New Multidisciplinary Approaches for Reducing Food Waste in Agribusiness Supply Chains

This reprint is a collection of research articles that highlight the achievements of the team of the European project called REAMIT. REAMIT was funded by Interreg North-West Europe and ERDF. The term REAMIT stands for “Improving Resource Efficiency of Agribusiness supply chains by Minimising waste using Big Data and Internet of Things sensors.” The main aim of the REAMIT project was to reduce food waste in agrifood supply chains by using the power of modern, digital technologies (e.g., the Internet of Things (IoT), sensors, big data, cloud computing and analytics). The chapters in this reprint provide detailed information of the activities of the project team.The chapters of this reprint were published as articles in the Special Issue titled ”New Multidisciplinary Approaches for Reducing Food Waste in Agribusiness Supply Chains” published in the journal Sustainability. For ease of readability and flow, the book is divided into four distinct parts.In Part 1, the project members provided a comprehensive review of the existing literature. Part 2 is devoted to the in-depth discussions of the development, adaptation, and applications of these technologies for specific food companies. While the project team worked with a number of food companies including human milk, fresh vegetables and fruits, meat production, this part discusses four different applications.Part 3 presents a detailed analysis of our case studies. A general life-cycle analysis tool for implementing technology for reducing food waste (REAMIT-type activities) is presented in Chapter 7. A specific application of this tool for the case study on a human milk bank is presented in Chapter 8. In Chapter 9, we developed a novel mathematical programming model to identify the conditions when food businesses will prefer the use of modern technologies for helping to reduce food waste.The final part, Part 4, is devoted to summarising learnings from the project and developing some policy-oriented guidelines. Chapter 10 reviews the current state of corporate reporting guidelines for reporting on food waste. Chapter 11 presents the important leanings from the REAMIT project on the motivations for food companies in reducing waste and the associated challenges. Business models are discussed, and some policy guidelines were developed.We gratefully acknowledge the generous funding received from the Interreg North-West Europe for carrying out our activities. The content of Chapter 10 was funded additional funding received from the University of Essex. We believe that the reprint and individual chapters will be of interest to a wide and various audience and will kindle interest in food companies, technology companies, business support organisations, policy-makers and members of the academic community in finding ways to reduce food waste with and without the use of technology

Digital transformation of peatland eco-innovations (‘Paludiculture’): Enabling a paradigm shift towards the real-time sustainable production of ‘green-friendly’ products and services

The world is heading in the wrong direction on carbon emissions where we are not on track to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C; Ireland is among the countries where overall emissions have continued to rise. The development of wettable peatland products and services (termed 'Paludiculture') present significant opportunities for enabling a transition away from peat-harvesting (fossil fuels) to developing 'green' eco-innovations. However, this must be balanced with sustainable carbon sequestration and environmental protection. This complex transition from 'brown to green' must be met in real time by enabling digital technologies across the full value chain. This will potentially necessitate creation of new green-business models with the potential to support disruptive innovation. This timely paper describes digital transformation of paludiculture-based eco-innovation that will potentially lead to a paradigm shift towards using smart digital technologies to address efficiency of products and services along with future-proofing for climate change. Digital transform of paludiculture also aligns with the 'Industry 5.0 -a human-centric solution'. However, companies supporting peatland innovation may lack necessary standards, data-sharing or capabilities that can also affect viable business model propositions that can jeopardize economic, political and social sustainability. Digital solutions may reduce costs, increase productivity, improve produce develop, and achieve faster time to market for paludiculture. Digitisation also enables information systems to be open, interoperable, and user-friendly. This constitutes the first study to describe the digital transformation of paludiculture, both vertically and horizontally, in order to inform sustainability that includes process automation via AI, machine learning, IoT-Cloud informed sensors and robotics, virtual and augmented reality, and blockchain for cyber-physical systems. Thus, the aim of this paper is to describe the applicability of digital transformation to actualize the benefits and opportunities of paludiculture activities and enterprises in the Irish midlands with a global orientation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION OF AFRICA’S AGRICULTURAL SECTOR A PARADIGM SHIFT TRANSFORMATION

