Research Report: Innovation among Businesses Across the Agri-Food Supply Chain during COVID-19

Innovation contributes critically to business recovery following major crises. Traditionally, business innovation is characterized by a series of choices and actions over time. During COVID-19, however, businesses throughout the agri-food supply chain were forced to innovate rapidly due to sudden unforeseen policy changes. To understand innovation induced by COVID-19, we analyze 297 usable responses from a survey of agri-food supply chain businesses in two distinct study regions (California and the two-state region of Minnesota-Wisconsin). Results indicate that larger agri-food businesses managed by younger owner-operators were more likely to innovate and adapt during the COVID-19 crisis. © 2023, Food Distribution Research Society. All rights reserved.

Pandemic Produce: Impacts of COVID-19 on Florida's Fruit and Vegetable Industries

Florida has one of the most diverse agricultural economies in the United States, producing several dozen types of fruits and vegetables that are consumed within the state, across the country, and around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting policy responses occurred during the peak of spring harvest season for many crops in Florida, abruptly removing market demand from the food service industry and shifting consumer purchasing habits, which enabled insights into several aspects of the fruit and vegetable supply chain. This article examines how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted fruit and vegetable industries in Florida, how these industries responded to COVID-19 impacts, and how Florida's experience compared to that of other states. Data are derived from several sources including a statewide survey that measured agricultural production losses in Florida resulting from COVID-19 in early 2020, interviews with Florida operations that provided insights into how the pandemic induced change across the food supply chain, and a survey of food supply chain operations in three regions of the United States conducted in 2021. © 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.

Minors Can Have Major Effects: Household Hurricane Preparation Insights from Alabama

While debate about large-scale climate change policy continues, household protective responses to climate-related risk are an increasingly important, potentially less contentious, tool to mitigate some climate impacts. Household actions to prepare for disasters like hurricanes are likely important for personal protection in geographically and socially vulnerable regions with less political appetite for government intervention. To understand social vulnerability in household-level hurricane preparation in this context, residents (n = 915) from the United States Gulf Coast state of Alabama were surveyed about their extreme event experiences, attitudes, and behaviors following the record-breaking 2020 hurricane season. On average, two-thirds of respondents took at least one hurricane preparedness action. Lower levels of preparedness were found for women, and higher levels for households with children, as well as changes in event-related climate change concern, personal harm, and disruption from COVID-19. Race/ethnicity, educational attainment, nor income was related to preparedness. © 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Evolution of the peer specialist role during COVID-19: Challenges and opportunities for innovation beyond the COVID-19 era.

OBJECTIVE: To examine peer specialist role-related challenges and opportunities in adapting to a new model of service provision during and beyond the COVID-19 era. METHOD: This mixed-methods study analyzes data from a survey (n = 186) as well as in-depth interviews (n = 30) with certified peer specialists in Texas. RESULTS: Peers described facing several challenges related to COVID-19 service delivery (e.g., fewer options for providing peer support, issues with access to reliable technology) as well as challenges related to adapting to changes to the peer role (e.g., challenges supporting people in services' community resource needs, challenges building rapport with people in services virtually). However, results also indicate that a new model of service provision during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic presented peers with new opportunities to provide enhanced peer services, new career development opportunities, and new opportunities related to increased job flexibility. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Results suggest the importance of developing trainings on providing virtual peer support, increasing technological access for peers and individuals in services, and providing peers with flexible job options and resiliency-focused supervision. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The 1st year of the COVID-19 epidemic in Estonia: a population-based nationwide sequential/consecutive cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess the population prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and changes in the prevalence in the adult general population in Estonia during the 1st year of COVID-19 epidemic. STUDY DESIGN: This was a population-based nationwide sequential/consecutive cross-sectional study. METHODS: Using standardised methodology (population-based, random stratified sampling), 11 cross-sectional studies were conducted from April 2020 to February 2021. Data from nasopharyngeal testing and questionnaires were used to estimate the SARS-CoV-2 RNA prevalence and factors associated with test positivity. RESULTS: Between April 23, 2020, and February 2, 2021, results were available from 34,915 individuals and 27,870 samples from 11 consecutive studies. The percentage of people testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 decreased from 0.27% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.10%-0.59%) in April to 0.04% (95% CI = 0.00%-0.22%) by the end of May and remained very low (0.01%, 95% CI = 0.00%-0.17%) until the end of August, followed by an increase since November (0.37%, 95% CI = 0.18%-0.68%) that escalated to 2.69% (95% CI = 2.08%-2.69%) in January 2021. In addition to substantial change in time, an increasing number of household members (for one additional odds ratio [OR] = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.02-1.29), reporting current symptoms of COVID-19 (OR = 2.21, 95% CI = 1.59-3.09) and completing questionnaire in the Russian language (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.15-2.99) were associated with increased odds for SARS-CoV-2 RNA positivity. CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 population prevalence needs to be carefully monitored as vaccine programmes are rolled out to inform containment decisions.

The impact of covid-19 on perceptions of home and house design in saudi arabia

This research explored the changes that may have occurred in attitudes of people in Saudi Arabia toward their dwellings due to the mandatory quarantine from COVID-19. Two online surveys, one from before the lockdown and one after the lockdown, assessed residents' space requirements. A follow up in-person survey asked about specific aspects of their homes and how their impression of home had changed during the lockdown. It was found that based on their lockdown experiences, residents were moving away from traditional cultural activities such as hospitality and trending toward spaces that would function for family activities such as studying, work from home and entertainment. Further research should examine if these trends remain after former outside pursuits resume. © 2021 Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos. All rights reserved.