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This book explores the economic impact of supermarkets on food supply chains in developing countries, with particular emphasis on the generation/displacement of employment, the (re)-distribution of benefits along the food chain and the role of government is attracting, facilitating and regulating the growth of supermarkets in South America, Africa and Asia. Aimed primarily at academics but will appeal to practitioners in developing countries, civil servants, policy-makers and NGOs. The internationalization of food retailing and manufacturing that has swept through the agri-food system in industrialised countries is now moving into middle- and low-income countries with large rural populations, causing significant institutional changes that affect small producer agriculture and the livelihoods of rural communities the world over. Farmers and policy-makers are struggling to keep up with the wave of new demands being made on their supply chains by food manufacturers and retailers. In the process, new questions and challenges are arising: Can small-scale farmers organize to meet the demands of corporate giants? Should governments liberalize Foreign Direct Investment in the retail sector and expose numerous small shops to competition from multinationals? Can distribution systems be adapted to make markets work better for the poor? This book offers a contemporary look at what happens when the modernisation of food supply chains comes face to face with the livelihoods of rural and poor people. The authors are drawn from eighteen countries participating in the 'Regoverning Markets' programme, which aims to not only improve our understanding of the way modernization and re-structuring of food supply chains is affecting food production and distribution systems, but also identify best-practice in involving small-scale producers in supermarket supply chains, and ascertain the barriers to inclusion which need to be removed. Contents: Part One The Economic and Policy Context: The

Abstract This paper combines insights from different streams of literature to develop a more comprehensive framework for the analysis of knowledge transfer via value chain relationships. We integrate the existing literature in three ways. First, we consider value chain relationships as a multi-facet process of interaction between buyers and suppliers, involving different modes of knowledge transmission and development. Second, we assess whether and to what extent value chain relationships are associated with the presence of multinationals and with their embeddedness in the host economy. Third, we take into account the capabilities of local firms to handle the technology as a factor influencing knowledge transfer through value chain relationships. Using data on 1385 firms active in Thailand in 2001-2003, we apply a multinomial logit model to test how the nature and intensity of multinational presence and the competencies of local firms affect the organization of international knowledge transfer. We find that knowledge intensive relationships, which are characterized by a significant transmission of technical and organizational competencies along the value chains, are positively associated with the presence of global buyers in the local market, with the efforts of MNCs to adapt technology to local contexts, and with the technical capabilities of domestic firms. By contrast, the age of subsidiaries and the share of inputs purchased locally appear to increase the likelihood of value chain relationships with a lower technological profile. Article Outline 1. Introduction 2. Previous literature 3. An integrated framework for the analysis of value chains and knowledge transfer 4. Data and variable specification 4.1. Sample and sources 4.2. Why Thailand 4.3. Variable description 5. Empirical analysis 5.1. Empirical model 5.2. Discussion of results 5.2.1. Multinational presence (SUB) 5.2.2. Multinational embeddedness 5.2.3. Domestic firms' capacity "to handle the tech

This book analyses the gradual shift in the distribution of power in agri-food supply chains, away from the manufacturers of branded food products to the global supermarket chains such as Wal-Mart and Tesco. This transformation has had a profound effect on the food we eat, together with the ways in which food is produced, processed and marketed. The authors assess the causes and consequences of this transformation, and evaluate theimpacts along the whole supply chain. The book considers a variety of theoretical and cultural approaches to the analysis of change in the organization and management of the agri-food supply chain, and presents a series of studies focusing upon the effects of changes in Europe, North America and less developed countries. The impacts on farmers and workers, and implications for the environment, are also considered. The contested nature of these changes suggests a number of possible future scenarios for the global agri-food system, which are also analysed and evaluated.This book will be of great interest to postgraduate and undergraduate students in business studies, sociology, politics, geography, and cultural studies. Academic researchers and teachers, and policy makers and researchers in business, government and industry will also find much of interest.

