Future Policy Award 2018: The Good Food Purchasing Program, USA

Adopted first by the City of Los Angeles in 2012, the Good Food Purchasing Program® creates a transparent supply chain and helps institutions to measure and then make shifts in their food purchases. It is the first procurement model to support five food system values—local economies, environmental sustainability, valued workforce, animal welfare and nutrition—in equal measure and thereby encourages myriad organizations to come together to engage for shared goals. Within just six years, the Good Food Purchasing Program has catalyzed a nationwide movement to establish similar policies in localities small and large across the United States, and inspired the creation of the Center for Good Food Purchasing. First adopted by the City of Los Angeles in 2012, it is a procurement standard that offers institutions a system in which current investments toward food are redirected toward more sustainable and fair suppliers. It uses a metric-based, flexible framework that produces a star rating. The Good Food Purchasing Program promotes the purchase of more sustainably produced food, from local economies, especially smaller and mid-sized farms and other food processing operations, which results in production returns at a more regional and local level, and ensures that suppliers' workers are offered safe and healthy working conditions and fair compensation, that livestock receives healthy and humane care, and that consumers—foremost school children, patients, the elderly—enjoy better health and well-being as a result of higher quality nutritious meals. This article will detail its implementation since 2012, provide current information on the impacts the Program has had on the agroecology of regions in the US food system, and recommendations for policy changes that could catalyze more accelerated impact.

A Crying Economy in a Bleeding State

Nigeria's multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-ideological nature is a complexity that should spur a synergy for development in all spheres. The theory of dissipative structures employed suggests that. Contrarily, the pursuit of individual group interests to the detriment of others leads to entropy that dissipates development and economic growth that its population needs. Ethnic and religious militia emerged in response to such problems and threats that has brought in consistent loss of lives and properties which whip the economy and country leaving the state bleeding. Militia internationalisation are important factors discussed as well. This chapter looks at the factors behind the emergence of these militias and the consequences their activities have on local economies of their regions and the national economy.

Pisco: An endless conflict for its geographical indication or an opportunity for international collaboration?

Pisco is a brandy produced from the distillation of wine, which is indissolubly linked to the history and national identity of Chile and Peru. The rivalry over the pisco’s geographical indication (GI) has a long history, mainly grounded on political claims rather than practical reasons. The article examines the historical background of the animosity, the arguments of each party to support their position and the impacts of the current international GI protection of the product (both from a financial and legal perspective). We conclude that a cross-border protection, allowing a joint binational exploitation of the spirit’s GI, is the best commercial strategy to increase the recognition and value of pisco in the international markets, which in turn, would benefit local economies and producers and notably encourage the cultural integration of both nations.

Green Transition of Iron Cities: A Comparative Case Study of Kitakyushu and Pohang

This comparative case study explores why two cities similar in socio-economic factors diverge in their pathways to environmental improvement. Our research looks at the changing local economies and environmental pollution problems facing Kitakyushu in Japan and Pohang in South Korea. Both cities drove their nations’ rapid economic growth as the main heavy industry hubs but have performed radically differently vis-à-vis public demands for environmental improvement despite sharing much in common. Employing the advocacy coalition framework as a main analytical tool, we examine the unfolding of policy efforts to turn a manufacturing-oriented industrial city into a “greener” city responding to environmental objectives and the respective outcomes. The research reveals that variations in regulatory decentralization, external events and coalition opportunity structures largely explain the observed discrepancy in green transition between the two settings. Our findings contribute to expanding scarce case study literature illustrating the mechanisms that can underpin environmental improvements in cities that have served as the location of heavy industries and offer suggestions for advancing them.

Vinegar Production from Corinthian Currants Finishing Side-Stream: Development and Comparison of Methods Based on Immobilized Acetic Acid Bacteria

Fruit wastes and side-streams can be used for vinegar production to create added value for the agri-food sector and enhance farmer incomes and local economies. In this study, methods for vinegar production by wild and selected acetic acid bacteria (the quick starter Acetobacter aceti and the acid-resistant Komagataeibacter europaeus), free (FC) and immobilized (IC) on a natural cellulosic carrier, are proposed using sweet wine made from the industrial finishing side-stream (FSS) of Corinthian currants as raw material. The results showed all cultures can produce vinegar with 46.65 ± 5.43 g/L acidity, from sweet FSS wine containing 5.08 ± 1.19% alcohol. The effect of immobilization was more obvious in the case of the selected culture, presenting better acetification efficiency, both fresh and after cold storage for 2 months. The vinegars had an antioxidant capacity of 263.5 ± 8.4 and 277.1 ± 6.7 mg/L (as ascorbic acid) and phenolic content 333.1 ± 12.0 and 222.2 ± 2.9 mg/L (as gallic acid) (for FC and IC, respectively). They also had a rich volatilome (140 compounds identified by SPME GC-MS), with higher percentages of esters identified in vinegars made by IC. The results are encouraging for vinegar production with IC of a mixed A. aceti and K. europaeus culture.

