Riding the wave: high prices, big business? : the role of multinationals in the international grain markets

In 2007-2008, world market prices for grains and inputs such as fertiliser have risen sharply. At the same time, international trade is increasingly dominated by only a few large agribusiness firms. Civil society organisations are increasingly concerned about the potential impact of these two trends. This report provides an overview of the international trade of grains, the role of multinationals that trade in international grains, and the linkage of international and domestic grain markets in Africa. This research also provides an analysis of the role of multinationals and speculation on grain price

Technological learning for innovating towards sustainable cultivation practices: the Vietnamese smallholder rose sector

Deregulation and globalisation has altered the views of public involvement in development and led to strategies focusing on private sector participation. An implicit assumption seems to be that these linkages will enhance the technological capacity of smallholder producers by way of more cost-efficient technologies trickling down through the value chain or by quality requirements inducing best practices. The argument put forward in this paper is that sustainable non traditional agricultural chain development requires more purposeful actions and institutional transitions, both in the public and private spheres, targeting improved upstream innovative capacities. Empirical findings from a Dutch-Vietnamese partnership on sustainable floriculture development are used. Research revealed that the pest and disease control solutions applied by smallholder rose growers were incremental adaptations of experiences obtained in former food crop cultivation practices. Floriculture however may require more drastic changes in cultivation practices to make the sector more environmentally benign. In the case of smallholder Vietnamese flower producers, this implies adaptation of knowledge and skills currently not present. An important hindrance in promoting this knowledge and skills appears to be the weak vertical linkages between flower growers and public and private research and development organizations

Organic produce from the Republic of South Africa. Exploring the conditions for enhancing trade in organic vegetables, fruit and wine

Conditions for enhancing the trade in organic products between the Netherlands and the Republic of South Africa were assessed by means of a SWOT analysis, based on information acquired through interviews and desk research. There is a large potential to enhance the trade in organic products between the two countries, although the following issues need to be addressed: the finalisation of the RSA legislation on organic production (which will enable large enough volumes to be produced and traded), skills development and the presence of an effective platform for organic production in the RS

Creating green consumer loyalty; How to strategically market CSR and obtain consumer preference

Sustainability is an important social theme that is taking on increasing significance in many areas, including the supermarket sector. This report presents the findings of a literature study looking at the opportunities available to supermarkets to gain a preferential position in the eyes of consumers for their efforts regarding sustainability. Duurzaamheid is een belangrijk maatschappelijk thema, dat ook in de supermarktbranche van steeds grotere betekenis wordt. Dit rapport presenteert de bevindingen van een literatuurstudie naar de aangrijpingspunten die supermarkten hebben om voor hun duurzaamheidsinspanningen een voorkeurspositie bij de consument te verkrijgen

Alcohol ambivalences and the law:Tax tendering and “native liquor” in rural Uganda

This article is an attempt to ethnographically represent some of the processes in which the meanings and practices of home brewed alcohol affect local legislative practices in Kisoro District, south-western Uganda, in particular taxation. Data from the field shows how home brewed alcohols are taxed differently throughout the district. Some drinks are taxed in one sub-county, but neglected in another and vice versa. The question that concerns this article is why. Building on the work of Sally Falk Moore (1973), this article analyses how alcohol producers, traders, private tax collectors and government officials navigate multiple semi-autonomous social fields that set overlapping and contradicting rules for alcohol trading practices in the area. Specifically, it argues that what qualifies as a taxable alcoholic product depends on local perceptions of alcohol as well as on negotiations between tax collectors and the local population about the meaning of alcohol

L’évaluation de la formation : comment la rendre utile pour les participants ? Constats et proposition de cinq stratégies d’évaluation partenariale

peer reviewedL’évaluation de la formation par les participants est une pratique courante aujourd’hui, portée à la fois par des exigences de rentabilité et de qualité. Cependant, cet exercice, qui se présente souvent sous la forme de questionnaires individuels remis à la fin de la formation, peut être vécu par ceux qui les remplissent comme un rituel obligé mais présentant peu d’intérêt. C’est dans l’intention de proposer une alternative à cette situation que cet article a été rédigé. Dans un premier temps, nous faisons le point sur les modes les plus habituels d’évaluation de la formation par les participants. Nous identifions les récurrences de ce genre de pratique et les questions qu’elles posent. Ensuite, nous avançons cinq manières de procéder à une évaluation de telle sorte qu’elle soit bénéfique tant aux apprenants qu’au formateur. Les propositions sont réparties en deux familles (centrée sur l’activité de l’apprenant et centrée sur le processus de formation). Elles visent, au contraire de ce qui est pratiqué habituellement, à mettre au travail chacun des acteurs, formateur comme apprenants, afin que le moment de l’évaluation constitue une occasion de continuer à apprendre. Cette approche est aussi potentiellement transférable en contexte scolaire lors de l’évaluation des enseignants (ou des enseignements) par les élèves/étudiants