Harmful effects of malnutrition and possible sustainable solution

Malnutrition is a condition that results from eating a diet that does not supply a healthy amount of one or more nutrients. It is a condition characterized by lack of one or more essential nutrients from the diet or a surplus of some nutrients which affect the body negatively. Malnutrition consists of two types: undernutrition and overnutrition. Undernutrition involves the deficiency of macronutrients like protein or calories and micronutrients like iron, iodine and many more. Protein energy malnutrition is caused by the inadequate intake of protein and calories. It is further classified in three types, kwashiorkor, marasmus and marasmic kwashiorkor. Malnutrition mainly affects an individual’s immune system, lean body mass, cardio-respiratory functions, muscle functions. Malnutrition can be caused due to many factors including unavailability of food, poverty, higher food prices and many more. Strategies like biofortification and supplementation are used for the treatment of malnutrition.

Influencing Factors for Sustainable Dietary Transformation—A Case Study of German Food Consumption

In a case study of Germany, we examine current food consumption along the three pillars of sustainability to evaluate external factors that influence consumers’ dietary decisions. We investigate to what extent diets meet nutritional requirements (social factor), the diets’ environmental impact (ecological factor), and the food prices’ influence on purchasing behavior (economic factor). For this, we compare two dietary recommendations (plant-based, omnivorous) with the status quo, and we examine different consumption styles (conventional, organic produce). Additionally, we evaluate 1446 prices of food items from three store types (organic store, supermarket, and discounter). With this, we are able to evaluate and compare 30 different food baskets along their health, environmental, and economic impact. Results show that purchasing decisions are only slightly influenced by health-related factors. Furthermore, few consumers align their diet with low environmental impact. In contrast, a large share of consumers opt for cheap foods, regardless of health and environmental consequences. We find that price is, arguably, the main factor in food choices from a sustainability standpoint. Action should be taken by policy makers to financially incentivize consumers in favor of healthy and environmentally friendly diets. Otherwise, the status quo further drives especially underprivileged consumers towards unhealthy and environmentally damaging consumption.

Current Progress of Jatropha Curcas Commoditisation as Biodiesel Feedstock: A Comprehensive Review

This article looks at the national and global actors, social networks, and narratives that have influenced Jatropha’s worldwide acceptability as a biofuel crop. Jatropha Curcas is a genus of around 175 succulent shrubs and trees in the Euphorbiaceae family (some of which are deciduous, such as Jatropha Curcas L.). It’s a drought-tolerant perennial that thrives in poor or marginal soil and produces a large amount of oil per hectare. It is easy to grow, has a fast growth rate, and can generate seeds for up to 50 years. Jatropha Curcas has been developed as a unique and promising tropical plant for augmenting renewable energy sources due to its various benefits. It is deserving of being recognised as the only competitor in terms of concrete and intangible environmental advantages. Jatropha Curcas is a low-cost biodiesel feedstock with good fuel properties and more oil than other species. It is a non-edible oilseed feedstock. Thus it will have no impact on food prices or the food vs fuel debate. Jatropha Curcas emits fewer pollutants than diesel and may be used in diesel engines with equivalent performance. Jatropha Curcas also makes a substantial contribution to the betterment of rural life. The plant may also provide up to 40% oil yield per seed based on weight. This study looks at the features characteristics of Jatropha Curcas as biodiesel feedstock and performance, and emissions of internal combustion engine that operates on this biodiesel fuel.