The case against alternative currencies

Local Currencies, Local Exchange Trading Systems, and Time Banks are all part of a new social movement that aims to restrict money's purchasing power within a certain geographic area, or within a certain community. According to their proponents, these restrictions may contribute to building sustainable local economies, supporting local businesses and creating “warmer” social relations. This article inquires whether the overall enthusiasm that surrounds alternative currencies is justified. It argues that the potential benefits of these currencies are not sufficient to justify the restrictions they impose on money's purchasing power. Turning these currencies into effective channels of change, by increasing their scope and their strength, could severely hinder the pursuit of social justice, in a way that is probably not even necessary for achieving their objectives. The paper concludes that large-scale limitations of money's purchasing power are, therefore, undesirable.

Model Pembangunan Keusahawanan Asnaf Luar Bandar

Usahawan dikenali sebagai pemacu pertumbuhan ekonomi yang penting dan memberi nilai yang besar kepada ekonomi setempat. Zakat merupakan mekanisme yang digunakan untuk membantu golongan yang kurang bernasib baik dan miskin bagi memenuhi keperluan asas dan meningkatkan kualiti hidup mereka. Dengan menentukan faktor kritikal, kajian ini bertujuan untuk menyelidiki model multidimensi yang dapat digunakan dalam program pembangunan bagi memenuhi keperluan usahawan asnaf luar bandar. Kajian ini menggunakan reka bentuk penyelidikan kualitatif yang merangkumi pengumpulan data melalui kaedah perpustakaan dan analisis data secara deskriptif. melalui sorotan literatur, konsep dan tema kajian ditetapkan dan dianalisis. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa untuk menjadikan asnaf seorang sahawan yang berjaya, semua faktor kritikal mesti dititikberatkan, terutama di kawasan luar bandar. Di akhir kajian, dicadangkan sebuah model komprehensif bagi pembangunan keusahawanan asnaf luar bandar. Entrepreneurs are known as important drivers of economic growth and add considerable value to local economies. Zakat is one of the tools used to help disadvantaged and impoverished people meet their basic needs and improve their quality of life. By defining the critical factors, this study aims to investigate a multidimensional model that can be used in development programmes to meet the needs of rural asnaf entrepreneurs. This study uses a simple qualitative research design that includes data collection through library methods and descriptive analysis. The findings from previous studies were analysed to establish the concept and theme of the analysis. Finally, it is discovered that in order to turn an asnaf into a successful entrepreneur, all of the critical factors must be emphasised, especially in rural areas. As a result, a detailed model for the growth of rural asnaf entrepreneurship is proposed.

New Economies - An Essay on Possible Alternatives to a Collapsed System

ABSTRACT In a world with enough natural and human resources to feed, dress and house the entire population in a nondestructive way, it is not logical to see most people living in poverty, consuming in unsustainable proportions and destroying the basic systems that support life. Understanding the economy only through the lenses of the capitalism money has transformed society and shaped cities. How long will the multiplication of profits be the main objective? How far do we move away from our roots to meet an unsustainable economic model? Are we happy in this system? And, after all, are there alternatives? The aim of this research is to point out possibilities for a healthy economy and, consequently, a better quality of life. From a wide review of the literature, this article addresses the social and economic transformations resulting from the popularisation of the Internet - emphasising the paradigm shifts that are transforming the logic of capitalism's unsustainable growth (scarcity vs. abundance; competition vs. collaboration, etc.). The improvement of the connection between people, projects and ideas drives much-needed social innovation, especially in times of crisis. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and the challenges related to climate change, this article explores three examples of so-called "new economies": Creative, Collaborative and Circular. It was observed that economies based on the new paradigms and aligned with the post-industrial era are more fluid and capable of rescuing the sense of community, of regenerating ecosystems, of reconnecting individuals with their purposes and of the redesigning of cities, generating vibrant and resilient local economies. KEYWORDS: Paradigm Shift; Transition; Regeneration; Social innovation; Resilience, Creative Economy; Collaborative Economy; Circular Economy

Paradoxes of indigeneity: identity, the state, and the economy in Indonesia

Contributing to recent debates on indigeneity, this article investigates contradictions of indigeneity, especially the “indigenous paradox,” that is, the formation of indigeneity through claiming sovereignty and autonomy from the state by acknowledging the very state and its laws as the framework for those claims, in the context of Indonesia. After analyzing how indigeneity came into existence in the Indonesian context, this article sheds light on the process of indigenous recognition in the Duri highlands, South Sulawesi. It is argued that the contradictions of indigeneity concern not only indigenous—state relations, but also narratives on tradition and history, and most of all, economic contradictions. It is the recognition of the overall framework of capitalism and the state which makes possible the emergence of alternative local economies based upon solidarity. Drawing on Louis Althusser’s concept of overdetermination, this article suggests that indigeneity shapes the way how economic contradictions are expressed, and while it provides local spaces for alternative economies, indigeneity is also prone to being incorporated into the logics of capitalism.