What Adds Value in Specialty Coffee? Managerial Implications from Hedonic Price Analysis of Central and South American E-Auctions

We analyze price and quality information at the procurement level in the specialty coffee supply chain using data from small and large volume e-auctions. Hedonic price equations reveal that the Cup of Excellence auction is a more differentiated market disclosing more information about coffee values associated with ratings, rankings, quantities available, and country reputations whereas information in the Q auction is more limited and tends to be remunerated to a lesser extent. These results indicate that there are different business models and valuation of product characteristics within the specialty coffee industry. Management implications are drawn for specialty coffee producers and roasters.specialty coffee, e-auctions, hedonic analysis, business models, Demand and Price Analysis,

Alcohol-related brain damage in humans

Chronic excessive alcohol intoxications evoke cumulative damage to tissues and organs. We examined prefrontal cortex (Brodmann’s area (BA) 9) from 20 human alcoholics and 20 age, gender, and postmortem delay matched control subjects. H & E staining and light microscopy of prefrontal cortex tissue revealed a reduction in the levels of cytoskeleton surrounding the nuclei of cortical and subcortical neurons, and a disruption of subcortical neuron patterning in alcoholic subjects. BA 9 tissue homogenisation and one dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) proteomics of cytosolic proteins identified dramatic reductions in the protein levels of spectrin β II, and α- and β-tubulins in alcoholics, and these were validated and quantitated by Western blotting. We detected a significant increase in α-tubulin acetylation in alcoholics, a non-significant increase in isoaspartate protein damage, but a significant increase in protein isoaspartyl methyltransferase protein levels, the enzyme that triggers isoaspartate damage repair in vivo. There was also a significant reduction in proteasome activity in alcoholics. One dimensional PAGE of membrane-enriched fractions detected a reduction in β-spectrin protein levels, and a significant increase in transmembranous α3 (catalytic) subunit of the Na+,K+-ATPase in alcoholic subjects. However, control subjects retained stable oligomeric forms of α-subunit that were diminished in alcoholics. In alcoholics, significant loss of cytosolic α- and β-tubulins were also seen in caudate nucleus, hippocampus and cerebellum, but to different levels, indicative of brain regional susceptibility to alcohol-related damage. Collectively, these protein changes provide a molecular basis for some of the neuronal and behavioural abnormalities attributed to alcoholics

Effect of Sensory and Reputation Quality Attributes on Specialty Coffee Prices

We apply the hedonic technique to specialty coffees traded at the Cup of Excellence electronic auction. The hedonic model includes sensory and reputation variables. We discuss the significance and value of the coefficient estimates in the context of this evolving industry

Linking Agricultural Research with the Agribusiness Community from a Pro-Poor Perspective: the Importance of Human Capital Development

Improved crop varieties are a key output of agricultural research and have contributed to significantin-creases in agricultural production and productivity However, the benefitsfrom advances in plant breeding have often not reached the majority of poor farmers. This essay tackles the challenge of enhancing human capital development in the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in order to enhance impact on food security and poverty reduction. Key changes in strategic planning, leadership, organizational alignment, talent and performance culture along with the need for new ways of thinking and action are outlined

What Adds Value in Specialty Coffee? Managerial Implications from Hedonic Price Analysis of Central and South American E-Auctions

We analyze price and quality information at the procurement level in the specialty coffee supply chain using data from small and large volume e-auctions. Hedonic price equations reveal that the Cup of Excellence auction is a more differentiated market disclosing more information about coffee values associated with ratings, rankings, quantities available, and country reputations whereas information in the Q auction is more limited and tends to be remunerated to a lesser extent. These results indicate that there are different business models and valuation of product characteristics within the specialty coffee industry. Management implications are drawn for specialty coffee producers and roasters

Productivity differences and food security: a metafrontier analysis of rain-fed maize farmers in MasAgro in Mexico

Rain-fed maize production in Mexico includes approximately 6 million hectares which variation in productivity represents huge challenges to meeting the sustainable intensification goals of the Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture (MasAgro) program. We use the information available from farmers participating in this program to investigate the differences in productivity and the effects of the promoted practices and technologies in seven defined rain-fed maize regions. We do this by applying metafrontier analysis to measure the technical efficiency and the technology gap. The results show a range of technical efficiency from 70 to 100%, which indicates the gains that can be achieved through improved management of the current inputs and practices of farmers in the program, and a range of the environment–technology gap between 32 and 82%, which indicates the limitations of the production environment which would require innovations in technologies and policies particularly adapted for the dry, the tropical and the more traditional regions. Furthermore, the results show that the use of hybrid seed and selling into maize markets have the largest impact in increasing maize yields in all regions. The difference between the MasAgro farmers and the average farmers in each region suggest that scaling the project will contribute to increasing maize production and Mexico’s food self-sufficiency

Análisis de la estructura del sector y la asociación público-privada de semillas de maíz en México

Introduction. The rapid growth of private investment in the maize seed sector poses challenges for public breeding organizations and smaller seed companies that have increasingly less access to technologies and markets. The International Maize Improvement Consortium (IMIC-LA) created in Mexico in 2011, seeks to increase the size and competitiveness of the seed sector through access to germplasm and breeding tools. However, there are no recent basic data and measures of the sector structure that allow evaluating this and other sector initiatives. Objective. To update and analyze the structure indicators of total seed sales, participation in sales by categories of companies and type of seed varieties, and coverage with improved seeds in Mexico. Materials and methods. Maize seed sales data from interviews and surveys with seed companies and official seed production statistics from the Servicio Nacional de Inspeccion y Certificacion de Semillas (SNICS) from 2011 to 2016 were used. Results. The results showed a larger and more competitive seed sector after twenty-five years of opening, especially in the most recent years in which the rapid increase in volume and the share of sales of the national business subsector stands out. Conclusion. The broad participation of seed companies as members of the consortium and the development and commercialization of new seed varieties suggest a positive impact and a role of the consortium in the growth and competitiveness of the national subsector.Introducción. El rápido crecimiento de la inversión privada en el sector de semillas de maíz plantea desafíos para los organismos públicos y las empresas más pequeñas que tienen cada vez menor acceso a tecnologías y mercados. El Consorcio Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz (IMIC-LA), creado en México en 2011, busca aumentar el tamaño y la competitividad del sector semillero mediante el acceso a germoplasma y herramientas de mejoramiento. Sin embargo, no hay datos y medidas básicas recientes de la estructura que permitan evaluar esta y otras iniciativas del sector. Objetivo. Actualizar y analizar los indicadores de ventas totales, participación en ventas por categorías de empresas y tipos de variedades de semilla, y cobertura con semillas mejoradas, en México. Materiales y métodos. Se utilizaron datos de ventas de semillas de maíz de entrevistas y encuestas con empresas semilleras y estadísticas oficiales de producción de semillas del Servicio Nacional de Inspección y Certificación de Semillas (SNICS) del año 2011 al año 2016. Resultados. Los resultados mostraron un sector semillero más grande y competitivo después de veinticinco años de apertura, especialmente en los años más recientes en los que se destaca el rápido aumento del volumen y la participación de las ventas del subsector de empresas nacionales. Conclusión. La amplia participación de las empresas como miembros del consorcio y el desarrollo y comercialización de nuevas variedades, sugieren un impacto positivo y un papel en el crecimiento y competitividad de las empresas semilleras nacionales