave were key messages, while personal media, local broadcasting towers, and social media were mainly employed to distribute these messages. Two-way and networking communication should be strengthened to promote sustainable food security during the crisis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue COVID-19 Crises & Implications to Agri-Food Sector)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural food production among smallholder farmers in Northern Drakensberg areas of Bergville and Winterton, South Africa
Authors: Bonginkosi E. Mthembu; Xolile Mkhize; Georgina D. Arthur
Affiliation:Department of Community Extension, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Durban, South Africa;Department of Nature Conservation, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Durban, South Africa .
Abstract: It is paramount to establish resilience of small-scale farmers amid disaster to sustain staple food production, a pillar of food security. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected social and economic activities in the agriculture systems. The extent of the pandemic disruptions on agriculture food production systems is lamentably scanty in developing countries. The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on rural farming and food systems, comprising crop-livestock production. The research study was conducted among smallholder farmers in Northern Drakensberg areas of Bergville and Winterton, which are strategic areas for food security in KwaZulu-Natal province. Drakensberg foothills are the largest staple agriculture food (crops: maize and legumes and livestock: cattle) producing areas. A survey was conducted using structured questionnaires that measured impact of COVID-19 within farming operations and average yield trends during pre-COVID-19 cycle and during current two-year cycle (2020/21) of the pandemic. Purposive sampling was used since farmers are part of the agricultural advisory support programme within this study area. Data will be analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences computer software program (SPSS).

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