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Open AccessArticle

A Qualitative Investigation of European Grain Legume Supply Markets through the Lens of Agroecology in Four Companies

by

Rikke Lybæk

and

Henrik Hauggaard-Nielsen

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 6103; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15076103 - 31 Mar 2023

Viewed by 469

Abstract

Four companies in Europe were chosen as case studies using an information-oriented selection procedure on the basis of their location, processing equipment and size, and through the adoption of a “maximum variation” approach. The purpose was to investigate how legume processors of various [...] Read more.

Four companies in Europe were chosen as case studies using an information-oriented selection procedure on the basis of their location, processing equipment and size, and through the adoption of a “maximum variation” approach. The purpose was to investigate how legume processors of various sizes and in different locations in the European protein legume market are working to increase their market share within the paradigm of efficiency gains from agricultural specialisation and trade in order to improve both food availability and security. After identifying company typologies and characteristics, the company case studies along the legume value chain were investigated. The analysis revealed that the supply market for grain legumes is expected to grow rapidly, and the various processors are increasing their market shares in terms of product type and geography. Based on the principles of agroecology and levels of food system change, the companies were found to be adopting promising business strategies, but are not disrupting the competitive patterns among existing European legume supply companies and food consumers that dominate the current regime. System change is far from taking place. However, conventional perspectives are being challenged and new ways of operating are being developed, indicating that a significant transition can be initiated that would move legumes away from being a niche sector, demonstrating to legume processors and consumers in the regime that there is an alternative and more sustainable pathway for the future, possibly stimulating larger-scale initiatives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Food System Transition)

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Open AccessArticle

How Does Context Contribute to and Constrain the Emergence of Responsible Innovation in Food Systems? Results from a Multiple Case Study

by

Renata Pozelli Sabio

and

Pascale Lehoux

Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 7776; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137776 - 25 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1830

Abstract

Organizations and practices that contribute to the resolution of major societal challenges are key to achieving a transition towards sustainable and resilient food systems. Previous research identified contextual elements that affect the emergence of organizations and practices with responsibility characteristics, but how this [...] Read more.

Organizations and practices that contribute to the resolution of major societal challenges are key to achieving a transition towards sustainable and resilient food systems. Previous research identified contextual elements that affect the emergence of organizations and practices with responsibility characteristics, but how this process unfolds remains poorly articulated. Our study thus focuses on how contextual dimensions may contribute to or constrain the emergence of responsibility in food systems. We applied a multiple case study design and conducted 34 semi-structured interviews with 30 organizations in the province of Québec (Canada) and in the state of São Paulo (Brazil). Our across-case analyses clarify how multiple contextual dimensions both contribute to and constrain the emergence of responsibility. More specifically, our findings show that while contextual dimensions shaped by the dominant food system constrain the emergence of responsibility, the same dimensions also contribute to it when they embed responsibility principles. One key contribution of our study is to show that interpersonal relations are an important mediation mechanism that helps to modify contextual elements, so they can contribute to the emergence of responsibility. This study’s findings can inform research and policy aiming to design institutional environments that promote a transition towards more responsible food systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Food System Transition)

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Open AccessArticle

Food Waste Diversion from Landfills: A Cost–Benefit Analysis of Existing Technological Solutions Based on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

by

,

,

and

Sustainability 2022, 14(11), 6753; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116753 - 31 May 2022

Viewed by 1557

Abstract

Landfill disposals of food result in fugitive emissions of methane—a powerful greenhouse gas (GHG). This desktop study focuses on the cost and GHG emissions associated with food waste diversion from landfills using aerobic digesters with liquid outputs (ADLO). Despite the emerging popularity of [...] Read more.

Landfill disposals of food result in fugitive emissions of methane—a powerful greenhouse gas (GHG). This desktop study focuses on the cost and GHG emissions associated with food waste diversion from landfills using aerobic digesters with liquid outputs (ADLO). Despite the emerging popularity of ADLO units for food waste disposal, their cost and the GHG emissions associated with their use have not been independently quantified and compared to those of other food waste management options. This study compared landfill disposals, the currently available composting services, electric food dehydrators, and in-sink waste disposal units (garbage grinders). For a food waste production rate of 30 kg d⁻¹, the landfill base case showed the lowest cost at USD 23 week⁻¹. The modeled ADLO cost ranged from USD 20–42 week⁻¹, depending on performance. Dehydrator costs were high at USD 29 week⁻¹, largely due to the high energy intensity of the process. The cost of the current centralized composting was USD 51 week⁻¹. The ADLO option with good performance was estimated to produce 5% of the GHG emissions of a landfill. This study showed that well-performing ADLO technology can be economically competitive with landfills and centralized composting and can markedly reduce GHG emissions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Food System Transition)

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Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Potential for Food Self-Sufficiency Improvements through Indoor and Vertical Farming in the Gulf Cooperation Council: Challenges and Opportunities from the Case of Kuwait

by

Meshal J. Abdullah

,

Zhengyang Zhang

and

Kazuyo Matsubae

Sustainability 2021, 13(22), 12553; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212553 - 13 Nov 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4305

Abstract

The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are considered food secure due to their ability to import sufficient food to meet their populations’ demand, despite considerable environmental limitations to conventional agriculture. However, over-reliance on externally produced food leaves these countries vulnerable to [...] Read more.