Impact of food price increases on poverty in Indonesia: empirical evidence from cross-sectional data

PurposeUsing cross-sectional household survey data, this paper aims to determine the impact of food price increases on poverty in Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses the quadratic almost ideal demand system applied to the 2013 Indonesian household survey data. The impact of food price increase on household welfare is calculated using a welfare measure, compensating variation.FindingsThree food groups with the most outstanding price impact on poverty are rice, vegetables and fish were studied. The 20% increase in the price of each food group causes an increase in the headcount ratio by 1.360 points (rice), 0.737 points (vegetables) and 0.636 points (fish). Maintaining food price stability for these food groups is very important because the more price increases, the more impact on poverty. Food price policies in rural areas are also more critical than in urban areas because the impact of food price increases in rural areas is higher.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper does not consider the positive impact of rising food prices on food-producing households.Practical implicationsImplementing appropriate poverty alleviation policies through food policies for main food groups and social protection.Social implicationsPromoting rural development policies and agricultural growth.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical results regarding the impact of domestic food prices increase on poverty in Indonesia.

Mali's transition to elections will be prolonged

Significance Malian authorities on January 1 proposed a five-year delay to elections that were due to take place in February. The proposal came after Mali’s National Conference on Reconstruction formally recommended that the transition be extended by at least six months or up to five years beyond February. Impacts Despite army claims that soldiers are eliminating scores of jihadists, much of Mali's territory is outside government control. The now-confirmed presence of Russian military trainers may give the junta more bargaining power in negotiations on the electoral timetable. The government is weak on economic policy and will struggle to stem the rise in food prices.

Which food prices were more vulnerable to the COVID-19 blockade regulations in China? Comparison between perishable and storable vegetables

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate how differently the COVID-19 blockade regulations influence the prices of perishable and storable foods. The authors focus on the cases of the 2020 blockade at Hubei province and the 2021 blockade at Shijiazhuang city in China, and the authors examine how the blockade influenced the prices of Chinese cabbages (perishable) and potatoes (storable) within and around the blockade area.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs the fixed effects model, the panel VAR (PVAR) model, and the spatial dynamic panel (SPD) model to estimate the impacts of the blockade on the food prices. It constructs the unique data set of 3-day average prices of Chinese cabbages and potatoes at main wholesale markets in China during the two urban blockade periods from January 1 to April 8 in 2020 and from January 1 to March 1 in 2021.FindingsThe results from the SPD models indicate that the price of Chinese cabbages was more vulnerable and increased by 7.1–9.8% due to the two blockades while the price of potatoes increased by 1.2–6.1%. The blockades also significantly influenced the prices in the areas adjacent to the blockade area. The SPD results demonstrate that the impacts of the blockades would be overestimated if the spatial dependence is not controlled for in the fixed effects model and the PVAR model.Research limitations/implicationsBecause the research focuses on the cases in China, the results may lack generalizability. Further research for other countries is encouraged.Originality/valueThis paper demonstrates the importance of considering food types and spatial dependence in examining the impact of the COVID-19 blockades on food prices.

Analysis Food Demand of Java Households with Aids Model Estimates

<p>The quantity and quality of food consumed by the community are determined by the price level and household income. Household food expenditure share is still dominated by rice commodities. The aims of this study are 1) to analyze the level of household expenditure on food in Java and (2) to analyze the expenditure elasticity and price elasticity of household food demand in Java. The data used was March 2015, 2016, and 2017 SUSENAS data. Household consumption data was estimated using the AIDS Model. The results showed that household food expenditure share for medium and low-income groups (Q3 and Q4) for urban and rural areas was more than 50 percent. This shows that the household is food insecure. The own-price elasticity for all commodities is negative and inelastic. Changes in food prices do not significantly affect changes in demand for food commodities because their elasticity is inelastic. Household food demand is more influenced by food prices than household income for food commodities except for rice commodities. Rice has elastic expenditure elasticity (means that food demand is very responsive to changes in household expenditure/income. The relationship between each commodity is almost entirely negative (complementary).</p>

