The role of consumer knowledge in reducing the demand for palm oil

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Lange ◽  
Lauranne Coremans
Keyword(s):  
Palm Oil ◽  
Information Access ◽  
Environmental Knowledge ◽  
Consumer Knowledge ◽  
Oil Consumption ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Limited Success ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Potential Determinant

SummaryAttempts to mitigate the environmental impact of oil-palm expansion by improving production standards have been of limited success. An alternative approach aims at a better understanding of the factors that drive consumers to reduce excessive vegetable oil consumption. Our studies focused on consumers’ environmental knowledge as a potential determinant of palm oil consumption. They revealed critical limitations in consumers’ palm oil-related knowledge across different domains, study settings and assessment approaches. The more our participants knew about palm oil and its environmental consequences, the stronger were their reported intentions to reduce their consumption. This relationship was significantly stronger for subjective versus objective palm oil-related knowledge. In addition, we examined whether consumers can be stimulated to consult information about palm oil by making information access the default option. While this simple situational nudge promoted information access, we did not find it to significantly increase actual engagement with the information material. This result suggests that it might be necessary to complement default nudges for information access with other measures to enhance palm oil-related knowledge and to reduce palm oil consumption to more sustainable levels.

scholarly journals PENGEMBANGAN BIODIESEL KELAPA SAWIT DI INDONESIA

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Faroby Falatehan ◽  
A. Dwi Siswanto
Keyword(s):  
Palm Oil ◽  
Production Capacity ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Oil Consumption ◽  
Tariff Policy ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
Production Capability ◽  
The World

Palm oil has become the flagship product in the plantation business in Indonesia. Currently, Indonesia has become the country with the largest palm oil production capacity in the world. With the production capability, the opportunities to diversify energy made from palm oil to be possible.This study analyzes using secondary data to determine the extent of the potential of palm oil as the main source of raw material for biodiesel in Indonesia. The results of the analysis states that the production capacity and expansion of palm oil a very massive, energy diversification is a relevant step and is feasible. The role of government through export levy tariff policy in determining the oil consumption in the interest of the domestic market.Key word : Palm oli, Biodiesel, CPO, flagship productABSTRAK Kelapa sawit telah menjadi produk unggulan dalam bisnis perkebunan di Indonesia. Saat ini Indonesia telah menjadi negara dengan kemampuan produksi kelapa sawit terbesar di dunia. Dengan kemampuan produksi tersebut maka peluang untuk melakukan diversifikasi energi berbahan baku kelapa sawit menjadi sangat mungkin. Analisis kajian ini dilakukan dengan menggunakan data sekunder untuk mengetahui sejauhmana potensi kelapa sawit sebagai sumber utama bahan baku biodiesel di Indonesia. Hasil analisis menyatakan bahwa dengan kemampuan produksi dan perluasan lahan kelapa sawit yang sangat massif, diversifikasi energi merupakan langkah yang relevan dan sangat mungkin dilakukan.Peran pemerintah melalui kebijakan tariff pungutan ekspor ikut menentukan konsumsi sawit bagi kepentingan pasar domestik.Kata kunci : Kelapa Sawit, Biodiesel, CPO, produk unggulan

scholarly journals The Role of Extension and Advisory Services in Strengthening Farmers’ Innovation Networks to Adapt to Climate Extremes

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1941
Author(s):  
Md Kamruzzaman ◽  
Katherine Anne Daniell ◽  
Ataharul Chowdhury ◽  
Steven Crimp
Keyword(s):  
Information Access ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Climate Extremes ◽  
Rice Cultivation ◽  
Innovation Networks ◽  
Flash Flooding ◽  
Research Organizations ◽  
Local Input ◽  
Local Weather

There is anecdotal evidence of the effectiveness of Extension and Advisory Service (EAS) agencies for strengthening innovation networks to adapt to extreme events that impact agricultural production and productivity. In Bangladesh, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) is responsible for ensuring sustainable rice farming, which is damaged by flash flooding every year. This study investigates how EAS can strengthen farmers’ innovation networks by examining DAE’s efforts to adapt rice cultivation to flash flooding. Using surveys and interviews from farmers affiliated with DAE (DAE-farmers) and farmers independent of DAE (non-DAE farmers), the effectiveness of innovation networks was examined. One of the key findings of this paper is that DAE’s efforts to strengthen the innovation networks of farmers to adapt rice cultivation to flash flooding focused on the facilitation of the agronomic network development. The organization missed the opportunity to enable the harvesting networks’ efficacy. As the harvesting activities are highly exposed to flash flooding, the absence of adequate support from the DAE and timely updates of local weather and flash flooding information indicates that farmers are still at significant risk. This study also shows the value of including both formal (e.g., EAS agencies, research organizations) and informal actors (e.g., relatives, local input dealers) in the innovation network as a way of ensuring diversity of information access.

scholarly journals Robust Universal Inference

Entropy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 773
Author(s):  
Amichai Painsky ◽  
Meir Feder
Keyword(s):  
Robust Estimation ◽  
Minimax Estimator ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Capacity Theory ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
True Model ◽  
Finite Set ◽  
Universal Prediction ◽  
Estimation Scheme

Learning and making inference from a finite set of samples are among the fundamental problems in science. In most popular applications, the paradigmatic approach is to seek a model that best explains the data. This approach has many desirable properties when the number of samples is large. However, in many practical setups, data acquisition is costly and only a limited number of samples is available. In this work, we study an alternative approach for this challenging setup. Our framework suggests that the role of the train-set is not to provide a single estimated model, which may be inaccurate due to the limited number of samples. Instead, we define a class of “reasonable” models. Then, the worst-case performance in the class is controlled by a minimax estimator with respect to it. Further, we introduce a robust estimation scheme that provides minimax guarantees, also for the case where the true model is not a member of the model class. Our results draw important connections to universal prediction, the redundancy-capacity theorem, and channel capacity theory. We demonstrate our suggested scheme in different setups, showing a significant improvement in worst-case performance over currently known alternatives.