Agriculture is still the dominant occupation of over 70% of the African rural farmers. Increasing the operations of Africa’s agriculture is thus very essential in attaining industrial revolution and shift resulting in Africa’s agriculture sector growth and obliteration of poverty in African countries. The sudden break-out of industrial agro-revolution experienced an overwhelming increase in in agricultural outputs and sector development. Improved methods of production involving the use of machines and mechatronics had drastically reduced the use of old methods of cultivation (animal and human labours) which deface agriculture making it a tedious enterprise. Furthermore, the invention and introduction of advanced emerging technologies in agriculture had overhaul the entire sector aligning and fortifying it into a profitable and viable enterprise thus driving agro-industrial revolution cum transformation. This has further increased the level of agricultural productivity in terms of yields, outputs, and overall economic gains. Conclusively, agricultural innovations, revolution and transformations are currently at the third stage of industrial revolution awaiting metamorphosis into the fourth industrial revolution where advanced technologies and its drifts such as the virtual reality (VR), agro-robotics (AR), Internet of Things (IT), and artificial intelligence (AI) are domiciled and seriously changing our work patterns and ways of life. Hence, African governments are to exploit the benefits of industrial revolution via the use of advanced technological tools and inclusive policy instruments to nurture economic growth, sector development and overall transformation of the African economy

Virtual Reality

At present, the virtual reality has impact on information organization and management and even changes design principle of information systems, which will make it adapt to application requirements. The book aims to provide a broader perspective of virtual reality on development and application. First part of the book is named as "virtual reality visualization and vision" and includes new developments in virtual reality visualization of 3D scenarios, virtual reality and vision, high fidelity immersive virtual reality included tracking, rendering and display subsystems. The second part named as "virtual reality in robot technology" brings forth applications of virtual reality in remote rehabilitation robot-based rehabilitation evaluation method and multi-legged robot adaptive walking in unstructured terrains. The third part, named as "industrial and construction applications" is about the product design, space industry, building information modeling, construction and maintenance by virtual reality, and so on. And the last part, which is named as "culture and life of human" describes applications of culture life and multimedia-technology

Assessment of agricultural information needs in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States for CTA’s Products & Services: Phase 2: Pacific: Country report: Palau

The objectives of the study were: to identify agricultural information needs of key actors / beneficiaries for CTA products and services; to identify needs of potential actors / beneficiaries of CTA activities and services in terms of building capacity for information and communication management; to identify potential partners / beneficiaries for CTA activities and services; and, to develop some baseline data to facilitate subsequent monitoring activities. The study is intended to assist the three operational departments of the CTA as well as its local representatives to improve and better target interventions and activities aimed at potential partners and beneficiaries (including women, youth, private sector and civil society organisations); to have a more informed picture of their needs and aid in the elaboration of a strategy and framework of action. The study should also highlight where there are specific needs for CTA’s products and services thereby enabling improvement in the delivery of the same.This study commissioned by CTA aims to identify agricultural information needs of key actors / beneficiaries for CTA products and services, potential actors ..and, to develop some baseline data to facilitate subsequent monitoring activities

DIGITISING AGRIFOOD Pathways and Challenges. November 2019

As climate change increasingly poses an existential risk for the Earth, scientists and policymakers turn to agriculture and food as areas for urgent and bold action, which need to return within acceptable Planet Boundaries. The links between agriculture, biodiversity and climate change have become so evident that scientists propose a Great Food Transformation towards a healthy diet by 2050 as a major way to save the planet. Achieving these milestones, however, is not easy, both based on current indicators and on the gloomy state of global dialogue in this domain. This is why digital technologies such as wireless connectivity, the Internet of Things, Arti cial Intelligence and blockchain can and should come to the rescue. This report looks at the many ways in which digital solutions can be implemented on the ground to help the agrifood chain transform itself to achieve more sustainability. Together with the solution, we identify obstacles, challenges, gaps and possible policy recommendations. Action items are addressed at the European Union both as an actor of change at home, and in global governance, and are spread across ten areas, from boosting connectivity and data governance to actions aimed at empowering small farmers and end users

