ABSTRACT
Environmental, social and economic perspectives, derived from the sustainability approach and present within by the resilience concept, are integral parts of food systems. At the same time they are clearly articulated within the EU farm-to-fork (F2F) strategy referring to building up resilience to possible future crises as diseases and pandemics. The aim of this paper is to investigate resilience in the food sector referring to its selected environmental, social and economic dimensions, which in fact rely on each other and cannot be separated, simply because of the character of food system itself (work with living organisms, soil, within natural environment, etc. done by people for business purposes). The issue of resilience in the food sector must be considered multidimensionally. In this approach, the basic direction of activities should be the one focused on the resilience approach, both in environmental protection and society. For a harmonious combination of these activities, it is also necessary to look at economic perspective of food system and entire rural livelihoods (e.g. income and employment diversification). Considering the last shocks discussed (COVID-19, war in Ukraine, drought, embargo on grain exports from Russia, rising inflation), a difficult situation on the food market can be expected in the nearest future, which makes the concept of resilience in the food sector even more relevant than it has been so far.
ABSTRACT
In this paper, we construct a hybrid model, consisted of a Bayesian Vector Autoregressive structure with Bayesian stochastic volatility (SVAR-SV), as well as, Fourier Series (FS). We test the model's performance in terms of forecasting ability, comparing it with simple Bayesian stochastic volatility (SV), and also with a classical econometric autoregressive model. By estimating the average prices of the major Food futures in the stock market, and the average prices of the biggest Marine companies' stocks, we test the effect of Covid-19 on these stocks, through the proposed hybrid model, and the impulse-response functions between the aforementioned. Through this approach, we test whether the Covid-19 pandemic hindered the performance of marine companies and affected the food prices, with those two affecting one another. Based on the findings, a shock is apparent from the Food futures to the Marine companies' stocks, and the hybrid model proposed is the best, in terms of forecasting ability.
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Agriculture sector in the Republic of Moldova is the main and strategic brunch for the national economy. During the 2020-2022 years, we studied the factors influencing the development of enterprises in the horticulture sector in the Republic of Moldova. The research was carried out within the project: "Impact of macromedia and geographical factors on bankruptcy and business performance of economic entities in the agri-food sector in the Republic of Moldova", project code 20.80009.0807.26, according to contract with NARD. The study was conducted by interviewing approx. 1000 companies from agri-food (vegetal, animal, postharvest, processing, HORECA sectors etc.), inclusive approx. 800 enterprises from Horticulture brunch. As a result of the study it was established: economic factors / risks obtained an average rating of 3,94 points on the scale of 5 pt.;technical and technological factors / risks obtained an average rating of 4.1 points on the scale of 5 pt.;ecological factors / risks obtained an average rating of 4,06 points on the scale of 5 pt.;legislative-legal factors / risks obtained an average rating of 4,05 points on the scale of 5 pt.;information factors / risks obtained an average rating of 4,02 points on the scale of 5 pt.;moral factors / risks obtained an average rating of 4.04 points on the scale of 5 pt., qualification of staff factor / risk obtained an average rating of 4.08 points on the scale of 5 pt. and other factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, etc.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 virus pandemic has led to huge changes in the business of many companies. Managers and owners of companies were most affected, so in one segment of this paper, certain psychological ways that are available to people when it comes to overcoming various crises. Considering that profitable business is a condition for the survival of companies, in this paper, a comparison of profitability in the production of organic and conventional food was performed. ROA and ROE were calculated on a sample of 150 food producers in our country for the period from 2016 to 2020. The results showed that ROA is higher in conventional food producers, while ROE is higher in organic food producers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the profitability of food producers is higher than in the period before its outbreak. Also, there is a tendency to increase profitability in both types of production.
