scholarly journals A Local Gap in Sustainable Food Procurement: Organic Vegetables in Berlin’s School Meals

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charis Braun ◽  
Meike Rombach ◽  
Anna Häring ◽  
Vera Bitsch

Organic and local food plays an important role in the discussion of sustainable public procurement for school catering services. The present study investigates the value chain supplying school catering with organic produce, using the organic vegetable industry in the Berlin-Brandenburg region in Germany as an example. The qualitative case study employs a structuration theory approach to explore value chain actors’ perspectives and their practices. Data is collected by conducting 14 in-depth interviews with actors on different supply chain levels (farming, wholesale, and catering) and analyzed by means of qualitative content analysis. The results suggest that, while organic food is generally important in school catering in Berlin, locally produced organic vegetables play only a minor role. A constraining factor is the lack of incentives for the use of locally produced organic food in the procurement guidelines, combined with a very limited budget for sourcing. Also, there are no preprocessing facilities in the region, while work organization in school catering services depends heavily on preprocessed food. From a farmers’ perspective, focusing on process grade vegetables is rarely a common marketing strategy.

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janvier Kini ◽  
Nicky Pouw ◽  
Joyeeta Gupta

Abstract This paper designs and tests a model for count outcomes to analyse the effective demand for organic vegetables in the city of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. From a ‘short value chain’ perspective, we show that the distance travelled by consumers to organic vegetable production sites primarily managed by women farmers’ associations, is a key determinant of organic food demand. Furthermore, the effect of the distance travelled on the demand is stronger for women than for men. In addition, consumers’ health awareness and the intended use of these vegetables are significant determinants of their demand. Moreover, social-relational factors affect the purchase decision both ways, including issues of trust and access to market information. Thus, this paper first introduces the socially subjective considerations of the demand for food in the close interaction between producers and consumers of organic food. Second, it contributes to filling the knowledge gap on the factors influencing consumer behaviour in purchasing organic food in urban production sites in developing countries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asim Faraz ◽  
Muhammad Younas ◽  
Carlos Iglesias Pastrana ◽  
Abdul Waheed ◽  
Nasir Ali Tauqir ◽  
...  

AbstractThe present research is aimed to evaluate the diverse husbandry practices, ethno-veterinary practices, socio-economic status and distressing constraints of camel pastoralists inhabiting desert (Thal) areas of Pakistan, where they maintain herds of Marecha and Barela dromedaries in extensive production regimes. For this purpose, 200 pastoralists were selected at random to fill out an on-site questionnaire. According to the farmers’ responses, it was perceived that their living status had improved in the last decades due to the progressive optimization of camel productivity and herdsmen responsiveness. In contrast, calf mortality rates, some traditional husbandry practices and the lack of market investments continued to be the major constraints affecting camel overall production. Ethno-veterinary medicines are widely applied as primary health care, thus influencing the general health, production potentials and relief of camels in the study region. With this scenario, concerned stakeholders and authorized institutions must re-evaluate the urgent needs of indigenous communities; their education and husbandry skills to promote economic/ financial support in low-income remote areas. In turn, traditional communities will be adapted to the changing socio-economic and cultural values with regard to camel husbandry and welfare. Current societal perceptions and demands within this livestock production industry, where camels are conceived as a sustainable food security animal, if accomplished to the highest possible extent, will increase effectiveness of the camel value chain and breeders’ quality of life will be noticeably enhanced. However, this success could be multiplied if government may devise community education, veterinary cover, marketing facilitates and interest-free small loans for pastoralists.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 199-206
Author(s):  
Elham Sepahvand ◽  
◽  
Hamidreza Khankeh ◽  
Mohammadali Hosseini ◽  
Behnam Akhbari ◽  
...  

