SWOT Analysis of the horticultural farms in the Plovdiv region of Bulgaria

Agriculture/horticulture has traditionally been an important sector in the economy of Bulgaria. This paper reviews the changes in agriculture/horticulture in the Plovdiv region of Bulgaria after 1989 when the transition towards a free market economy began. In particular, it provides a review of the internal capabilities (strengths and weaknesses) of the horticultural farms and the impact upon them of the external environment (opportunities and threats). While many farmers regarded their experience as a strength, farmers having farms of different size identified additional different strengths, and different weaknesses and opportunities. Whereas, all of them were influenced by similar threats and the relative importance of these perceived threats did not varied depending upon the size of the farm

Evaluating mitochondrial uncoupling potentials of A7E and DNP in Saccharomyces cerevisiae : implications for human obesity

Obesity is one of the most prevalent maladies in the United States and is a major cause of preventable death. Weight loss supplements frequently claim uncoupling as a mechanism of action. Uncoupling agents could be used for weight loss because they disrupt mitochondrial metabolism thereby reducing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) yield. Consequently, metabolic efficiency diminishes increasing basal metabolic rate. 2,4-Dinitrophenol (DNP) successfully uncouples but was banned in 1938 because of a narrow window between efficacy and toxicity. PURPOSE: To measure the ability of a blend that reportedly contains 17-dihydroxy-delta-5-etiocholane-7-one and p-methylcarbonylethylphenol and other substances (A7E), a purported uncoupling agent, to interfere with oxidative phosphorylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae as evidenced by lower ATP production. METHODS: Timed culture studies of S. cerevisiae were performed using two separate agents, A7E (a purported uncoupling agent) and DNP (a known uncoupling agent) at three doses (DNP: Low, Moderate, High; A7E: Low, Moderate, High ), and an ethanol-treated control to detect interference with mitochondrial coupling. Microbial staining was used to ascertain cell viability and any changes in cell densities. ATP production was estimated by measuring luminosity generated in culture supernatants using the ATP Bioluminescence Kit (Sigma St. Louis, MO.). RESULTS: Luminosity measurements estimating ATP production revealed statistically lower ATP in agent-treated supernatants than in control supernatants (p \u3c 0.001) except for low dose A7E versus control (p \u3e .05), suggesting that both A7E and DNP acted by a mechanism of uncoupling. Luminosity values were measured in relative luminosity units (RLU). Treatments with A7E at Low, Moderate, and High doses generated group mean luminosity values of 24,596, 16,038, and 6,969, respectively. Treatments with DNP at Low, Moderate, and High doses generated group mean luminosity values of 17,191, 11,901, 767 RLU respectively. The control group mean was 31,645 RLU. Culture studies had no statistical difference (p \u3e 0.0167 adjusted) in total and viable cell densities between the control and A7E and DNP treatments. CONCLUSION: A7E is effective at reducing ATP levels in this assay, as is known uncoupling agent DNP, supporting the hypothesis that A7E may also uncouple oxidative phosphorylation. Because A7E requires a higher dosage than DNP to equivalently disrupt mitochondrial metabolism, it may have a wider range of therapeutic doses. This suggests that A7E should be studied further for safety and efficacy with respect to metabolic efficiency and weight loss

Tourism related entrepreneurship in rural areas : strategies for facilitation

Rural societies in European Union countries are, in the majority of cases, going through a process of irreversible change, due in part to population exodus and economic depression, associated with the decline of traditional activities. In these areas, tourism is frequently advocated as a route for economic diversification. However, small scale, family owned and operating at a local level, rural tourism related SME´s appear to be at a disadvantage when facing the challenges of the global tourism industry. Consequently, over the last decades a diverse range and complex structure of policies have been developed both at the EU and national level, which, in some way or another, are concerned with stimulating and supporting tourism related entrepreneurship in rural areas. This paper reports on results of an EU funded research project, “Opportunities For and Barriers To Tourism-Led Integrated Development Within Rural Regions of Selected European States” (OPTOUR), and will reflect the views of two groups of stakeholders - rural tourism enterprises and the facilitators (governmental and non-governmental organisations) - concerning the existing strategies and their associated frameworks in relation to the process of tourism and regional development, as well as the range of elements that represent both the opportunities and barriers to the development of tourism in selected Portuguese rural areas.8014-1B5A-933A | Goretti Silvainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