his book analyses the gradual shift in the distribution of power in agri-food supply chains, away from the manufacturers of branded food products to the global supermarket chains such as Wal-Mart and Tesco. This transformation has had a profound effect on the food we eat, together with the ways in which food is produced, processed and marketed. The authors assess the causes and consequences of this transformation, and evaluate theimpacts along the whole supply chain. The book considers a variety of theoretical and cultural approaches to the analysis of change in the organization and management of the agri-food supply chain, and presents a series of studies focusing upon the effects of changes in Europe, North America and less developed countries. The impacts on farmers and workers, and implications for the environment, are also considered. The contested nature of these changes suggests a number of possible future scenarios for the global agri-food system, which are also analysed and evaluated.This book will be of great interest to postgraduate and undergraduate students in business studies, sociology, politics, geography, and cultural studies. Academic researchers and teachers, and policy mak

Role of institutions in rural policies and agricultural markets / edited by Guido van Huylenbroeck, Wim Verbeke, Ludwig Lauwers, Volume 2003 European Association of Agricultural Economists. Seminar, Guido van Huylenbroeck, Wim Verbeke, Ludwig Lauwers 0 Resenhas Emerald Group Publishing, 2004 - 461 páginas The agri-food sector is continuously confronted with major challenges. It is a complex sector in the economy because of its important societal implications and embeddedness within a broader rural system. Furthermore, the agricultural sector is a multi-agent sector with a complex chain of inputs, intermediates, outputs and markets that are highly regulated. Multi-agency and strong government regulation result in a complex institutional system. The aim of this book is to bring a selected state-of-the-art of the conceptual and empirical New Institutional Economics-inspired research by European agricultural economists. Besides the social environment, the two main components of the institutional environment are policies and markets. The title of this book tries to capture the main subjects. For a farmer, as an economic producing actor and social agent, his environment comprises of politics, markets and rurality, of which the first is seeking to get more ordering in the two others. Furthermore, the term rural in the title tries to capture, both in policies and markets, the usual agricultural activities as well as the new ones which are more oriented to the rural social system. This book focuses on the three main areas of interest in institutions: policy implementation, market and supply chain organisation and management of rural resources and rural systems. The chapters are covering insights on the significance of institutions on transaction costs, policy analysis, policy reform, market and chain dynamics, input markets, agri-environmental policies, social capital and bottom-up approaches.

Home About ISCOM Sustainable Chain Management Projects News Publications Contact Links ISCOM ISCOM's projects focus on sustainable production and Sustainable Chain Management in particular. This means that the entire production chain is taken into account, from quality management for farmers to marketing and sales. Currently, ISCOM is strongly devoted to the cause of small-scale farmers in developing countries as producers of commodities. Commodities are products - both in agriculture and industry - which in many places in the world are produced in great quantities. Examples are rice, cocoa, coffee, pineapple and French beans. Here the sustainability strategies take the interests of the farmers are point of departure: sustainable agriculture, poverty reduction and professionalisation. ISCOM is also active in research - both strategic and applied - from a broader social perspective, such as sustainable purchasing and climate-based policies in developing countries. Moreover, first steps are taken to develop with various partners management courses based on the principles just mentione

Worlds of food: place, power, and provenance in the food chain Kevin Morgan, Terry Marsden, Jonathan Murdoch 0 Resenhas Oxford University Press, 2006 - 225 páginas Three leading scholars in the field explain why place and provenance are assuming more importance in the food chain to producers, consumers, and regulators. They examine how these concerns influence debates on the future of food and farming, exploring the implications for three very different regions: California, Tuscany, and Wales

Geographies of commodity chains Alex Hughes, Suzanne Reimer 0 Resenhas Routledge, 2004 - 276 páginas Geographies of Commodity Chainsdraws together contributions concerned with the production, circulation, and consumption of commodities. Not only do these case study examples seek to transcend older understandings of production and consumption, but they also explicitly tap into wider public debate about the meanings, origins, and biographies of commodities. The book takes a geographical approach to the analysis of links between producers and consumers, focusing on the ways in which these ties increasingly are stretched across spaces and places. Critical engagements with the ways in which these spaces and places affect the economies, cultures, and politics of the connections between producers and consumers are threaded through each section.

