METRIC CONVERSION AND THE FOOD RETAILER

Agribusiness,

Organic agriculture in relation to food security of developing countries

A study was conducted to investigate the differences in farm production, input use and farm income between organic and conventional systems in three regions (Uttaranchal, Madhya Pradesh and Tamilnadu) of India. From each region, 40 organic and 40 conventional farmers were interviewed with semi structured questionnaire. The results showed that input costs were less in the organic system while either total farm yield or net margin was righter in the organic system in two of the three regions. In Tamilnadu specializing in rice production, rice yield was less under organic system while net margin did not differ signifcantly. In addition, the IFPRI-IMPACT model was used to fnd out the impact of large scale conversion to organic farming on food security of Sub-Saharan Africa. The model showed that large scale conversion to organic farming in Europe and North America will not have major impact on food security of Africa and large scale conversion in Sub-Saharan Africa will improve the local food security

Green Food in China

"Green Food" is a Chinese food production innovation, and has been described as "one of the most successful eco-labelling programs in the world" (Giovannucci, 2005, p.12). Green Food provides a "middle way" between chemical and organic farming. China's development of the Green Food concept resolves issues with both chemical and organic agriculture - for the former by offering reduced pesticide use, and for the latter by providing a stepped pathway for conversion from chemical to organic agriculture while simultaneously providing a Green Food price premium. After nearly two decades of development, Green Food is by now well known to Chinese consumers, and is readily available for retail purchase in China. China has 10 million hectares (150 million mu) of Green Food productive land, with a production of 72 million tons of certified Green Food produce, for a value of US$20.1 billion (150 billion yuan). There are a reported 5315 Green Food enterprises producing 14,339 Green Food products. Green Food achieves a price premium of 10% to 50% in Chin

Differentiated Food Taxes as a Tool in Health and Nutrition Policy

The purpose of the present study is to analyse the effects of using economic policy tools in nutrition policy, e.g. introduction of specific taxes on unhealthy food components or differentiated VAT on foods. The effects of such regulation instruments are demonstrated using Denmark as an illustrative case. A model concept combining econometric models of food consumption behaviour for different socio-demographic groups with a model for conversion between food consumption and nutrient intake is developed. The socio-demographic effects of four different tax or subsidy regulation schemes are investigated.obesity, food taxes, econometric model, socio-demographic differences, Agricultural and Food Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

A preliminary investigation into the effects of a sex-reversal androgen, methyltestosterone, on food utilization and growth of Sarotherodon niloticus (L) fry

Three groups of Sarotherodon niloticus fry were fed for 8 weeks on diets either treated with 17- & methyltestosterone (MT), alcohol (CA), or untreated (CO). Growth rate and food utilization in the different groups were compared. Results indicate that the best growth, Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) and Mean Growth Rate (MGR) were obtained with the MT diet. There was no significant difference (P 0.05) in growth and food utilization of the CA and CO fry, nor in the mortality rate of the 3 treatments. The androgen, methyltestosterone promotes growth and protein anabolism without producing toxic effects in S. niloticu

Differentiated Food Taxes as a Tool in Health and Nutrition Policy

The purpose of the present study is to analyse the effects of using economic policy tools in nutrition policy, e.g. introduction of specific taxes on unhealthy food components or differentiated VAT on foods. The effects of such regulation instruments are demonstrated using Denmark as an illustrative case. A model concept combining econometric models of food consumption behaviour for different socio-demographic groups with a model for conversion between food consumption and nutrient intake is developed. The socio-demographic effects of four different tax or subsidy regulation schemes are investigated.obesity, food taxes, econometric model, socio-demographic differences, Agricultural and Food Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Finishing pigs: conversion is more than respecting the standards

Food scares, mainly BSE and antibiotics, have sharpened consumers concerns about food safety and quality and have increased public attention on agricultural production and food processing. The demand for organic food has increased drastically in the year 2001. In particular, the demand for organically produced pork can not be satisfied. Accordingly, the interest of organic and conventional farmers to finish pigs organically has risen. The general objective of this research project is to describe the state of organic pig finishing in Germany, to analyse the most frequently encountered problems related to an up-take of organic pig finishing, to develop strategies to overcome these problems and provide the base to develop a conversion guidebook. The specific objective of this paper is to present the results of a pilot study which was designed to further explore the research problem and test the feasibility of the study design

Food Quality in Producer-Grazer Models: A Generalized Analysis

Stoichiometric constraints play a role in the dynamics of natural populations, but are not explicitly considered in most mathematical models. Recent theoretical works suggest that these constraints can have a significant impact and should not be neglected. However, it is not yet resolved how stoichiometry should be integrated in population dynamical models, as different modeling approaches are found to yield qualitatively different results. Here we investigate a unifying framework that reveals the differences and commonalities between previously proposed models for producer-grazer systems. Our analysis reveals that stoichiometric constraints affect the dynamics mainly by increasing the intraspecific competition between producers and by introducing a variable biomass conversion efficiency. The intraspecific competition has a strongly stabilizing effect on the system, whereas the variable conversion efficiency resulting from a variable food quality is the main determinant for the nature of the instability once destabilization occurs. Only if the food quality is high an oscillatory instability, as in the classical paradox of enrichment, can occur. While the generalized model reveals that the generic insights remain valid in a large class of models, we show that other details such as the specific sequence of bifurcations encountered in enrichment scenarios can depend sensitively on assumptions made in modeling stoichiometric constraints.Comment: Online appendixes include

Energy conversion in isothermal nonlinear irreversible processes - struggling for higher efficiency

First we discuss some early work of Ulrike Feudel on structure formation in nonlinear reactions including ions and the efficiency of the conversion of chemical into electrical energy. Then we give some survey about energy conversion from chemical to higher forms of energy like mechanical, electrical and ecological energy. We consider examples of energy conversion in several natural processes and in some devices like fuel cells. Further, as an example, we study analytically the dynamics and efficiency of a simple "active circuit" converting chemical into electrical energy and driving currents which is roughly modeling fuel cells. Finally we investigate an analogous ecological system of Lotka - Volterra type consisting of an "active species" consuming some passive "chemical food". We show analytically for both these models that the efficiency increases with the load, reaches values higher then 50 percent in a narrow regime of optimal load and goes beyond some maximal load abrupt to zero.Comment: 25 pages, 4 figure