ABSTRACT
The Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) generates impacts, disruptions and challenges for the sectors of the economy and society. It generates changes in several organizational processes and routines. Facing the contingencies imposed by the pandemic can lead to better results and reduce levels of uncertainty. The objective of this study is to analyze the disruptions arising from the pandemic generated by COVID-19 and the directions for overcoming/transitioning to organizational ascension/progress within the scope of agribusiness. A single case study was developed, with focal units linked directly and indirectly to Brazilian agribusiness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 representative associations/entities. The results of the research show that: contingencies arising from the Covid-19 pandemic affected the organizations both directly and indirectly, in a non-uniform manner, generating significant impacts and disruptions and, in counterpoint, positive actions that perpetuated in the post-pandemic due to lessons learned. As practical contributions, it offers managers insights and evidence that provides a readjustment in order to maintain performance and enable the maintenance of their economic activities even if reduced, as well as to political decision makers in a synchronized manner and without politicization. The study generated theoretical contributions to the Contingency Theory and organizational structure, as well as to the literature on Covid-19. A basis was created for future studies aimed at formulating policies that promote practical actions of a practical nature to minimize the negative externalities oriented by the pandemic, in addition to referrals to overcome them.
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This review is devoted to the analysis of the agricultural trade policy of the Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia countries. The purpose of the review is to monitor the latest developments in the trade policies of these countries that have an impact on the dynamics and structure of trade. The overview chapter summarizes the main agricultural trade trends in the twelve countries of the region from 2019-2020. The publication also includes a thematic chapter analysing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agrifood trade and trade policy in these countries.
ABSTRACT
Food security (FS) is one of the most elusive and sought-after objectives worldwide. Securing a country's self-sufficiency - in the current COVID-19 pandemic era, more than ever - has become a prioritized mission. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, FS is adversely affected by, among others, the scarcity of freshwater, harsh environment, regional conflicts, and rising temperatures. Following the eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, exporters placed export restrictions on key food crops, affecting FS in import dependent regions, such as the MENA countries and, more specifically, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This paper presented a conceptual framework on the key enablers for the UAE agri-food supply chains to obtain the necessary resiliency to achieve FS, through improving policy-making capacity. The proposed approach started with the assessment of the main vulnerabilities of the food system in a global context;from there, the factors that influence vulnerability were investigated, identifying the main global drivers that affect the local food systems, focusing on the UAE. The proposed framework was applied for the design and implementation of an early warning system concerning FS-related incidents.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has become the cause of one of the greatest crises in the modern history of the global economy, including the agri-food sector. Business suspension and administrative restrictions on movement worsened business conditions and affected both the demand and supply of food products. On the other hand, state aid improved the financial liquidity of enterprises and limited the risk of their bankruptcy. In order to assess the impact of this situation, using the Altman Z-score index, changes in the level of bankruptcy risk in the 1000 largest enterprises in the agri-food sector in Poland in 2018-2020 were examined. The results indicated that during the period of the impact of the pandemic in 2020, the changes in bankruptcy risk were mild. Moreover, the directions of these changes varied depending on the section in which the enterprises operated. In 2020, out of the sixteen examined sections, the Z-score increased in nine and decreased in seven. The risk of bankruptcy decreased the most in the following sections: production of bread and bakery products and production of animal feed. It grew the most in the following sections: processing, preserving fruit and vegetables and refining fats and oils.
ABSTRACT
Due to their characteristics, short food supply chains have an increasingly important role to play in local supply networks as a viable and sustainable alternative to conventional agri-food sector supply chains. They are considered innovative while providing many economic, social, environmental, health, and cultural benefits to small producers and, consequently, local communities. Basing on the specific scientific literature, these benefits are briefly presented in this paper. The contribution of short food supply chains to the improvement of food systems has become relevant in the context of sanitary crisis generated by COVID-19. More precisely, even if the global chains managed to overcome this unforeseen shock, the vulnerabilities appeared and were evident. Accordingly, in our opinion, the development philosophy of local agri-economy needs to change: the conventional agriculture has to coexist nearby the alternative agriculture, while not provoking damages each other. The chains interconnecting final producers and consumers have to be integrated into a socio-economic ecosystem with durable and sustainable basis, while the agri-food market needs to adapt to these new requirements.
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The Covid19 pandemic that started in early 2020 has affected the whole world and affected the way we live, work, travel etc. Like this, there have also been big influences on the whole agri-food value network and hence on agri-food clusters in the Danube Region. A major objective of the DS3C project is to foster transnational cluster cooperation in agri-food and providing policy recommendations in that regard, which must reflect and consider all the developments initiated or promoted by the global pandemic. Hence, it was conducted a transnational analysis of Covid19 impacts on agri-food clusters.
