Where Do Agri-Food Entrepreneurs Learn Their Job and are There Skills They Wished They Had Learned?

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florence Becot ◽  
David Conner ◽  
Jane Kolodinsky

The agri-food system plays a vital role in the socioeconomic well-being of the USA. In rural Vermont, the setting for this study, the contributions are even larger. Agri-food businesses contribute an estimated 12% of the state's gross domestic product and comprise 13% of private sector establishments. The community economic development potential of fostering successful food entrepreneurs suggests a role for higher education in educating the next generation of entrepreneurs. This study explores gaps in entrepreneurial knowledge and skills. Using a survey of agri-food entrepreneurs designed to obtain an understanding of the tools needed for success, the authors found that entrepreneurs valued a wide range of skills, making it difficult to tailor training. The importance of informal learning was also confirmed. The authors conclude that the role of higher education in entrepreneurial education is to educate students to think critically, recognize opportunities, develop networks and identify resources. In addition, it is critical to provide students with exposure to entrepreneurs in the field.

2021 ◽  
Vol 193 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Bethwell ◽  
Benjamin Burkhard ◽  
Katrin Daedlow ◽  
Claudia Sattler ◽  
Moritz Reckling ◽  
...  

AbstractProvisioning ecosystem services play a vital role in sustaining human well-being. Agro-ecosystems contribute a significant share of these services, besides food and fodder and also fuel and fibre as well as regulating and cultural ecosystem services. Until now, the indication of provisioning ecosystem services of agro-ecosystems has been based almost only on yield numbers of agricultural products. Such an indication is problematic due to several reasons which include a disregard of the role of significant anthropogenic contributions to ecosystem service co-generation, external environmental effects and strong dependence on site conditions. We argue for an enhanced indication of provisioning ecosystem services that considers multiple aspects of their delivery. The conceptual base for such an indication has been made by prior publications which have been reviewed. Relevant points were taken up in this article and condensed into a conceptual model in order to develop a more holistic and expanded set of indictors, which was then exemplarily applied and tested in three case studies in Germany. The case studies represent different natural conditions, and the indicator set application showed that ecosystem services (ES) flow—in terms of output alone—does not characterise agro-ecosystems sufficiently. The proposed aspects of provisioning ecosystem services can give a fuller picture, for example, by input-output relationships, as it is possible by just using single indicators. Uncertainties as well as pros and cons of such an approach are elaborated. Finally, recommendations for an enhanced indication of provisioning ecosystem services in agro-ecosystems that can help to integrate agricultural principles with ideas of sustainability and site-specific land use are derived.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e047632
Author(s):  
Helen Humphreys ◽  
Laura Kilby ◽  
Nik Kudiersky ◽  
Robert Copeland

ObjectivesTo explore the lived experience of long COVID with particular focus on the role of physical activity.DesignQualitative study using semistructured interviews.Participants18 people living with long COVID (9 men, 9 women; aged between 18–74 years; 10 white British, 3 white Other, 3 Asian, 1 black, 1 mixed ethnicity) recruited via a UK-based research interest database for people with long COVID.SettingTelephone interviews with 17 participants living in the UK and 1 participant living in the USA.ResultsFour themes were generated. Theme 1 describes how participants struggled with drastically reduced physical function, compounded by the cognitive and psychological effects of long COVID. Theme 2 highlights challenges associated with finding and interpreting advice about physical activity that was appropriately tailored. Theme 3 describes individual approaches to managing symptoms including fatigue and ‘brain fog’ while trying to resume and maintain activities of daily living and other forms of exercise. Theme 4 illustrates the battle with self-concept to accept reduced function (even temporarily) and the fear of permanent reduction in physical and cognitive ability.ConclusionsThis study provides insight into the challenges of managing physical activity alongside the extended symptoms associated with long COVID. Findings highlight the need for greater clarity and tailoring of physical activity-related advice for people with long COVID and improved support to resume activities important to individual well-being.