The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are considered food secure due to their ability to import sufficient food to meet their populations’ demand, despite considerable environmental limitations to conventional agriculture. However, over-reliance on externally produced food leaves these countries vulnerable to food shortages during crises that disrupt international production and shipping. Advanced Controlled Environment Agriculture technology has the potential to improve food self-sufficiency by multiplying vegetable crop yields while optimizing efficiency of agricultural inputs and minimizing land requirements. This paper demonstrates how approximately 15 km² of indoor farms or less than 0.1 km² of vertical farms could reduce or eliminate the need to import six important vegetable crops in the State of Kuwait. If properly contextualized and supported by clear legislation and well-managed regulatory bodies, indoor agriculture initiatives may provide a pathway for GCC countries to reduce their dependence on imported foods and increase resilience to food supply disruption during disasters or conflict. This case study contextualizes the need for improved food self-sufficiency in light of vulnerabilities from regional and global threats, illuminates unique challenges faced by GCC countries considering adoption of the proposed technologies, and summarizes opportunities inherent in the current legal and policy framework. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Food System Transition)

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Open AccessArticle

Food Sovereignty and Food Security: Livelihood Strategies Pursued by Farmers during the Maize Monoculture Boom in Northern Thailand

by

Sayamol Charoenratana

,

Cholnapa Anukul

and

Peter M. Rosset

Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9821; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179821 - 01 Sep 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3864

Abstract

Northern Thailand is the center of a number of controversies surrounding changing cropping patterns, in particular related to deforestation driven by the expansion of maize monocropping by peasant farmers. Growing demand for maize by the global livestock industry has driven the conversion of [...] Read more.

Northern Thailand is the center of a number of controversies surrounding changing cropping patterns, in particular related to deforestation driven by the expansion of maize monocropping by peasant farmers. Growing demand for maize by the global livestock industry has driven the conversion of land from forest and/or shifting cultivation to chemical-intensive maize, with associated environmental (i.e., forest encroachment and annual burning of fields) and social (i.e., farmer indebtedness) problems. Over the years, some of the same farmers have been exposed to ‘alternative development’ programs and projects, initially motivated by pressure to substitute for illegal crops and more recently by concerns over deforestation and particulate matter air pollution from the burning of crop residues. This scenario is made more heterogeneous by a variety of land tenure situations and greater or lesser degrees of community control over land and forest. Faced with varied situations, peasant families can pursue different livelihood strategies, particularly in reference to the degree to which their production is market oriented. Based on surveys and interviews with farmers in Nan and Chiang Mai provinces, over a range of the aforementioned circumstances, we contrast families who pursue what we define as food security (cash cropping to earn money to buy food), food sovereignty (primarily production for self-provisioning) or mixed (a combination of both) strategies. In terms of indicators such as indebtedness, we find greater benefits from the food sovereignty and mixed strategies, though we also find that these are limited by security of land tenure issues, as well as by the degree to which community management of resources is or is not present. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Food System Transition)

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Open AccessArticle

Scaling up Action on Urban Sustainable Food Systems in the United Kingdom: Agenda Setting, Networking, and Influence

by

Mat Jones

and

Sarah Hills

Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2156; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042156 - 17 Feb 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1474

Abstract

There has been an increasing focus on the potential of city-based initiatives to address the negative impacts of the global food system. Adopting a meso-level policy perspective, this study aimed to explore whether, how, and why the UK non-government organisation led Sustainable Food [...] Read more.

There has been an increasing focus on the potential of city-based initiatives to address the negative impacts of the global food system. Adopting a meso-level policy perspective, this study aimed to explore whether, how, and why the UK non-government organisation led Sustainable Food Cities (SFC) programme has influenced this food agenda at the level of city governance. The research fills a gap in our understanding of the detailed processes through which trans-local food networks influence the capacity of local food partnerships to effect change, sustain themselves, and through a collective effort, to shape the attention of national and international decision-makers. Based on documentary evidence from 29 of the most active member cities and interviews with a purposive selection of stakeholders, the analysis suggests that SFC provided a point of origin for solutions and inspiration on a major and complex issue. However, the absence of a national sustainable food policy framework and little formal national-government recognition of local food governance together with the paucity of funding opportunities threatens the long-term viability of local food partnerships and ultimately places significant constraints on the ability of the programme to effect long-lasting, systemic change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Food System Transition)

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Open AccessArticle

Transition from Animal-Based to Plant-Based Food Production to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agriculture—The Case of Denmark

by

Adam A. Prag

and

Christian B. Henriksen

Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 8228; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12198228 - 06 Oct 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 8375 | Correction

Abstract

Curbing emissions from agriculture, and especially from livestock production, is essential in order to fulfil the Paris Agreement. Shifting to a diet lower in meat consumption has been emphasized in several studies. Based on the Planetary Health Diet developed by the EAT-Lancet Commission, [...] Read more.

Curbing emissions from agriculture, and especially from livestock production, is essential in order to fulfil the Paris Agreement. Shifting to a diet lower in meat consumption has been emphasized in several studies. Based on the Planetary Health Diet developed by the EAT-Lancet Commission, this study investigates the effect on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions of transitioning the Danish agricultural system, which currently relies mainly on meat and dairy production, towards increased focus on plant-based foods, combined with replacement or reduction of imported feed and carbon sequestration on previous agricultural land. The study finds a large potential for reducing emissions from Danish agriculture through implementation of the Planetary Health Diet, with reductions of up to 20.2 Mt CO₂e (CO₂ equivalents) (86.5%) under the most ambitious conditions. This demonstrates the potentially large benefits from transitioning towards a more plant-based European agricultural sector and underscores the need for European and national policies incentivizing this transition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Food System Transition)

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