scholarly journals Chemical and Biological Molecules Involved in Differentiation, Maturation, and Survival of Dopaminergic Neurons in Health and Parkinson’s Disease: Physiological Aspects and Clinical Implications

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 754
Author(s):  
Giulia Gaggi ◽  
Andrea Di Credico ◽  
Pascal Izzicupo ◽  
Giovanni Iannetti ◽  
Angela Di Baldassarre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Dopaminergic Neurons ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Biological Molecules ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Non Coding Rnas ◽  
Set Up

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disease characterized by a specific and progressive loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons and dopamine, causing motor dysfunctions and impaired movements. Unfortunately, available therapies can partially treat the motor symptoms, but they have no effect on non-motor features. In addition, the therapeutic effect reduces gradually, and the prolonged use of drugs leads to a significative increase in the number of adverse events. For these reasons, an alternative approach that allows the replacement or the improved survival of DA neurons is very appealing for the treatment of PD patients and recently the first human clinical trials for DA neurons replacement have been set up. Here, we review the role of chemical and biological molecules that are involved in the development, survival and differentiation of DA neurons. In particular, we review the chemical small molecules used to differentiate different type of stem cells into DA neurons with high efficiency; the role of microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs both in DA neurons development/survival as far as in the pathogenesis of PD; and, finally, we dissect the potential role of exosomes carrying biological molecules as treatment of PD.

scholarly journals “Incompleteness” and the Quest for Multiple Identities in South Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 81-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard C. Lategan
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Historical Memory ◽  
Multiple Identities ◽  
The Self ◽  
Important Goal ◽  
Alternative Approach

The article explores the contours of multiple identities in contrast to singular identities in situations of social complexity and cultural diversity. Nyamnjoh's concepts of “incompleteness” and “frontier Africans” imply an alternative approach to identity formation. Although the formation of one's own, singular identity is a necessary stage in the development of each individual, it has specific limitations. This is especially true in situations of complexity and diversity and where the achievement of social cohesion is an important goal. With reference to existing theories of identity formation, an alternative framework is proposed that is more appropriate for the dynamic, open-ended nature of identity and better suited to encourage the enrichment of identity. The role of imagination, a strategy for crossing borders (with reference to Clingman's concept of a “grammar of identity”), the search for commonality, and the effect of historical memory are discussed. Enriched and multiple identities are not achieved by replacement or exchange, but by widening (existing) singular identities into a more inclusive and diverse understanding of the self.

Corporate (Non-)Accountability and Human Rights

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 503-523
Author(s):  
Stéfanie Khoury
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Codes Of Conduct ◽  
Washington Consensus ◽  
Corporate Accountability ◽  
Criminal Courts ◽  
Race To The Bottom ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Binding Mechanisms

Abstract The role of business in violations of human rights has been at the heart of international debates for decades. As early as the 1970s attempts were made at the UN by Global South nations (known as the G-77) to establish internationally-binding mechanisms to address corporate violations of human rights. Ultimately, those attempts were watered down into “codes of conduct”. In the early 1990s, the “Washington Consensus” was used to steer states to deregulate and restructure their economies in a race-to-the-bottom that placed emphasis upon integrating the global economy over human rights and environmental protections. Although corporate violations existed before, it was only at this juncture that many human rights cases were brought into public view. Some litigation was pursued, but it was most often in tort, and sometimes in criminal courts. This article argues that the existing regional human rights courts have bolstered corporate human rights, while at the same time have remained on the sidelines of addressing corporate accountability. The emergent ASEAN human rights system has not yet developed a human rights court. The article suggests that there are key grassroots movements shaping human rights discourses around corporate accountability through the region and that these offer exciting prospects for an alternative approach to addressing corporate accountability through a prospective supervisory mechanism.

scholarly journals Influence of Environmental Knowledge on Affect, Nature Affiliation and Pro-Environmental Behaviors among Tourists

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min-Seong Kim ◽  
Jinwon Kim ◽  
Brijesh Thapa
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Behavior ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Jeju Island ◽  
Environmental Knowledge ◽  
Intervention Programs ◽  
Environmental Behaviors ◽  
Visitor Management ◽  
Commercial Expansion ◽  
Practical Implications

Jeju Island is a popular destination in South Korea that is dependent on nature-based tourism. The annual increase in the influx of visitors has created major environmental impacts due to overuse and commercial expansion. With projected growth in arrivals and the development of tourism infrastructure, the island will experience perpetual challenges for sustainable management of natural resources. However, the role of visitors will be central via a commitment to practice pro-environmental behaviors to protect the island from further degradation. This study was grounded in the cognition-affection-attitude-behavior model to examine the predictive validity of tourists’ environmental knowledge, environmental affect, and nature affiliation on pro-environmental behavior. The data comprised responses from 304 domestic visitors who had visited Jeju Island. The empirical findings indicate that environmental affect was significantly impacted by two dimensions of environmental knowledge (i.e., subjective and objective). Additionally, nature affiliation was positively impacted by environmental affect, while pro-environmental behavior was significantly influenced by both environmental affect and nature affiliation. Overall, these findings provide theoretical and practical implications for sustainable tourism at a nature-based destination. The findings can be utilized for implementation of intervention programs and visitor management at Jeju Island.

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