PRODUCT AND MARKET ORIENTATION OF HORTICULTURAL FARMS IN BULGARIA DURING THE YEARS LEADING TO EU ACCESSION – STUDIES IN THE PLOVDIV REGION

Agriculture/horticulture has traditionally been an important sector in the economy of Bulgaria. The paper outlines the structural changes in Bulgarian agriculture since 1989 and discusses the product and market orientation of the horticultural farms in the Plovdiv region of Bulgaria. This paper analyses how farm owners / managers with different sized farms evaluated 5 product/market strategic options: ‘doing what you currently do but better’, ‘developing new horticultural products’, ‘developing new markets’, ‘developing new agricultural activities’ and ‘developing new nonagricultural activities’. The owners / managers identifi ed; whether they perceived these options as feasible for their future development, the encouraging/discouraging factors and the outcomes they expected from their implementation. The small-scale farms (less than 2 ha) were mainly subsistence farms that were relying upon the farmer’s experience to survive during the transition period. The second type of farm (2-10 ha) was ‘transitional’ farms and were working under pressure either for survival or expansion under the new EU related conditions. The third type of farm (over 10 ha) was more business orientated, aiming at business viability and trying to respond to the rapidly changing business environment in Bulgaria as they recognised that the EU accession would present new challenges and opportunities for the successful future development of their farm businesses

Farm diversification opportunities in Bulgaria: the perceptions of farmers in the Plovdiv region

Agriculture faces significant challenges in responding to the rapidly changing global agri-business environment. Due to the decreased incomes in agriculture in the last few decades, farm diversification is frequently recommended as one approach to business survival. The paper outlines the structural changes in Bulgarian agriculture since 1944. This paper also analyses how farm managers with different farm types (size and land ownership patterns) evaluated two strategic options, ‘related’ diversification (introducing new agricultural activities) and ‘unrelated’ diversification (introducing new non-agricultural activities). The managers identified whether they perceived these strategies as feasible for their future development, what factors encouraged/discouraged diversification and the outcomes they expected from diversification. Farm diversification was perceived as an innovative business approach, irrespective of farm size and landownership patterns, which was viewed as feasible in the medium term (5 years) by only one third of the respondents

Determinants of intention to purchase leisure travel over the Internet

More than 10 years on since the launch of the Internet, there are clear differential levels of adoption of the Internet for purchasing leisure travel across countries. In some countries, such as Portugal, only a minority of travel purchasing is conducted over the Internet. This paper aims to contribute to a greater understanding of adoption of purchasing over the Internet by evaluating the determinants of intention to adopt the Internet for purchasing leisure travel. A number of variables are used to assess which factors influence intention, including the attributes of purchasing over the Internet (relative advantage and complexity), involvement, and the stage in the e-commerce adoption path. Kruskal-Wallis and logistic regression were employed and the results indicated that relative advantage, involvement and stage in the e-commerce adoption path were important predictors of the intention to purchase leisure travel over the Internet, while complexity was not

O potencial para a cooperação entre empresas de turismo e produção de vinho na oferta de experiências turísticas : o caso da região do douro, em Portugal

The provision of tourism experiences depends on cooperative relationships of businesses operating not only in the same, but also in complementary industries, as it is the case of wine production industry. This paper then focuses on the occurrence, or not, of inter-sectoral and/or diagonal cooperation between businesses operating in wine and tourism industries. The aim is to understand and discuss the current situation of cooperation in the region and its (potential) adoption to the provision of tourism experiences. Data here presented was collected through interviewbased face-to-face questionnaire applied to businesses' decision makers, owners/managers. Results indicate cooperation is already being adopted by many of the owners/ managers of wine and tourism businesses in the region and that although visitor experiences were not clearly indicated by respondents as one of the reasons to cooperate, offering complementary and diversified products/services and activities is one of the main reasons for businesses, particularly for tourism businesses, to cooperate with wine businesses. It was acknowledged by respondents an increasing demand for wine-related activities (as participating in harvests and wine tasting) and the need to offer adequate products/services to meet wine-related demand expectations of tourists when vising the region. The results of this paper indicate that respondents, particularly tourism businesses, recognise that this offer is the result of cooperative relationships with wine businesses. Therefore, one can say that there is a great potential for cooperation between wine and tourism in the provision of tourism experiences in this region.8014-1B5A-933A | Goretti SilvaN/