ДОБРОБУТ СЕЛЯН У ПОСТРАДЯНСЬКИЙ ПЕРІОД

Ключові слова. побут, селянство, матеріальний добробут, інфраструктура, медицина, культура, освіта. Анотація У статті розглянуто особливості добробуту сільського населення у пострадянський період. Акцентується увага на забезпеченості населення необхідними для життя матеріальними благам. Насамперед, продуктами харчування, промисловими товарами, послугами та умовами, що задовольняють певну потребу людини і відповідають її інтересам. У не найкращому стані перебувала соціальна сфера, комунальне господарство і медицина. Кризові явища, якими супроводжувалися трансформаційні процеси в економіці, завдали відчутних збитків матеріальному забезпеченню селян. За результатами зібраних матеріалів доведено, що економічна криза, швидкі темпи інфляції, проблема дефіциту товарів, затримка коштів для виплати заробітної плати в 90-х рр. ХХ ст. ускладнювали матеріальне становище сільського населення України. Посилання Bakhovskyi, 2003 ‑ Bakhovskyi V. Tsiny na prodovolchi tovary i riven zhyttia naselennia [Food prices and living standards]. // Ekonomika APK. 2003. №12 S.81-87. [in Ukrainian]. Balanovska, 2000 – Balanovska T. Silskyi sektor Ukrainy na rubezhi tysiacholit [Ukraine's rural sector at the turn of the millennium]. T.1. : Potentsial silskoho sektora. Kyiv : Instytut ekonomiky NAN Ukrainy, 2000. 396 s. [in Ukrainian]. Derzhavna sluzhba statystyky Ukrainy, 1992‑2001 ‑ Derzhavna sluzhba statystyky Ukrainy: statystychna informatsiia [State Statistics Service of Ukraine: statistical information]. URL: http://www.ukrstat.gov.ua/ (data zvernennia 25.11.2021) [in Ukrainian]. Ihnatenko, 2009 ‑ Ihnatenko M. Ukrainske selianstvo: pobutova ta kulturno-osvitnia sfera (1991‑1997 rr.) [Ukrainian peasantry: household and cultural-educational sphere (1991–1997)]. // Osvita, nauka i kultura na Podilli: zb. naukovykh prats, prysviachenyi 90-richchiu Kamianetskoi doby UNR. Kamianets-Podilskyi : Opiium, 2009. T. 13. S. 386-394. [in Ukrainian]. Kasianov, 2008 ‑ Kasianov H. Ukraina 1999 – 2007: narysy novitnoi istorii [Ukraine 1999–2007: Essays on Recent History].Kyiv : Nash chas, 2008. 432 s. [in Ukrainian]. Kovpak, 2003 ‑ Kovpak L. V. Sotsialno-pobutovi umovy zhyttia naselennia Ukrainy v druhii polovyni KhKh st. (1945–2000 rr.) [Socio-living conditions of the population of Ukraine in the second half of the twentieth century (1945–2000)] Kyiv : Instytut istorii Ukrainy NAN Ukrainy, 2003. 250 s. [in Ukrainian]. Prokopa, 1996. ‑ Prokopa I. V. Sotsialna infrastruktura sela: formuvannia novoho mekhanizmu rozvytku [Social infrastructure of the village: formation of a new mechanism of development]. Kyiv : NAN Ukrainy, Instytut ekonomiky, 1996. 172 s. [in Ukrainian]. Riven zhyttia naselennia Ukrainy, 2006 ‑ Riven zhyttia naselennia Ukrainy [The standard of living of the population of Ukraine]. / za red. L. M. Cherenko. Kyiv : TOV «Vydavnytstvo «Konsultant», 2006. 428 s. [in Ukrainian]. Riven zhyttia naselennia Ukrainy, 2006 Derzhavnyi komitet statystyky Ukrainy: riven zhyttia naselennia Ukrainy [State Statistics Committee of Ukraine: living standards of the population of Ukraine]. URL: https://idss.org.ua/monografii/riven_juttya_naselennya%20krainu.pdf (data zvernennia 25.11.2021) [in Ukrainian]. Sabluk, 2002 ‑ Sabluka P. T., Orlatyi M. K. Materialnyi dobrobut silskykh zhyteliv [Material well-being of rural residents]. Kyiv : Instytut ahrarnoi ekonomiky UAAN, 2002. 369 s. [in Ukrainian]. Smolii, 2006 ‑ Smolii V. A. Istoriia ukrainskoho selianstva: narysy: v 2 t. [History of the Ukrainian peasantry: essays in 2 volumes]. Kyiv : Naukova dumka, 2006. T. 2. 653 s. [in Ukrainian]. Statystychnyi shchorichnyk Ukrainy, 2010 ‑ Statystychnyi shchorichnyk Ukrainy 2009 rik [Statistical Yearbook of Ukraine 2009]. / za red. O.H. Osaulenka. Kyiv : Derzhkomstat Ukrainy, 2010. 567 s. [in Ukrainian]. Statystychnyi zbirnyk, 1997 ‑ Sotsialno-ekonomichne stanovyshche silskykh naselenykh punktiv Ukrainy: statystychnyi zbirnyk [Socio-economic situation of rural settlements of Ukraine: statistical collection]. Kyiv : Derzhkomstat Ukrainy, 1997. 175 s. [in Ukrainian]. Zavalniuk, 2004 ‑ Zavalniuk O., Rybak I. Novitnia ahrarna istoriia Ukrainy [Recent agrarian history of Ukraine]. Kamianets-Podilskyi : Abetka-NOVA, 2004. 288 s. [in Ukrainian].

