Search Results (45)

The current rising food prices, influenced by importation costs, the global food crisis, as well as pre- and post-harvest losses, have contributed majorly to malnutrition and food insecurity. Therefore, utilizing technologies that harness our indigenous agro-products as composite flours to develop functional foods will address these issues. In this study, dry raw samples of perishable and healthy yellow potato, yellow maize and pigeon pea were obtained from the agricultural development program, Edo State, Nigeria, and authenticated and processed into gluten-free fermented composite flours. The flours were profiled physicochemically and nutritionally, providing valuable insight into their multiple benefits. An experimental design software (Design Expert 13.0.) was applied to achieve optimum blended flours regarding the ratio of sweet potato–pigeon pea–maize, and mix 5 (67.70:20.00:12.31) displayed more outstanding attributes than other blends for the production of biscuits, bread and cakes using creaming and mixing methods. Various standard tests for flours and products were appropriately carried out to evaluate the proximate, techno-functional, mineral, antioxidant, anti-nutrient, sensory and color values. Individual antioxidant parameters were improved across all products compared to wheat-based products (control) under the same production conditions, showing a statistical significance at p < 0.05. A similar trend was observed in the proximate, anti-nutritional and mineral contents, while all products had a desirable color outlook. A sensory evaluation revealed the general acceptability, while an in vivo animal experimental model revealed that all animals fed with the various product samples gained weight with improved general body organs and no evidence of disease. This research underscores the potential of harnessing agri-value chain approaches in developing functional foods and promoting food security. Full article

Current food production systems rely heavily on resource-poor small-scale farmers in the global south. Concomitantly, the agrifood systems are exacerbated by various a/biotic challenges, including low-input agriculture and climate crisis. The recent global food crisis further escalates the production and consumption challenges in the global market. With these challenges, coordinated efforts to address the world’s agrifood systems challenges have never been more urgent than now. This includes the implementation of deeply interconnected activities of food, land, and water systems and relationships among producers and consumers that operate across political boundaries. Nature-positive agriculture represents interventions both at the farm and landscape level that include a systems approach for the management of diverse issues across the land-water-food nexus. In the present article, we focus on the history of traditional farming and how it evolved into today’s nature-positive agriculture, including its limitations and opportunities. The review also explains the most impactful indicators for successful nature-positive agriculture, including sustainable management of soil, crops, seeds, pests, and mixed farming systems, including forages and livestock. Finally, the review explains the dynamics of nature-positive agriculture in the context of small-scale farming systems and how multilateral organizations like the CGIAR are converting this into transformative actions and impact. To address the climate crisis, CGIAR established the paradigm of nature-positive solutions as part of its research and development efforts aimed at transforming food, land, and water systems into more resilient and sustainable pathways. Full article

The brewing industry is a major part of the agri-food sector, but its fermentation processes contribute significantly to global CO₂ emissions, exacerbating the greenhouse gas crisis. Achieving net-zero emissions requires innovative solutions, and this study explored one such solution by using microalgae to capture CO₂ from a brewery while simultaneously generating valuable bioproducts. Two microalgae species, Tetradesmus obliquus and Limnospira maxima, were cultivated in a 1000 L raceway and a 400 L tubular photobioreactor, both powered by the brewery’s CO₂ waste gas. The specific growth rates reached 0.3 in the raceway and 0.4–0.5 in the photobioreactor for both species. Notably, L. maxima showed higher productivity, achieving up to 0.80 g L⁻¹ day⁻¹ in the photobioreactor and 0.5 g L⁻¹ day⁻¹ in the raceway. Operating across 300 brewing days per year, a single module (1400 L) of this system could reduce a brewery’s CO₂ emissions by 29%. These low-maintenance systems are modular, allowing for easy scaling and operation. The harvested biomass was nutritionally valuable; L. maxima contained up to 55% protein and 3% phycocyanin, while T. obliquus was rich in carbohydrates (36%) and lipids (12%), levels suitable for feeds and fertilizers. A cost-benefit analysis suggests that coupling CO₂ removal with bioproduct generation supports a sustainable circular economy while offering financial returns. Full article

Rapidly changing external conditions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, which are pure crisis phenomena, not only determine the geopolitical and geoeconomic situation in the global markets but also cause structural changes in individual countries. Under these conditions, the level of food self-sufficiency becomes particularly important, as it is one of the factors determining the food security of any country. The aim of this research is to assess Ukraine’s food self-sufficiency compared to the European Union and Poland. The self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) index was used to assess food self-sufficiency. This is the ratio of the volume of production of the most important products of plant and animal origin to the volume of domestic consumption. Domestic consumption was defined as the volume of domestic production plus the volume of imports minus the volume of exports, and it also included changes in domestic stock levels. The surveyed time frame is 2019–2021. The analyzed data were taken from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, FAOSTAT, USDA, and Statistics Poland. A comparative analysis of self-sufficiency for the main agri-food sectors of Ukraine, the EU, and Poland showed significant differences. Taking into account the production potential and food self-sufficiency indicators of Ukraine, Ukraine’s possible accession to the EU can be expected to have a major impact on the EU’s supply and demand situation, as it may pose a threat to many EU agri-food sectors. Full article