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Four studies from the 29th Annual Conference of the Italian Association of Agri-Food Economics are presented. These studies analyse the Italian agri-food system from four different angles: the circular economy, retailer supply of sustainable food, food consumer preferences, and transaction costs. They are complementary in dealing with sustainability and the COVID-19 impact on the agri-food supply chain, and offer interesting new perspectives on these topics.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the world economy since 2020. This study analyzed the impact of the pandemic on innovative agri-food companies from different branches of agro-industrial activity located in Extremadura (Spain). The main aim of this study was to determine which activities have been most affected. Differences between actions and changes made depending on the nature of the product, process, or services were also evaluated. The information was obtained from an online questionnaire in which the research questions were posed (what consequences, actions, or changes has the pandemic had on the development of firms' activities?). Data were analyzed descriptively, and a statistical study was conducted on the existence or absence of independence between effects and actions based on the branches of activity of agri-food industries. The main results showed that companies' financial (decrease in turnover and reduction/displacement of product demand) and operational functioning (difficulty in marketing activities and standstill/decline in the fiscal year) has mainly been affected. In response, innovative agro-industries have acted regarding their processes (increased ICT use and new marketing strategies) and procedures (implementation of stricter hygienic-sanitary protocols and reorganization of activities and personnel) to deal with the negative effects on their activities. In general, all agro-industrial branches have incorporated changes in their products and services, mainly by providing new and better customer benefits, and improving product formats and forms of payment to suppliers. These findings provide information for the regional public administration in the development of initiatives that mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic and favor the implementation of actions that help the adaptation of agro-industrial activities. Agricultural policies should incorporate specialized measures to ensure the global sustainability of the food and agriculture system and the supply and production.
ABSTRACT
What the report is about: The Rice Industry Leadership Program 2017-2020 was extended due to COVID-19. This report outlines all the programs that have been completed. Who is the report targeted at?: The AgriFutures Rice Advisory Panel. Where are the relevant industries located in Australia?: The rice-growing regions of southern NSW. Background: For the past decade, the rice industry has been evolving and growing to understand the importance of strong leadership. It does this through becoming an industry that truly believes in its people and their ability to innovate, grow and adjust to changes brought about by water reform, pressure from other crops and permanent horticulture, climate variability and market pressures. Our leaders are not only seen as leaders in the rice industry, but also as leaders within their communities, of which the rice industry is very proud. It hopes these leaders continue to influence not only industry but also regional communities. Recognising the opportunity to continue the great work in leadership, the Ricegrowers' Association (RGA) applied for and received $367,960 in funding from the Australian Government's $5 million Leadership in Agricultural Industries Fund. In addition to federal funding, the RGA was also supported by key organisations in the rice industry: AgriFutures Australia, SunRice, the Rice Marketing Board of the State of NSW, and Rice Extension. This $662,760 funding enabled the Rice Industry Leadership Program 2017-2020 to be established. Aim/objectives: The RGA believes that developing leaders is an investment in the future of our industry. The objective of the Rice Industry Leadership Program 2017-2020 was to provide an opportunity for potential leaders of our industry to undertake training to develop their leadership skills. The development of strong and effective industry leaders helps the rice industry to structurally adjust to the many drivers of change influencing the industry, and to continue its economic, environmental and innovation success. Through strong leadership, the industry is better positioned to embrace the opportunities and challenges facing the industry. Methods used: Methods used through the Rice Leadership Program consisted of residential training workshops, short face-to-face workshops, online learning opportunities, and social networking events. Results/findings: Over the duration of the program, 163 people completed leadership programs. The key findings for this project illustrated a need for professional development opportunities across the rice industry, the broad agricultural sector and, in particular, our regional communities. Because people working in agriculture often find it to be isolating, the social interaction and networking in this program was a key to its success. A limited number of people in the industry are willing to take on leadership roles outside their own business. This finding will affect industry stakeholders because there is a risk of not having the right people to lead the businesses and industry in the future. Implications for relevant stakeholders: Through this program's strong commitment to investing in future leaders, we were able to improve the industry's ability to pursue initiatives in the public interest, and to deliver direct and indirect benefits for community. Throughout the leadership program, a common value that has been reinforced is the important role the rice industry plays economically, socially and environmentally for local businesses, communities, and the broader agricultural and irrigation industries. The Rice Industry Leadership Program has made progress towards addressing the leadership needs of those respective organisations and communities. Recommendations: We strongly believe the Rice Industry Leadership Program has helped to ensure the future success of the rice industry by delivering high-quality leadership development opportunities for growers and industry associates. The RGA has built a strong brand over the past 10 years for delivering leadership programs. We recommend that the RGA continue t
ABSTRACT
Agroindustry is traditionally an unavoidable category in the analysis of any economy. The objectives of the research are to present a summary of the profit and financial positions of agro industrial companies in the period of COVID-19, and to analyze financial vitality in the context of liquidity of manufacture of food products and beverages, in the year 2020 and 2019, as well as its' average five-year parameters. The findings show that the liquidity indicators are below the desirable norms and overall liquidity assessment is unfavorable. Further analysis by subsectors has revealed differences in profit positions by subsectors, due to different effects of the crisis, so the findings can serve as an incentive to review decisions of all stakeholders, including economic creators' policy.