Author(s):  
Emdormi Rymbai ◽  

Plants are an important source of natural products and they play a vital role in the field of medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical science. Traditional medicines have been practiced and used for thousands of years, mostly in Asian countries, where plants are the main sources of medicine. Houttuynia cordata, a herb that belongs to the family Saururaceae, has a wide range of pharmacological activities and is used traditionally in conditions like anisolobis sores, heatstroke, lung carbuncles, malaria, scrotal abscess, tonsillitis, salammoniac poison and has also been widely accepted to possess anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-hypertension, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, antibacterial, anti-viral and anti-purulent activity. Moreover, it is one of the herbs that was recognized during pandemic outbreaks, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS CoV) in China, virulent Newcastle Disease Virus (VNDV) in Java (Indonesia) and Newcastle (England). In this review, we briefly discuss the role of H. cordata as an anti-viral agent and the possibility of developing a dosage form against Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19).


Author(s):  
Nader Gholi Ghorchian ◽  
Shahrooz Farjad ◽  
Ali Taghipour Zahir

As higher education plays a pivotal role in the economic well-being of modern societies, universities today are faced with increasing pressure in order to improve their accountability and performance. They have to redesign the research structure to achieve the set objectives. The present survey aimed at studying the factors and related indicators that affect the effectiveness of the research structure of the universities. The sample included 274 faculty members who were selected through stratified random method at 8 branches of Islamic Azad University in Tehran province (Iran). Research questions were: a) What key Factors influence the Effectiveness of the universities’ research structure? and b) What conceptual model can be designed? Finally, in this study using a questionnaire and factor analysis technique, eight factors were identified and ranked which contribute towards the effectiveness of research structure in universities . Finally, a conceptual model has been proposed for the universities to strengthen their research structure.


Author(s):  
I. Labinskaya

Political developments in North Africa and the Middle East that have begun in January 2011 are gaining strength and involve an increasing number of Arab countries. The participants of the Roundtable – experts from IMEMO, Institute of Oriental Studies (RAS), Institute of the USA and Canada (RAS) and Mrs. E. Suponina from “Moscow News” newspaper analyzed a wide range of issues associated with these events. Among them are: 1) the reasons for such a large-scale explosion, 2) the nature of the discussed developments (revolutions, riots?) and who are the subjects of the current “Arab drama”, 3) the role of Islam and political Islamism, 4) the role of external factors.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nidheesh Joseph ◽  
E. Sownthara Rajan

Purpose (mandatory) The purpose of this paper is to study engagement of employees in informal learning behaviors (ILBs) and to understand the role of workplace support (organizational support, supervisor support and job support) in facilitating such behaviors. Design/methodology/approach (mandatory) The study uses descriptive design with data collected through voluntary non-probability sampling method of 58 employees from India and the USA through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Findings (mandatory) Preliminary findings suggest that 81% of the employees are likely to engage in ILBs and 65.5% agreed to have received workplace support. Employees from India rate their workplace support as higher and are more likely to engage in ILBs than those from the USA. Originality/value (mandatory) This study contributes to workplace informal learning literature and highlights the need for more studies on workforce ILBs across multiple countries and job role variations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aziz-ul- Rahman ◽  
Momena Habib ◽  
Muhammad Zubair Shabbir

Introduction:Newcastle Disease (ND), caused by Avian avulavirus 1 (AAvV 1, avulaviruses), is a notifiable disease throughout the world due to the economic impact on trading restrictions and its embargoes placed in endemic regions. The feral birds including aquatic/migratory birds and other wild birds may act as natural reservoir hosts of ND Viruses (NDVs) and may play a remarkable role in the spread of the virus in environment. In addition, other 19 avulaviruses namely: AAvV 2 to 20, have been potentially recognized from feral avian species.Expalantion:Many previous studies have investigated the field prevailing NDVs to adapt a wide range of susceptible host. Still the available data is not enough to declare the potential role of feral birds in transmission of the virus to poultry and/or other avian birds. In view of the latest evidence related to incidences of AAvVs in susceptible avian species, it is increasingly important to understand the potential of viruses to transmit within the domestic poultry and other avian hosts. Genomic and phylogenomic analysis of several investigations has shown the same (RK/RQRR↓F) motif cleavage site among NDV isolates with same genotypes from domestic poultry and other wild hosts. So, the insight of this, various semi-captive/free-ranging wild avian species could play a vital role in the dissemination of the virus, which is an important consideration to control the disease outbreaks. Insufficient data on AAvV 1 transmission from wild birds to poultry and vice versa is the main constraint to understand about its molecular biology and genomic potential to cause infection in all susceptible hosts.Conclusion:The current review details the pertinent features of several historical and contemporary aspects of NDVs and the vital role of feral birds in its molecular epidemiology and ecology.