The increasing food crisis in times of ecological threats has challenged conventional agriculture to transform into a more efficient and sustainable agri-food system. The global priority of these activities has become, among others, the responsible and effective use of already produced food. This study aimed to assess the impact of the natural resistance of cereal grains to consumption by storage pests. The study presented here analyzed the impact of selected chemical factors from the grain of six species of cereals (wheat, triticale, rye, barley, oat, corn) on the development of one of the most dangerous storage pests—the lesser grain borer Rhyzopertha dominica F. The increased development of this beetle on the tested grain was determined based on the number of progeny, the mass of dust produced, and the loss of grain mass. Moreover, the correlations between the above-mentioned development parameters of the pest and the content in the grain of dry matter, crude ash, total protein, crude fat, starch, and water-soluble carbohydrates (WSCs) were examined. The results showed that the tested pest developed most intensively on barley and triticale grains and was least abundant on oat and corn grains. Chemical analysis of the selected grain showed that the low number of the R. dominica progeny population was correlated with a higher crude fat content and a lower total protein content in the cereal grain, and therefore, these chemical properties could affect the development of the pest. Knowledge of these relationships can be used in cereal breeding programs and when recommending cereals for more extended storage. This directly translates into improved local and global nutritional and food security. Moreover, it may also contribute to the reduction of pesticide use at the storage stage, which is one of the basic requirements for agricultural production in a sustainable agriculture system. Full article

The resilience of economic and social systems to shocks is one of the fundamental goals of sustainable development. One such event that seriously disrupted the global economy was the COVID-19 pandemic. It posed a direct threat to people’s health and lives and also caused an economic crisis. One of the effects of the crisis was the loss of stability in agricultural production with the resulting threat to food security. The foreign trade channel played a vital role in the mechanism of pandemic transmission to the agricultural sector in the world and Poland. This article aims to assess the significance of changes in international trade in agri-food commodities conducted by Polish entities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research period covers the years 2017–2021, focusing on the years 2020–2021, the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such a research period allows comparative analyses during the pandemic and pre-pandemic periods. The following research methods are used in this study: a critical analysis of the literature, the descriptive approach, the comparative method, and verbal logic and descriptive statistical methods. The data used in this article come from the Central Statistical Office (CSO) and cover Poland’s foreign trade turnover according to the International Standard Trade Classification (SITC) used by the United Nations Statistics Department. The COVID-19 pandemic period did not cause a drastic collapse in Polish foreign trade. Short-lived blockages in the flow of goods, which appeared in Q2 2020, resulted in a 14% drop in the value of Polish exports. Already in Q3 2020, foreign trade turnover returned to pre-pandemic levels. In Q2 2020, the value of the exports of agri-food goods decreased by only 3%. For other commodity groups, the export values were 7–40% lower. Agri-food trade proved more resilient to pandemic shocks than trade in non-agricultural sectors. The foreign trade crisis affected the imports of goods more than exports. Full article

Nowadays, food systems are undergoing major transformations to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there are a lack of comprehensive reviews on this topic in developing countries. This work highlights food systems’ transition towards sustainability, focusing on Morocco. It was carried out through searching, selecting, evaluating, and synthesizing existing relevant scholarly and gray literature. In Morocco, a meaningful transition towards sustainability is being guided and carried out on several levels, despite numerous challenges, e.g., inability to cope with the detrimental effects of climate change and escalating water scarcity constitute fundamental problems. However, there are conflicting views on the outcomes of food system transformation. Some studies showed that Morocco has increased its agri-food export and reduced poverty to less than 5% of the population over the past decade; the proportion of wasted and malnourished children has declined from 25 to 15% and 4 to 3%, respectively, and the 2023 Global Hunger Index (GHI) showed a score of 9.0. Other studies showed that North Africa has entered a food security crisis; specifically, food inflation has reached unprecedented levels in Morocco. This paper provides valuable insights for policymakers and planners to design evidence-based policies and strategies to boost sustainable development in Morocco. Full article