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During the COVID-19, the agro-industrial sector continues to prove a significant role in the contribution of Vietnamese economic power. It is essential to be aware of the performance-competition relationship which helps agro-process enterprises improve their business and respond quickly to market changes. We implemented an input-output-performance analysis by employing a qualitative case-study approach at four large manufacturing exporters by adapting the iceberg model and 'philosophy' of technovation performance. As a result, we found that the input-output process of technovation occurs mutually from the export competitive advantages in both direct and indirect ways. Moreover, by assigning four cases to one of four concordant positions, the matrix of technovation performance-competitiveness as an analytical tool was established, helping managers allocate resources and capital to select and build their own business strategy. The implications for theory and managerial practices are explained and presented.
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The aim of this paper is to contribute knowledge about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on behavior and changes in the food market and to assess the level of resilience of the agri-food sector to the coronavirus pandemic, analyzing its impact on commodity prices and focusing on supply chain and values. The paper presents an overview of literature data related to the topic of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the food market, ie the food chain. Analyzing FAO Food Price Index (ICH) from 2015 to 2020, the average ICH is growing slightly on average in 2020 (5.3%) compared to 2015. Looking at individual commodity groups, more or less oscillations were observed in all of them, and the increase in the price index refers to dairy products, vegetable oils and cereals, while a decrease was observed in meat and sugar. If we analyze more closely the movement of ICH and commodity groups in the period from March 2020 to March 2021, we can see an increase in the ICH average and all individual commodity groups. The increase is most significant in vegetable oils and sugars. The trade of purchased and sold agricultural products in Croatia from 2018 to 2020 slightly increased in 2020 compared to the previous (non-pandemic) year. Unlike other sectors, the food sector, as part of the national critical infrastructure, remained operational throughout the supply chain during the pandemic. As this crisis is unlikely to remain a one-off, further research efforts should focus on considering its long-term impacts, such as negative impacts on job security, supply chains and globalization.
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The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the operations of many farm and food businesses across Louisiana. Producers had to adapt to changes or closures of market outlets, including farmers markets, farm-to-school programs, and restaurants. Using data collected from an online survey, this research examines pre- and post-pandemic marketing channels and challenges faced by food producers.
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Covid-19 had a negative effect economically and socially in Tunisia, as illustrated by the highest mortality rate recorded in Africa in March 2020 and the economic growth rate estimated at -9.3% by the Central Bank of Tunisia in 2020. The main cause of this situation is the quarantine and the sudden halt of several activities resulting in the drop in domestic demand and the loss of Tunisia's main trading partners. The agricultural sector, and particularly small and family farms, forced to align with the quarantine measures since March 2020, have suffered the full impact of Covid-19. Indeed, the pandemic crisis put a strain on food supply chains: a complex network of interactions involving farmers, agricultural inputs, processing plants, retailers, and others. This study proposes to analyze the impact of the sanitary crisis, and of the national lockdown measures imposed since March 22, 2020, on small farms in the most vulnerable rural areas of Tunisia and on the functioning of small local chains. A survey based on the approach of the Participatory Systemic Rapid Diagnosis (PSRD) was conducted during the month of June 2020 just after 2 months of containment, with a sample of 240 farmers operating in local channels and distributed from north to south of Tunisia on 6 governorates the poorest and most vulnerable, according to the economic development indicator and poverty line. The results of this survey have shown that the health crisis has resulted in major disruptions to agricultural activities mainly at the level of supply chains of raw materials (treatment products, fertilizers, seeds, animal feed, ... etc.), and marketing channels due to the closure of weekly markets (leafy vegetables, small livestock, ... etc.). This dysfunction of the production system and local agricultural sectors has not only had an impact on farmers' incomes, which have dropped significantly compared to a normal year, but has also disrupted the functioning of the entire food system at the local level. Consequently, the need for a new model of production, processing, and marketing of food products is necessary.