Author(s):  
Siarhei M. Khodzin

The relevance of the problems of cooperative construction in the formation of Belarusian scientific schools is determined. The role of the Belarusian State University in the development of problems of cooperation in the 1920s is characterised. The activity of S. L. Pevsner as a representative of the economic thought of the 1920s is studied. In the perspective of «history through personality», the problems of the formation of the personnel potential of Belarusian State University are revealed. The relations between the management and the teaching staff of the university, the status and issues of material well-being of teachers invited to Belarusian State University are characterised. The conclusion is made about a significant personnel shortage and the presence of serious competition in the personnel sphere of university science in the 1920s with the development of higher education in the USSR.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-54
Author(s):  
Zoha Adel Mahmoud

institution is one of the highest institutions that have the task of providing the development needs of the community of specialists in various fields, in addition to being the centers of scientific research and applied to ensure economic and social progress It enriches decision makers with expertise and skills and thus controls political performance. In any society, the university can not play its full role in social change without interaction between the individual on the one hand and the social environment on the other, Social and interdependent Ah syndrome change, they strengthen the skills, and enrich the spirit of innovation of the individual, and raise the level of social progress. It helps to improve the conditions of the poor segments of the population and facilitates the employment opportunities of the individuals imposed by the society as they meet the needs of the individual and society of different professions, thus providing an opportunity for production and thus have a positive impact on the standard of living to achieve the well-being of the individual and the citizen. The interest reflected on the progress, such as Germany, which was interested in it became one of the main reasons that led to the rise of Germany from the ruins of the Second World War as well as the State of Malaysia, which moved from developing countries to the second world countries by changing the plan Colleges and institutes of universities. In 2020, Malaysia will be among the developed countries. In these countries, higher education, vocational training and training are viewed as a basis for life supplementation and are seen as a major means of improving and upgrading society. If we are to explore the dimensions of education in the 21st century, one of the pillars of education is learning for action, Usually involves the acquisition of skills and the linking of knowledge to practice as an essential part of the training and rehabilitation of the individual for practical life. Hence, such new trends in linking educational preparation to work have been imposed by the labor market and the working life in its new forms. Production and service facilities, The advanced, assumed graduates who can be employed and absorbed can contribute to the development of competitiveness, to provide innovations and creations to achieve the competitive advantage of the enterprise, and to improve production and productivity based primarily on the acquisition and application of knowledge. Gamerdinger reveals that the new technology does not accelerate the possibilities for sound economic policies and increasing global trade, and this requires strategies to develop work related to the development of human performance, and in order to face the state of chronic unemployment globally, education policies are headed towards the so-called reverse conversion as many graduates of specializations Literaries choose vocational and technical education in technical and community colleges. Unemployment in the Arab world carries certain characteristics that must be taken into account when developing the solutions available to them. The most important of these characteristics are: Unemployment is a youth phenomenon. Weak professional experience available to the unemployed. Lack of targeted planning for the labor market. The large gap between the outputs of higher education for youth and the requirements of the labor market. The most important recommendations aimed at enhancing the role of universities in Iraq are: 1 - the operation of labor graduates of technical and technical institutes in the industrial field in order to promote them and eliminate unemployment and increase the hard currency as an important category of Iraqi society, which contributes actively to the renaissance of the country. Linking the Ministry of Industry and Commerce with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to be managed by the Minister of Education alone. The Ministry is keen on the funds of the Iraqi people and contributes to the development of the industrial and commercial sectors with the help of professors and university students. 3 - the need to match the needs of the market and education outputs to reduce unemployment, in addition to the vocational education has become an urgent need at this stage to keep pace with the needs of life in society away from the negative view of this education. 4 - Increasing the number of technical workshops and providing them with the means of material in order to provide the university student maximum desired learning. Enhancing the role of higher education in building a broader partnership and cooperation with various other community institutions (public, private and private sector). 6 - Re-admission plan in universities by making the number of admissions in scientific colleges more than the number of admissions in the humanitarian colleges. 7 - Attracting foreign investment companies to invest natural resources in Iraq such as phosphate, natural gas, oil, oil shale, uranium, silica and geothermal energy for the recovery of the economy and the trend towards domestic consumption.


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