How to improve collection on organic agriculture in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe

Annually, the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL collects data on key indicators of organic agriculture in European Union such as area, production and trade data among national data sources (for trade data) and Eurostat (for area, production and operator data; Eurostat 2018). Data are compiled in a MySQL database, and quality checks are carried out following the ORMACODE of the EUfunded OrganicDataNetwork (OrganicDataNetwork et al 2014), much of which is based on Eurostat’s Statistics Code of Practice (Eurostat 2011). Checks include the comparison against the previous year, the neighbouring countries, and the overall total. In case of inconsistencies, data providers are asked for clarification. FiBL publishes the data annually in collaboration with IFOAM – Organics International in a statistical yearbook (Willer & Lernoud 2018)

El proceso de fidelización: estudio de caso en una organización al sur de Córdoba

El objetivo principal del presente trabajo, consistió en determinar y analizar el proceso de fidelización en una organización de la Provincia de Córdoba. Para dicho fin, se realizó una Caracterización de la muestra general; un Análisis de conglomerados y por último, se elaboró una Propuesta de mejora para optimizar la gestión comercial en la organización en estudio. A partir del análisis descriptivo de la información, se observó que la mayor cantidad de los encuestados, son pequeños y medianos productores, pertenecientes a las localidades de Las Perdices, General Cabrera, y General Deheza, que compran insumos y venden su producción en la cooperativa. Los atributos de mayor valoración, con respecto a la compra de dichos insumos, son la confianza, ofertas y promociones y el compromiso, pero con fuertes diferencias en las preferencias en híbridos de maíz, donde predominan las marcas de la competencia. Además, un gran porcentaje de los encuestados se encuentran insatisfechos, demandando diversas condiciones para satisfacer sus necesidades, entre las cuales se encuentran variaciones en los precios, en el financiamiento, distintos descuentos, servicios diferenciados de acuerdo al cliente, entre otras. Se identificaron dos grupos con perfiles definidos, orientando el plan de mejora hacia aquel segmento denominado "productores POCO FIELES", quienes se caracterizan por una baja tendencia de elección hacia la cooperativa, en la compra de insumos, así como también por no poseer una marcada valoración hacia los atributos mencionados anteriormente. Esta información es relevante al momento de diseñar un plan de mejora, con el fin de optimizar un aspecto clave en la organización bajo estudio.

Global and local food value chains in Africa: A review

The rapid expansion of agrifood exports from low‐ and middle‐income countries and the contribution of global value chains to rural development are well‐documented in the literature. Also, studies on modernization of domestic food value chains in these countries are emerging. Yet, the linkages between global and local value chains are rarely studied. On the one hand, the development and expansion of global value chains may create competition with local value chains for land, labor, water, soil nutrients, and other resources. On the other hand, positive spillover effects, such as investment, technical or institutional spillovers, may occur and spur the development of local value chains. In this article, we put forward a conceptual discussion on the type of linkages between global and local value chains, and how these depend on crop and value chain characteristics. We review the empirical evidence on these linkages. Our focus is on Africa, where agrifood exports and global value chains evolved rapidly and where challenges remain to upgrade and increase efficiency in local food value chains

Beyond “mainstream” and “alternative” in organic food supply chains: Empirical examples of added value distribution from eight European countries

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the supply chains for organic milk, apples and pasta in eight European countries and how added value is distributed among market players. Design/methodology/approach: Using secondary data and expert interviews, a market overview for the three products is provided as the basis of a more detailed analysis of the added value in 12 organic supply chain examples. For this, interviews with market players and an “added value calculator” tool are employed. Findings: The farm gate and retail price of organic products is higher than conventional. Supermarkets are the main outlet for organic milk and apples in the countries studied, whereas the situation for organic pasta is varied, suggesting that the use of different sale channels is influenced by the food product. The farmers’ share of added value ranges between 3 and 65 per cent of the added value created in the organic supply chains analysed. Organic offers opportunities to increase the farmers’ share of added value both in supermarkets and alternative sale channels, by developing collaboration, physical infrastructures for organic and integrating operations upstream of the chain. Research limitations/implications: While more research is needed into a larger number of chains, this paper indicates that there are dynamics and features at supply chain level, such as the distribution of added value and the target markets used, that cannot be interpreted according to the binary division between “mainstream” and “alternative” organic suggested by the conventionalisation hypothesis. Originality/value: The distribution of added value for existing supply chains in eight European countries is calculated by using an effective added value calculator tool

Sustainability strategies by companies in the global coffee sector

The coffee sector is facing several sustainability challenges. We ask whether addressing these is transforming the entire coffee sector or rather leading to market differentiation. Drawing on stakeholder theory and global value chain analysis, we analyse how the coffee sector approaches sustainability by examining the sustainability efforts of a random sample of 513 companies. We also identify the factors shaping the adoption of sustainability strategies. A third of companies report no commitment to sustainability, whereas another third report vague commitment. The final third of companies report tangible commitments to sustainability. Company characteristics and stakeholders affect the scope and type of sustainability strategy chosen. Large, risk-aware companies tend to conduct ‘hands-on’ governance, adopting internal sustainability practices along their value chain. Small, consumerfacing companies and producers rely on ‘hands-off’ governance, adopting external voluntary sustainability standards. Several sustainability issues remain underaddressed by most companies, including climate change and deforestation. We found indications of potential greenwashing by some companies. Addressing sustainability is not yet fully mainstreamed in the sector, though ambitious commitments by sustainability leaders and large actors signal increasing importance of sustainability as part of corporate social responsibility efforts. We observe market differentiation through sustainability with progressive companies adopting sustainability strategies that align with their stakeholders, depending on value chain characteristics. Our results indicate a notable reliance on internal sustainability practices. There is a need for common coffee sustainability indicators relevant for all actors along the value chain, which are consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals, and a transparent, mandatory reporting framework