Young Consumers’ Concerns About Meeting Their Food Needs During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose: The aim of the study was to identify young consumers’ concerns about the increase in food prices and its consequences for young consumers’ eating habits and meeting food needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey of 702 young consumers – students – was carried out in October and November 2020. The questionnaire was available to respondents as a Google form. The obtained data was processed using a standard qualitative analysis and selected quantitative methods, including descriptive statistics, Spearman’s correlation coefficient and Pearson’s chi-square test. Findings: Nearly 63% of respondents agreed or rather agreed that the food needs of their household are fully met. Almost 44% of respondents stated that they are afraid of the lack of money to meet their food needs during the pandemic, and quite a similar share of respondents (47.3%) stated that they have no concerns in this regard. Although as many as 72% of the surveyed young consumers are concerned about rising food prices, only 22% are concerned that they will have to change their eating habits during the pandemic. The vast majority of respondents (92%) pay attention to the price when buying food and 83% agree that food is wasted in households. Research limitations/implications: Due to the limited possibilities during COVID-19, the research was conducted among 702 respondents, who were mainly students of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW). Such a number of respondents and the sample selection do not fully authorize the generalization of the results. Consequently, the conclusions should not be treated as representative for the whole population of Polish young consumers. Moreover, the questionnaire survey is related to the subjective interpretation of questions and the declarativeness of respondents, which may influence the obtained results. However, despite these limitations, the findings allow for approximating the concerns of this consumer group during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originality/value: As COVID-19 is a new social and economic challenge, young consumers’ concerns in such conditions have not been investigated so far and this study is to fill this gap. Moreover, this research may be a basis for further research as the pandemic situation evolves and may change both young consumers’ economic situation and their concerns about meeting their food needs.

Dynamics of Food Price Volatility and Households’ Welfare in Nigeria

One of the most important economic factors in food choice is the price. Food dynamics' value is a subject of controversies and opinions, especially price issues, and sensitivity is often peculiar to seasons and market forces. Price dynamics have the potential to introduce and change consumptions, thus affecting household welfare. This study examined the dynamics of food price volatility and households' welfare in Nigeria from 1990: Q1 to 2019: Q4. We sourced the study data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Bank (WB). We estimated the quadratic trend equation, Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (GARCH), and Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) models. Food prices and depth of food deficit had a significant short-run impact on the households' welfare. Policymakers should focus on the short-term benefits while formulating policies aimed at households' welfare because policies aimed at the household level are impactful in the short-run compared to the long-run.