The prosperity of Po River Valley’s quality agri-food system depends on the efficiency of its field crops, which are recently facing a crisis evidenced by cultivated areas decreasing and yields stagnating. Several factors, including EU policies and climate variability, impose an improvement in the use of production factors and adapted business models: literature shows how digitalization and Agriculture 4.0 can contribute to addressing these challenges. This paper aims to explore drivers and barriers in the adoption of digitalization among Po River Valley field crop farms, in a dynamic view. Using a case study approach to guarantee adequate consideration of context and conditions, three farms were studied. As one of the main outcomes, several drivers (digital skills, data management practices, and interoperability) that should be at the heart of policies were identified as demands to farmers in exchange for financial contributions, or as “innovation space” offered by EU institutions. Policies should not only focus on supporting mechanical/digital equipment acquisition but also on promoting the evolution of farmers’ human capital. The framework developed paves the way for future research on the degree of farm digitalization in the same/similar territorial contexts: identified drivers of digital transition can be used as a basis for survey questionnaires, as well as tested in their validity. Full article

The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted economies and societies and the sustainability characteristics of agri-food due to a significant decline in turnover, difficulties in transportation, and changes in market and contact habits. An analysis was carried out using the PRISMA protocol and the Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct electronic databases. The aim of this research is to present the main research issues in agri-food sustainability (economic, environmental, and social issues) in the pre-COVID-19 period, to compare it with the research trends in the COVID-19 period, and to explore the influence of the epidemic. This research looks for research gaps and possible future research directions. Research before COVID-19 was primarily concerned with environmental and economic sustainability. The main focus areas were business development and environmental issues. During COVID-19, the focus shifted to economic sustainability. Survival was the primary issue. The main research areas were financial, inventory, waste management, and innovation issues. Food safety and digitalisation were highlighted. Precision agriculture, short food supply chains, and collaboration increased efficiency. The role of trust has increased. The COVID-19 experience is valuable for almost all disciplines. Policy, health, and economic decision-makers can apply better solutions to future crises. Full article

The aim of this study was to examine the factors affecting farmers’ willingness to invest in photovoltaics as well as the factors affecting the amount of money they would invest. The study was performed on a representative farmer sample in Northern Greece through the use of structured questionnaires. Two models were developed using categorical regression, with the first model indicating that the willingness to invest was mostly affected by the provision of subsidies and the type of cultivation used for the land in question. The amount of money farmers would invest was mostly affected by the number of hectares of irrigated and dry land that famers had, thereby suggesting that the more farmland they own the more the money they would invest. Results raise policy implications as they show an increased interest in installing renewable systems on farmland which, in turn, raises concerns about the agricultural development of the country. Full article

In recent years, the world has witnessed one of the most severe raw material crises ever recorded, with serious repercussions for maintaining its agri-food supply chain. This crisis risks dramatically impacting the poorest areas of the planet and poses profound reflections on global food security. In this complex geopolitical context, the recovery and recycling of renewable resources have become an obligatory path and, today, more than ever, essential in the fertiliser industry. To achieve these objectives, TIMAC AGRO Italia S.p.A. has undertaken a research activity to review the formulation of fertilisers by diversifying the raw materials used and introducing recycled raw materials. This article carried out a life cycle assessment (LCA) on four fertilisers to identify and quantify whether the changes influenced the environmental impacts, highlighting how applying the circular economy within industrial processes can reduce the pressure on natural resources. The results demonstrate that the global warming potential (GWP) impacts of the different reformulated fertilisers show a considerable variation of 4.4–9.2% due to the various raw materials used, the nitrogen content, and related emissions deriving from environmental dispersion. This study shows the importance of the LCA methodology to analyse and quantify the impact categories generated on the life cycle of fertiliser production and to identify the optimal by-products and end-of-waste for the fertiliser industry to find a synergy between environmental and agronomic performance. It also highlights the relevance of the transition to circular production and consumption systems to reduce environmental pressures and their effects on communities and ecosystems without compromising yields. Finally, the positive results encourage accelerating the circular transition and finding alternatives to virgin-mined raw materials. Full article

More efficient livestock production systems are necessary, considering that only 41% of global meat demand will be met by 2050. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has clearly illustrated the necessity of building sustainable and stable agri-food systems. Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) offers the continuous capacity of agriculture to contribute to overall human and animal welfare by providing sufficient goods and services through the application of technical innovations like digitalization. However, adopting new technologies is a challenging issue for farmers, extension services, agri-business and policymakers. We present a review of operational concepts and technological solutions in the pig and poultry sectors, as reflected in 41 and 16 European projects from the last decade, respectively. The European trend of increasing broiler-meat production, which is soon to outpace pork, stresses the need for more outstanding research efforts in the poultry industry. We further present a review of farmers’ attitudes and obstacles to the acceptance of technological solutions in the pig and poultry sectors using examples and lessons learned from recent European projects. Despite the low resonance at the research level, the investigation of farmers’ attitudes and concerns regarding the acceptance of technological solutions in the livestock sector should be incorporated into any technological development. Full article