Background: During traffic accidents, professional staff provide care to the patient at the scene of the accident and then transport the victim to the hospital by ambulance. But sometimes this transition is carried out by relatives and laypeople. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors affecting people’s involvement and transmission of the victims of the traffic accident. Materials and Methods: This study was done with a qualitative content analysis method in 2018. The study participants were 16 people. In this study, a purposeful sampling method with maximum diversity was used. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data using guiding questions. To observe the research ethics, the researcher, after obtaining permission from the University Ethics Committee, conducted interviews (IR.USWR.REC.1395.399). Results: In total, 15 spinal cord injury victims and their relatives or laypeople and medical emergency technicians were interviewed. The class of wrong belief of delay was the main class in all interviews. Concepts such as past experiences, the pressure time, the lack of emergency time, cultural beliefs, and the tension explaining the wrong belief concept. Conclusion: Wrong belief of delay was a concept that was extracted from the present study. It is recommended that the scene of the accident be examined in-depth and how to create a spinal cord injury in the injured with a grounded theory approach.


1995 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Powell

There is growing interest in local organic food nowadays, prompted by concerns about health, care of the environment and excessive transportation and packaging of produce. But conventional marketing systems are not really able to cater for such demands, because they operate on too large a scale. In recent years a solution to the problem has appeared: direct links between growers and consumers, within the same local area. Some of these are growing rapidly, opening up exciting possibilities for the development of sustainable food production and marketing, and for building new links between cities and the countryside.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Lindström ◽  
Minna Janhonen

PurposeBy adopting a paradox lens, the purpose of this study is to explore paradoxes in relation to work organization, recruitment and competence development in growth-oriented companies.Design/methodology/approachThe study is a qualitative content analysis based on research interviews of managers responsible for human resource management (HRM) in Finnish small and medium-sized growth enterprises (SMEs).FindingsThe results show four themes, namely, (1) individualized work, (2) cultural cohesiveness, (3) experimental organization and (4) personal closeness. These identified themes are interpreted as mutually enabling, active responses to the underlying paradoxes of individualism – community and stability – change.Originality/valueThe results contribute to research on tension and paradox in HRM by taking the still unexplored opportunity to apply paradox theory to HRM in SMEs.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia Trendafilova ◽  
Jamee Pelcher ◽  
Jeffrey Graham ◽  
Vassilios Ziakas

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine the structure and scope of environmental sustainability efforts of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments as communicated via their websites.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative content analysis methodology guided the study. To accomplish the goal of the study, the researchers analyzed each tournament's website and each venue's website to document the environmental initiatives outlined on these pages.FindingsResults indicated Grand Slam events focus primarily on energy and water conservation initiatives, increasing sustainable food choices and improving spectators' knowledge about environmental sustainability. Most sustainability programs fell into the first wave of sustainability efforts indicating that formalized strategic planning is largely missing.Practical implicationsBy examining how Grand Slam events utilize their webpages to promote environmental sustainability, implications are drawn for not only website content but also actual event initiatives and activities. Pertinent efforts should move from a mere focus on communication to finding actionable solutions built upon the interconnectivity of events with allied sectors and the subsequent forging of cross-industry partnerships.Originality/valueThe findings suggest that Grand Slam tennis events pursue different trajectories in engaging with sustainability. This makes it important to understand in tandem their organizational conduct, strategies and communication practices. To move forward, there is a need to approach sustainability in a more holistic manner. A holistic view of how sport events engage with the environment can reveal causal patterns and points of leverage to use for initiating a change of practice toward adopting environmentally friendly behaviors.


2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 396-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leticia Silveira Cardoso ◽  
Marta Regina Cezar-Vaz ◽  
Mara Regina Santos da Silva ◽  
Valdecir Zavarese da Costa

This study identified the purposes of the communication process in the group activities of the Family Health strategy from the perspective of nurses. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and recorded with 60 nurses and non-participant observation with 19 group activities, analyzed according to qualitative content analysis. Five categories emerged: Health education, Clinical follow-up, Co-responsibilization of patients, Team-Community Interaction, and Work Organization. These categories revealed that the establishment of reciprocal interactions among professionals, patients and families favor health promotion because it encourages the exchange of knowledge among the participants concerning their health experiences.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document