Improving the food sovereignty in Africa – an Activity Theory approach

This article presents a new approach to the problem of food sovereignty in Africa using an Activity Theory approach. Undernourishment in Africa is big reaching 232.5 million citizens in 2015. Sufficient food sovereignty can’t be reached because of the weak food-producing abilities in Africa. Smallholder sector can’t compete with highly subsidized Northern farmers. Present intensive agriculture is causing environmental pollution and occupational hazards for the workers. Organic agriculture brings benefits - more nutritious diet, job creation and reduced health risk caused by pesticides. Small holder family farmers could double their harvest in a decade if converting to more agro-ecological production like in organic agriculture. There is an urgent need for the governmental interventions impeding selling or renting of land and natural resources to foreign countries and companies. The change of legislation is necessary to increase the private land owning of smallholders. More sustainable trade policy should be introduced to diminish the excessive export of food. Education of the African citizens is necessary to reduce the food wastes and to boost the fairness and sustainability in the food chains including holistic organic system which is actively contributing to all the 17 the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs)

Quality of Organic vs. Conventional Food and Effects on Health

This report analyses the nutritional quality of organic and conventional food as well as the health effects of pesticide residues, nitrates, mycotoxins and artificial additives and gives an overview of animal and human experiments

The content of bioactive compounds in rat experimental diets based on organic, low-input and conventional plant materials

Rat feed based on raw plant materials was produced according to the nutritional recommendations for rat feeding trials. Rat feeds produced from crops grown under 4 different production systems were used: (a) organic, (b) conventional, (c) low input 1 (organic plant protection was used in combination with mineral fertilizers) and (d) low input 2 (conventional pest management and only organic fertilizers were used). The results showed that rat feeds prepared from the organically produced plants contained more total polyphenols and the nutritionally desirable, bioactive compound lutein. The main objective of analyzing bioactive compounds in the rat feed is to determine whether the differences in composition of feed materials from different production systems could explain any measured differences in impact on the health status of rats

Quality of organic vs. conventional food and effects on health : report

ReportOrganic methods in farming are considered as environment friendly, mainly due to a fundamental principle of harmonious cooperation with nature and the lack of chemization. There is already a lot of evidence that the condition of the environment, soil and groundwater improves as a result of organic farming (Haas et al., 2000); it is also considered to improve crop quality. The regulations which specify organic plant and animal production are very strict, and adhering to them should result in high product quality. A similar situation concerns organic food processing. Although currently conventional processing allows several hundreds of different types of food additives (colourings, fixing agents, improvers, etc.), organic processing allows only several dozen such additives, mainly natural substances. This creates challenges for organic food processors as they have to preserve product durability without the use of chemical agents. However, this is fundamentally important for consumers who are increasingly searching for healthy food

Organic Food Claims in Europe

Better regulatory guidelines, improved testing methods, and additional research into product quality criteria are needed to further develop the European organic food market

The knowledge transfer from science to practice – a survey with EU researchers

Group members came from 12 European countries, six from new (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia) and six from old EU member states (Germany, Spain, Finland, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal). The aim of the work was to analyze the role of the scientists in a dialogue between them and the practitioners within the organic production sector. Another important aim was to find the best practice models of such dialogue as the examples to be followed by others. In order to reach this aim the survey with the scientists has been conducted by all project partners; every partner has conducted the survey with 10 selected scientists from own country. Only the scientists possessing PhD level and actively working in the organic sector could be selected. Key areas of the questionnaire were directed to the (A) person (gender, age, years of activity in teaching and/or researching), (B) number of projects, papers, trainings and interviews, (C) Examples of best practice models, (D) Estimations of potential collaboration and dialog between scientists and stakeholders, (E) Estimations about the success of personal activities with regard to the improvement of the four fields (farming, processing, trading & marketing), (F) Estimates of the improvement of communication and knowledge transfer from science to practice, (G) Estimates of potential threats for good communication and knowledge transfer among scientists and practitioners. Interviewees were finally asked for general remarks and comments. The results indicate that there is not a big difference between the scientists from the old EU member states and new EU member states in most of the analyzed areas. The main difference is that the scientists from the new EU member states provide more training sessions for practitioners outside their institutions compared to the researchers from the old EU member states. The results reveal also a relatively low level of the researchers’ activity in conducting the implementation projects and writing the popular papers, both in the old and new EU member states

Higher PUFA and omega-3 PUFA, CLA, α-tocopherol and iron, but lower iodine and selenium concentrations in organic milk: a systematic literature review and meta- and redundancy analyses

Demand for organic milk is partially driven by consumer perceptions that it is more nutritious. However, there is still considerable uncertainty over whether the use of organic production standards affects milk quality. Here we report results of meta-analyses based on 170 published studies comparing the nutrient content of organic and conventional bovine milk. There were no significant differences in total SFA and MUFA concentrations between organic and conventional milk. However, concentrations of total PUFA and n-3 PUFA were significantly higher in organic milk, by an estimated 7 (95 % CI −1, 15) % and 56 (95 % CI 38, 74) %, respectively. Concentrations of α-linolenic acid (ALA), very long-chain n-3 fatty acids (EPA+DPA+DHA) and conjugated linoleic acid were also significantly higher in organic milk, by an 69 (95 % CI 53, 84) %, 57 (95 % CI 27, 87) % and 41 (95 % CI 14, 68) %, respectively. As there were no significant differences in total n-6 PUFA and linoleic acid (LA) concentrations, the n-6:n-3 and LA:ALA ratios were lower in organic milk, by an estimated 71 (95 % CI −122, −20) % and 93 (95 % CI −116, −70) %. It is concluded that organic bovine milk has a more desirable fatty acid composition than conventional milk. Meta-analyses also showed that organic milk has significantly higher α-tocopherol and Fe, but lower I and Se concentrations. Redundancy analysis of data from a large cross-European milk quality survey indicates that the higher grazing/conserved forage intakes in organic systems were the main reason for milk composition differences

Nutritional Value And Content Of Bioactive Compounds In Raspberry Fruit From Organic, Biodynamic And Conventional Farms

Organic farming is very popular in the world. Biodynamic farming is less recognized both by practice and  science. There is very sparse data about the nutritional value of  biodynamic plant crops. The aim of the study was to investigate if there are significant differences in the nutritional value and content of bioactive compounds in raspberry fruit produced in biodynamic (BIOD), organic (ORG) and conventional (CONV) systems. The results were divergent - in 2016 ORG raspberries contained more bioactive compounds than CONV. In 2017 the results were opposite - CONV fruits had significantly higher level of bio compounds than ORG ones. Composition differences between BIOD and ORG raspberries were also not consistent and showing various trends in the subsequent study years. There is a need for long lasting studies looking for the main factors deciding about the composition of fruits in dependence on the cultivation system

Shortal, Sebastian (d.1639)

Shortal, Sebastian (d.1639), Cistercian monk and titular abbot of Bective, co. Meath was born in co. Kilkenny. There he received his primary education before travelling to Spain where he became a Cistercian monk at Nucale in Galicia. He taught philosophy in the seminary of St Claudius in Nucale and later in the monastery of Mons Ramorum. In 1619 he set out for Ireland accompanied by the Cistercian chronicler Malachy Harty. En route, Shortal was taken captive by Moors