In the last two decades, Portugal suffered the effects of two global crises, the financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the Common Agriculture Policy reforms. These crises had a great impact on the Portuguese economy, but it is completely unclear how they affected the dynamics of the Portuguese agrifood sector. This study’s objective is to analyze the resilience of this sector to European and global socks, testing the effects on international trade. Secondary data from the Portuguese Statistics Institute were used for the exports and imports trade series of animal and vegetable products and food industries from 2000 to 2020. The methodology was based on the structural xtbreak model, stability analysis, and tests for structural breaks. Some volatility was observed in the trade series, particularly in imports, without consistency among years, trade sectors, or imports versus exports trade. In the case of exports, one or two structural breaks in the different sectors occurred in different years. The most relevant dynamics occurred after the sovereign debt crisis. It was concluded that CAP reforms and global crises seem to not have caused new relevant dynamics in the Portuguese international agrifood trade. This revealed the resilience of the sector to external shocks. Full article

Nowadays, the agri-food sector is facing fundamental challenges. According to the FAO study, the amount of arable land per capita in the world will decrease from 0.6 hectares per person in 2000 to 0.2 hectares by 2050, while the demand for food will increase by 70%. With today’s yield growth of 1.5% per year, such changes could result in global food shortages. Therefore, the governments of developed and developing countries should support initiatives for the digitization of agri-food businesses and the introduction of new technologies to increase the volume of food production. Russia’s war against Ukraine is the main cause of the global food crisis, which could bring serious political and economic consequences. The agricultural and food sector of Ukraine is about 10% of GDP. For many years, the Ukrainian agro-industrial complex, before the full-scale invasion of Russia, occupied a leading position among the global exporters. Ukraine supplied 10% of world wheat exports, more than 14% of corn and more than 47% of sunflower oil. A full-scale war has become a real test for the Ukrainian agri-food industry. The invasion entailed the destruction of food production processes and logistics chains. Many sowing areas were mined, equipment and warehouses were destroyed. At the end of 2022, Ukraine exported agricultural products worth USD 23.6 billion. Although the figure for 2022 is 15% less than the record of 2021 (USD 27.9 billion), last year’s value of exports became the second since the independence of Ukraine. Disruptions to Ukrainian exports exacerbated the rise in food prices, which, according to the FAO index, increased by 54% in February 2022. In March 2023, prices fell, but they were still 6.4% higher than in 2022. The purpose of the study is to assess the level of digital transformation of the Ukrainian agri-food industry in order to ensure food security at the national and international levels. Digitalization of the agri-food industry in Ukraine should be considered a source of deep systemic transformations, which involves the use of digital technologies at the business level to optimize business operations, increase company productivity, and improve interaction with suppliers and customers. For agri-food companies, the issue of digitalization concerns not only technological modernization, but also a complete change of business processes: farm management systems, data processing and harvest forecasting, agricultural processing, food quality management, systems for creating added value for products, warehouse management systems, and human resources management. Nowadays, digitalization can accelerate the transformation of the agri-food industry across the entire supply chain, from manufacturing and purchasing processes to distribution, logistics and finance. Innovative technologies that can become breakthrough in the agri-food industry are as follows: bioinformatics; synthetic biology; food design; smart farming; vertical farms; aquaculture; bioinformatics; genetics; alternative sources of protein; technology of conservation and extension of the shelf life of food products. In Ukraine, a number of agri-food enterprises are moving to Industry 4.0. The most innovative companies in Ukraine are the largest exporters “Kernel”, “MHP”, “ASTARTA-KYIV”. “Kernel”, a large producer and exporter of sunflower oil, has been successfully implementing innovations for the agro-industrial complex of Ukraine for many years. The company uses digital technologies at all stages—from growing products to sales. The company’s IT team digitized logistics, trading, and document management. All information about the processes taking place in agri-food production is collected in the “Kernel DigitalAgriBusiness” innovative ecosystem. “MHP”, the largest producer and exporter of chicken in Ukraine, continues to use biogas to produce electricity, industrial steam, and heating. “MHP” biogas projects are a significant contribution to the company’s energy independence and environmental responsibility. “ASTARTA-KYIV”, a vertically integrated agricultural holding, developed a complex system of IT solutions for agribusiness management “AgriChain”, which includes management of the land bank of the agricultural company (AgriChain Land), agricultural production (AgriChain Farm), monitoring of crops (AgriChain Scout), logistics of goods (AgriChain Logistics), warehouse management (AgriChain Barn), business processes (AgriChain Kit). Digital transformations are also being followed in the dairy industry. “Bel Shostka Ukraine” company is engaged in the digital transformation of the milk harvesting process. According to our research, breakthrough innovations are predominantly implemented by large Ukrainian agri-food companies, since they have significant financial resources for R&D, while SMEs are concentrating their efforts on the digitalization of business operations and implementation of energy efficient technologies. Full article