Globalization and Markets GLOBALIZATION AND MARKETS Background Research Program Major Projects Research Tools Donors Collaborators Contact Us LATEST PUBLICATIONS Discussion Papers April 2010 Rethinking the global food crisis Discussion Papers January 2010 Is SAFTA trade creating or trade diverting? December 2009 Foreign exchange rationing, wheat markets and food security in Ethiopia PREVNEXT DIVISION Markets, Trade and Institutions RESEARCH AREAS Doha Round IFPRI PROJECTS BY COUNTRY AND BENEFICIARY Source: flickr (Curt Carnemark / World Bank) Seaport at Sunrise. China, The overall objective of the globalization and markets research program is to support the adoption of policies for more efficient functioning of the global food, nutrition, and agricultural system. A better-functioning global system will enhance inclusion of low income countries and improve food and nutrition security of poor people. The research program emphasizes issues of global agricultural trade negotiations; regional trade; linkages between globalization and domestic policies as they affect resource allocations and poverty alleviation; the impact of developed-country policies on developing-country food security; and pro-poor policies along the entire food chain, given the growing importance of consumers and retail industries as food system drivers. The historical consequences of trade liberalization are becoming increasingly important in less developed countries. A better understanding of this is critical for further reforms in the domestic and global trading system.

Alternative food geographies: representation and practice Damian Maye, Lewis Holloway, Moya Kneafsey 0 Resenhas Emerald Group Publishing, 2007 - 358 páginas Since the late 1990s, agro-food researchers have identified attempts to re-configure food provision around more ethically sound, economically and ecologically sustainable relationships between food producers, processors and consumers. Largely in the context of developed market economies, notions of relocalization and the quality turn have figured prominently in discussions about these alternative food geographies. Emerging empirical research, however, is now challenging some of the assumptions embedded within such discussions. This book critically reflects on the great diversity of debates and practices surrounding efforts to reform contemporary food provision in different places and spaces. The book is organized into three parts. Following a contextual introduction written by the editors, Part One focuses on theoretical and conceptual issues/debates, especially in relation to power, representations and discourses of the alternative. In other words, how, where and why is the term alternative deployed? Part Two considers the relationship between public policy and alternative food projects, with case studies that examine some of the ways institutions enroll, represent, support and, in some instances, impede the development of certain forms of alternative food provision. Part Three addresses perspectives and practices from different actors and spaces in the food chain, including producers, retailers, consumers and local communities. Going beyond the usual focus on the global north, the book considers the relevance of debates about alternative food networks to the global south. It includes empirically-rich case studies from Europe, North and South America, Australia and Africa, whichcollectively emphasize the variety of representations and practices involved in constructing alternative food geographies. *Critic

Presenting its sixth volume in 2009, Food Economics continues to provide an international forum on food economics for practitioners and researchers in industry, academia and government. The journal's aim is to enhance the understanding and efficiency of the worldwide food and agribusiness system. The scope of the journal covers: Resource and agribusiness economics and management Food quality and safety Food supply chains Consumer behaviour and preferences Agricultural and food policies Environmental management and policies Markets and international trade Technological change Rural development Organic and integrated food production Acta Agriculturæ Scandinavica, Section C - Food Economics forms part of a trilogy of titles published on behalf of the Nordic Association of Agricultural Scientists (NJF). The series also includes Section A - Animal Science and Section B - Soil & Plant Science. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica A, B and C are available to purchase as a combined subscription.  This provides access to all three journals in the series, and is available to institutional subscribers only. For full pricing information, please view the Taylor & Francis Journals Price List here.

Three leading scholars in the field explain why place and provenance are assuming more importance in the food chain to producers, consumers, and regulators. They examine how these concerns influence debates on the future of food and farming, exploring the implications for three very different regions: California, Tuscany, and Wales.

Three leading scholars in the field explain why place and provenance are assuming more importance in the food chain to producers, consumers, and regulators. They examine how these concerns influence debates on the future of food and farming, exploring the implications for three very different regions: California, Tuscany, and Wales.