ABSTRACT
The year 2020 marked one of the biggest recessions in global economic activity and world trade. During this period, the EU economy contracted by 6% and its international trade followed a similar downward trend - EU exports of goods decreased by 9% and imports by 12%, compared to 2019. By contrast, EU international trade in agri-food reported a slight growth. Over the course of 2020, the value of EU agri-food exports increased to 184.3 billion (a growth of 1.4% compared to 2019), while the value of imports rose to 122.2 billion (a growth of 0.5%). As a result, the EU further reinforced its leading position among the world's biggest exporters. On the import side, the EU has become the third largest importer after the US and China. The contraction in global trade was accompanied by increasing prices of food, including commodities as evidenced by the increases reflected in the FAO Global Price Index. The EU exports a wide range of products from all parts of the value chain which demonstrates the competitiveness of the EU agri-food sector in a variety of product classes ranging from commodities to highly processed food industry products. EU imports, on the other hand, are clearly dominated by basic agricultural food and feed products, which represent about 75% of all imports. Looking at product categories, exports of pig meat and wheat strongly contributed to the increase in EU overall agri-food exports. Conversely, spirits and liqueurs as well as wine are among the sectors that experienced a difficult period for a number of reasons (e.g. the COVID pandemic, US retaliatory tariffs). The growth in EU agri-food imports was mainly driven by increases in import values for oilseeds, other than soya beans;fatty acids and waxes, palm oil, fruit including tropical fruit, and soya beans. China, Switzerland and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region were the major growth destinations for EU agri-food exports in 2020. The value of EU exports fell most to the United States, Turkey, Singapore and Japan. In terms of imports, Canada grew significantly as a source for the EU imports. By contrast, EU imports declined most in value from the United Kingdom, Ukraine and the United States. In 2020, the UK has become the EU's most important partner in agri-food trade, with a share of 23% in total EU agri-food exports and 13% in total imports. With EU exports and imports both decreasing, its trade surplus with the US increased by 2% when compared to 2019, as falls on the imports side were stronger. China became the top destination for US agri-food exports. EU agri-food exports to China were primarily driven by continued record high sales of pig meat which increased by 74%. Pig meat and meat offal - the latter mainly comprised of products originating from pigs - accounted for over 40% of EU exports to China in 2020, demonstrating the importance of this market for the pig meat sector. Brazil's exports to China continued to increase in 2020, absorbing 35% of its total agri-food exports. Combined agri-food exports from Brazil to the EU and the US now account for half of Brazilian exports to China. In 2020, Brazil supplied 50% of extra-EU demand for soya beans and 40% for oilcakes. Wheat continued to be the leading EU export product to Africa with a 23% share of the EU's total export basket, whereas cocoa beans dominate in the EU imports from Africa, with the same share of 23%. Most African countries benefit from duty-free, quota-free access to the EU market under the "Everything But Arms" scheme and for many of them Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) or other trade agreements with the EU are applied, encouraging regional cooperation and trade. In 2020, the EU applied 45 free trade agreements (FTAs) with 77 partners. The share of agri-food trade under preferential agreements is also expanding and in 2021, it accounted for 31% and 41% of total EU agri-food exports and imports, respectively. The value of EU agri-food trade under preferential agreements expanded more in relative terms compared to total EU agri-food trade. EU agri-food ex
ABSTRACT
This policy brief draws from a study of agri-food system responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana. We examined how the pre-COVID-19 stresses in the agri-food system have interacted with the fallouts of the pandemic to reshape relationships among the key state and non-state actors and interest groups, and the implications for the agri-food system as a whole.