A systematic literature review on machine learning applications for sustainable agriculture supply chain performance

Agriculture plays an important role in sustaining all human activities. Major challenges such as overpopulation, competition for resources poses a threat to the food security of the planet. In order to tackle the ever-increasing complex problems in agricultural production systems, advancements in smart farming and precision agriculture offers important tools to address agricultural sustainability challenges. Data analytics hold the key to ensure future food security, food safety, and ecological sustainability. Disruptive information and communication technologies such as machine learning, big data analytics, cloud computing, and blockchain can address several problems such as productivity and yield improvement, water conservation, ensuring soil and plant health, and enhance environmental stewardship. The current study presents a systematic review of machine learning (ML) applications in agricultural supply chains (ASCs). Ninety three research papers were reviewed based on the applications of different ML algorithms in different phases of the ASCs. The study highlights how ASCs can benefit from ML techniques and lead to ASC sustainability. Based on the study findings an ML applications framework for sustainable ASC is proposed. The framework identifies the role of ML algorithms in providing real-time analytic insights for pro-active data-driven decision-making in the ASCs and provides the researchers, practitioners, and policymakers with guidelines on the successful management of ASCs for improved agricultural productivity and sustainability

Sensors Application in Agriculture

Novel technologies are playing an important role in the development of crop and livestock farming and have the potential to be the key drivers of sustainable intensification of agricultural systems. In particular, new sensors are now available with reduced dimensions, reduced costs, and increased performances, which can be implemented and integrated in production systems, providing more data and eventually an increase in information. It is of great importance to support the digital transformation, precision agriculture, and smart farming, and to eventually allow a revolution in the way food is produced. In order to exploit these results, authoritative studies from the research world are still needed to support the development and implementation of new solutions and best practices. This Special Issue is aimed at bringing together recent developments related to novel sensors and their proved or potential applications in agriculture

Digital Twins in Agriculture: Orchestration and Applications

Digital Twins have emerged as an outstanding opportunity for precision farming, digitally replicating in real-time the functionalities of objects and plants. A virtual replica of the crop, including key agronomic development aspects such as irrigation, optimal fertilization strategies, and pest management, can support decision-making and a step change in farm management, increasing overall sustainability and direct water, fertilizer, and pesticide savings. In this review, Digital Twin technology is critically reviewed and framed in the context of recent advances in precision agriculture and Agriculture 4.0. The review is organized for each step of agricultural lifecycle, edaphic, phytotechnologic, postharvest, and farm infrastructure, with supporting case studies demonstrating direct benefits for agriculture production and supply chain considering both benefits and limitations of such an approach. Challenges and limitations are disclosed regarding the complexity of managing such an amount of data and a multitude of (often) simultaneous operations and supports

Annual Report: 2009

I submit herewith the annual report from the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, for the period ending December 31, 2009. This is done in accordance with an act of Congress, approved March 2, 1887, entitled, “An act to establish agricultural experiment stations, in connection with the agricultural college established in the several states under the provisions of an act approved July 2, 1862, and under the acts supplementary thereto,” and also of the act of the Alaska Territorial Legislature, approved March 12, 1935, accepting the provisions of the act of Congress. The research reports are organized according to our strategic plan, which focuses on high-latitude soils, high-latitude agriculture, natural resources use and allocation, ecosystems management, and geographic information. These areas cross department and unit lines, linking them and unifying the research. We have also included in our financial statement information on the special grants we receive. These special grants allow us to provide research and outreach that is targeted toward economic development in Alaska. Research conducted by our graduate and undergraduate students plays an important role in these grants and the impact they make on Alaska.Financial statement -- Grants -- Students -- Research Reports: Partners, Facilities, and Programs; Geography; High-Latitude Agriculture; High-Latitude Soils; Management of Ecosystems; Natural Resources Use and Allocation; Index to Reports -- Publications -- Facult