Innovation and Growth: Chasing a Moving Frontier Vandana Chandra, Pier Carlo Padoan, Deniz Eröcal, Carlos A. Primo Braga 0 Resenhas OECD Publishing, 2009 - 264 páginas Innovation is crucial to long-term economic growth, even more so in the aftermath of the financial and economic crisis. Making innovation-driven growth happen requires action in a wide range of policy areas, from education and science and technology to product and labour markets and trade. The OECD and the World Bank are joining forces to work more closely on innovation, particularly insofar as this issue is a crucial factor in the success of development policy, notably in middle-income economies. In this volume, the two organisations jointly take stock of how globalisation is posing new challenges for innovation and growth in both developed and developing countries, and how countries are coping with them. The authors discuss options for policy initiatives that can foster technological innovation in the pursuit of faster and sustainable growth. The various chapters highlight how the emergence of an integrated global market affects the impact of national innovation policy. What seemed like effective innovation strategies (e.g. policies designed to strengthen the R&D capacity of domestic firms) are no longer sufficient for effective catch-up. The more open and global nature of innovation makes policies for innovation more difficult to design and implement at the national scale alone. These challenges are further complicated by new phenomena, such as global value chains and the fragmentation of production, the growing role of global corporations, and the ICT revolution. Where and why a global corporation chooses to anchor its production affects the playing field for OECD and developing economies alike.

Special Issue "Renewable Agriculture" Quicklinks Special Issue Editors Published Papers Special Issue Information Keywords Planned Papers A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2009) Special Issue Editor Guest Editor Dr. Stephen S. Jones Director, Northwestern Research and Extension Center, Washington State University, Mount Vernon, Washington 98273, USA E-Mail: joness@wsu.edu Published Papers Click here to see a list of 19 papers that have been published in this special issue. Special Issue Information Dear Colleagues, For centuries the perceived need for an immediate and dramatic increase in agricultural production has been a theme throughout the developed world. But only very recently, and with less urgency, has society recognized the need for the true sustainability of agricultural production. For long-term sustainability, agriculture must have the capacity for renewal. Even the most basic forms of agriculture require an input of energy, this in essence is what defines the system as agricultural. Starting with human and animal labor, energy inputs have developed into an industrial system using fertilizers, water, seed, pest control, and other products often brought in from off the farm. While these products may increase production, for the most part they are non-renewable, require vast amounts of fuel to produce and transport, are costly, and may harm the native organisms and environment. Additionally, most seed in industrial agriculture is non-renewable due to legal and genetic mechanisms that make it problematic for farmers to save and replant what they have grown on their farms. Is a renewable agriculture with a high level of productivity possible? What research is underway to test the robustness of current systems when measured against a standard of true long-term sustainability? Stephen S. Jones, Ph. D. Guest Editor   Submission Information All papers should be submitted to

Carbon Footprint May Deepen Latin AmericaTrade Vulnerability The emerging role of the carbon footprint as a tool for climate change mitigation for developed countries in line with their international commitments is increasing in importance, but its possible consequences for trade in Latin America are a long way from being fully understood and resolved.  The carbon footprint refers to the amount of carbon dioxide (CO 2) emitted during the life-cycle of a product along the supply chain, and sometimes including end-of-life recovery and disposal. Overall, the region lacks consensus on the benefits of the carbon footprint, with some concerned about the possible hindrance to trade, while others see it as an opportunity. Since Latin America and the Caribbean has an export matrix heavily dependent on environmentally sensitive products, and thus would be affected by measures taken that discriminate products based on their carbon footprint, Latin American countries are concerned that the "carbon content" of goods may result in "protectionism". This is especially worrisome, since developing countries are hardly responsible for the vast majority of historical carbon emissions and emit far less per capita than developed nations. In addition, LAC has a wide range of products that are destined for the markets currently discussed in carbon footprint laws. For example, of Argentina's total global exports in 2008, 1,8 % correspond to vehicles to France, and of Brazil's total global exports in 2009, 0.6% correspond to coffee exports to Germany. These types of products are already included in the carbon footprint product families proposed by France and coffee in the products considered in Germany. Therefore, countries could incur increased cost or suffer from decreased international demand if their products are considered higher in carbon intensity at comparable prices. Other vulnerable sectors identified from the LAC region include textiles, salmon, frozen foods and flowers. Carbon

McMICHAEL, Philip, Biotechnnology and Food Security - Profiting on insecurity ?

The emergence of a world economy depends on the reorganization of agriculture and food systems to provision the work force and the industries associated with the division of labor. This work emphasizes the central role played by food and agriculture in the world economy. The book includes a historical dimension along with the formulation of the challenges that face the world today. Social scientists of all kinds, but especially economists, sociologists, environmentalists, and political scientists, should be interested in this volume.