Applying analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to identify decision-making in soybean supply chains: a case of Mato Grosso production

This paper aims to identify and analyze the factors that influence the decision of Mato Grosso’s farmers to produce soybean using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). We found evidence that decision-making of soybean production is related to rural production aspects such as climate, financing, cost of inputs, and soil quality rather than marketing and logistics. The novelty of this paper is the empirical analysis of the decision-making in agricultural production using AHP. The decision model was created and tested considering 21 farmers and 19 experts linked to the soybean production. Three different scenarios were considered: farmers' view, experts' view, and combined view. Our findings indicate that farmers and experts agree with rural aspects are predominant in the decision to plant soybean. Moreover, logistics have been used as an important flag of soybean competitiveness on international trade by soybean stakeholders in Brazil. However, our results show that logistics impact in the soybean decision-making process is low. Due to data limitation access, this study focuses only on Mato Grosso. However, this study has an exploratory character and presents empirical results that may help to understand soybean production over the country.

Mapping Seasonality and Rural Production from a Geohistorical Perspective: The “Ripening Time Registry” of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany (Nineteenth Century, Italy)

L’analyse des sources géohistoriques pour l’étude de la saisonnalité rurale du passé et des changements climatiques a commencé à susciter l’intérêt de la recherche internationale. Plusieurs chercheurs réclament de nouvelles sources afin de concevoir un cadre interprétatif qualitatif ou quantitatif. Dans cet esprit, l’article présente une élaboration cartographique d’un cadastre créé par le Grand-Duché de Toscane au XIXe siècle et auparavant inconnu, qui contient la liste de tous les produits agricoles et leurs temps de maturation dans les communautés toscanes. Sur la base de la cartographie du XIXe siècle, les données du registre ont été numérisées et géolocalisées à l’aide d’applications d’applications basées sur un SIG. Cette source permet de reconstituer la distribution spatiale et temporelle des semaines nécessaires dans le passé pour que ces produits murissent dans différentes régions de la Toscane. Ensuite, les périodes pendant lesquelles les espèces herbacées et arborées atteignaient la maturité et où elles étaient commercialisées ont été cartographiées. L’analyse montre qu’il existe entre les régions toscanes, au XIXe siècle, de nombreuses différences que les facteurs environnementaux ne suffisent pas à expliquer. De plus, l’examen des périodes de maturation du châtaignier entre le XIXe siècle et aujourd’hui nous permet d’étudier les effets de la hausse des températures sur la maturation. Pour conclure, nous présentons un portail SIG en ligne où les disciplines intéressées par la phytologie peuvent consulter les données.

Competitiveness Analysis of the Acai Berry Producers of Northeastern of Para

The purpose of this study is to identify what the perspectives of competitiveness by rural production of acai are, from terra firme and várzea in northeast Pará. Region considered the one that produces the most acai in Brazil. The main objective is to describe a certain sample of producers and to identify and evaluate the competitiveness perspectives of this sample in relation to the competitiveness factors defined in the research, starting from the null hypothesis that there are no significant differences in perspectives between terra firme and várzea producers. The theoretical basis considered for the research is composed of an approach on agrichain and factors of competitiveness. The method used for the execution of the research was the Rapid Appraisal, where a semi-structured questionnaire was prepared for the agents of the acai production chain. The main key agents taken into consideration and characterized were: Producers of acai; intermediaries and representatives of some organizations.

Development of Organic Agriculture: Case of Latvia

Agriculture is one of the main sectors which many believe should be sustainable, that is, ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially responsible. While conventional agriculture is driven almost solely by productivity and profit, sustainable agriculture integrates biological, chemical, physical, ecological, economic and social sciences in a comprehensive way to develop new farming practices that are safe and do not degrade our environment. Sustainability in rural production system can only be achieved if it can suitably satisfy the local requirement as well as the outside demand with the changing time. This paper reviews the concepts of organic agriculture and examines its development in Latvia.

Effects of Onion Residue, Bovine Manure Compost and Compost Tea on Soils and on the Agroecological Production of Onions

Organic solid wastes are rarely considered when planning for rural production in Argentina. Onion production in the low valley of Río Colorado (Buenos Aires) generates between 12,000 and 20,000 Mg year−1 of vegetal wastes (i.e., leaves, stems, skins, roots) from harvesting, cleaning and classification of bulbs, causing many problems with their management. The aim of this work is to study the effect of different doses of onion residue-bovine manure compost and onion residue-bovine manure compost tea on the soil physicochemical properties, microbial activity and agroecological onion production in sandy soil. Results showed that the highest dose of compost caused the highest effects on soil pH, electrical conductivity and nutrient content. Soil enzymatic activities were already high in the soil before the compost was applied, which may have contributed to the small effect caused by any dose on soil activity. A significant positive effect on bulb weight and organic onion yield were found as a result of the amendment and growing season. In conclusion, agroecological production of onion with the addition of a 300 kg N ha−1 compost and compost tea guarantee yields comparable to those of conventional fertilization, as occurred during the two growing seasons of this study.

The backyard of Tlaxcala. An approach to its composition

The backyard is an agroecosystem located near the home and fulf ills several functions and provides various services; in addition, one third of the Rural Production Units in Tlaxcala have this agroecosystem. In the mexican state of Tlaxcala, México, the primary sector is the one that contributes the least to the gross domestic product; it is divided into 60 municipalities and 66% of its territory is used for agricultural, livestock and forestry activities and little is known about this agroecosystem. The objective of the research was to make an approximation of its composition with respect to the plant and animal species found in the backyard. The Registry of Agricultural Producers of the State of Tlaxcala, Mexico, carried out by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) was used; as a member of the work team, a copy of the original database was obtained informally, which consisted of a total of 53 968 basic information cards; of that total, 17 236 reported backyard activities. The information was analyzed using frequency tables of data grouped and sorted into classes for both plant and animal species. Regarding the composition of the main vegetable species produced in the backyard, fruit trees such as peaches and corn stand out. Of the animal species produced, cattle and poultry are the most produced. On average, 91.15% of what is produced in the backyard is for self-consumption; the average area of the backyard was 215 m2. The composition of the Tlaxcala backyard was determined in terms of plant and animal species of certain economic importance; the results reported here can be useful for other research that continues with the characterization of the structure, composition and functioning of the backyard in the state of Tlaxcala.

Social Capital as an Inclusion Tool from a Solidarity Finance Angle

Within rural environments, the construction of financial ecosystems that both stimulate local development and contribute to poverty reduction requires an increase in associative community activity. Such activity serves as a fundamental means of organizing territorial production systems, reinforcing capacities, and strengthening the negotiating position of the population being offered financial services. Solidarity finance is important because it recognizes that collective action and criteria such as social efficiency, local capacities, cooperation, associativity, the social fabric, self-management, and resource recirculation are integral aspects of financial evaluation. Therefore, this research proposes a methodology to reinforce the financial service delivery of solidarity finance institutions through the evaluation of social capital in rural production organizations. Social capital is regarded as a resource of the organization’s constituents that can facilitate financial inclusion and generate value for rural populations.