The role of local food production to reduce food losses and improve regional economy

Brazil is one of the most important agricultural growers worldwide, however, faces many logistics and distribution issues due to the size of the country. Therefore, it is known that local producers are essential to Food Supply Chains because they are near to the consumers and reduce the logistics impacts. In order to understand the role of local food producers, this study analysis the Local Food Production Mogi das Cruzes city. It is considered the center of Sao Paulo metropolitan area green belt. Data were collected from Municipal Secretary of Agriculture. The results suggest that the local government performs technical and legal actions and there is a concerning in supporting the local food producers, keep on this economic activity in a good level of efficiency.

Food exports from Brazil to the United Kingdom: An exploratory analysis of COVID-19 impact on trade

Brazil and the UK have been strategic partners throughout the years. While the former has traded minerals and food products – mainly agricultural commodities – the latter has been critical to infrastructure development in the South American country. However, the Crisis of COVID-19 Pandemic altered the scenario of international food production and distribution. This article aims to analyse Brazilian food exports to the UK in 2019 and 2020 to identify the impact of COVID-19 on the trade flows. To do so, we collected data from the Brazilian Ministry of Economy regarding the exports between the two nations and performed an exploratory investigation using graphical and quantitative analysis. The results suggest that the Pandemic crisis rose Brazilian exports of cereal and grains to the UK by around 50%, and the shortage of these items in the internal market has increased consumer prices by more than 60% during 202

Evaluating the implementation of quality management systems in supply networks in Brazil

The development of relationships between organizations through Supply Chain Management, with a view to delivering products and services and consumers has led quality management to go beyond the boundaries of the individual firm and thus spread to the various network actors in which the organization is involved. This has been called Supply Chain Quality Management (SCQM) and consists in developing a quality policy applicable to the whole supply chain. Quality management systems have been successfully implemented within individual companies, but how has this actually affected suppliers, within SCM? This paper conducted a survey in thirteen companies operating in Brazil to assess the effectiveness of SCQM. The results show that companies are still very concerned about quality within their individual companies and ensuring quality from their suppliers still involves performance indicators and depends on the availability of suppliers for each item required

Droughts in the Tietê-Paraná waterway: impacts on the direct, indirect and hidden costs in the transportation of soybean.

Brazil's agricultural economy is growing and increasing productivity. Therefore, it has required transportation systems with high load capacity and lower transportation costs. However, with the drought in the Southeast region of Brazil, the waterway Tietê-Paraná closed since May 2014 generating a loss of more than 30 million last year. Thus, this study investigates the impacts on direct, indirect and hidden costs resulting from this change of route for soy transport. The methodology consists of an exploratory, descriptive and bibliographic research that seeks to raise the main costs. The results show that failing to ensure the production of soybeans by the Tiete-Parana waterway and using the highway transportation costs for waterway users are increased by US$ 37,760,146.86

A fuzzy analytic hierarchy process model to evaluate logistics service expectations and delivery methods in last-mile delivery in Brazil

Nowadays, postal services and third-party logistics services (3PL) have been pressured by the increasing demand for delivery services. Therefore, they need to improve their last-mile delivery strategies to meet customers’ expectations. This paper aims to investigate how logistics service expectations affect the delivery process in urban areas using a multiple-criteria decision support system based on the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP). We developed a decision-making model employing six criteria and five delivery methods indicated in the literature and collected information from 27 experts working in academia and local and multinational third-party logistics providers in Brazil to validate this model. The results indicate that cost (21.4%) and tracking and tracing (19.3%) are the most important two criteria in the decision model, and the best delivery methods are smart lockers (21.8%) followed by small trucks (21.3%). Our results suggest that service expectations regarding last-mile delivery are aligned with extensive use of road transport and the increase in e-commerce sales can raise greenhouse gas emissions and compromise the environment in urban areas

Responsiveness and value chain in sugar-ethanol production

Brazil is the world’s major sugarcane producer. In 2018/19, the country will have produced about 47.34 million tons of sugar and 58.8 billion liters of ethanol. Sugar and ethanol are produced in the same production process and the definition of both quantities is pre-established to sugarcane agro-industry. The purpose of this paper is to identify how managers define the production mix of sugar-ethanol in an agro-industry and how this decision adds value to its operations. The results showed that the searched mill adds value to its production through responsiveness and flexibility while orienting the production to sugar and/or ethanol according to the most profitable market during the moment of the decision making

Modelo LaTeX para teses e dissertações em Programa de Pós-Graduação: construção e avaliação de artefato

Introducción: El LaTeX es un programa para crear y documentos que requieren una salida de impresión de alta calidad de edición. Tiene características complejas que exigen la creación de plantillas para facilitar su uso. El propósito de este artículo fue la de crear un modelo de tesis y disertaciones en LaTeX, para el Programa de Estudios de Posgrado en Ingeniería de Producción de la Universidad Paulista con el fin de facilitar la inclusión students's y permitiendo la presentación de trabajos dentro de los estándares internacionales. Método: Se adoptó la metodología de Design Science Research (DSR), que contiene las directrices para la creación o adaptación y evaluación de artefactos, como el software, y otros instrumentos científicos. Como requisitos se utilizó el manual de normas académicas disponibles en el sitio web de la institución. La evaluación se llevó a cabo a través de simulaciones y presentación para los estudiantes y los profesores del programa, seguido de un cuestionario aplicado a 34 encuestados. Resultados: se encontró que casi el 40% respondió que conocía el programa aunque 60% no. Después de la presentación, alrededor del 32% de los encuestados indicó la plantilla como difícil de usar, el 50% consideró razonable, y el 18% respondió que era "fácil". Acerca de 76,5% de los grupos formados para el análisis señaló positivamente que se podría reemplazar los editores convencionales para LaTeX, aunque el 23,5%. tuvo una opinión diferente. Las variables más destacadas para la aceptación fueron: la calidad tipográfica y la concentración lógica del contenido y sus facilidades. Estudiantes de maestría tuvieron mayor homogeneidad en las respuestas. Conclusión: la plantilla propuesta fue aceptada con entusiasmo, a pesar de que se insistió que la dificultad de uso requiere un período de capacitación.Introduction: LaTeX is a program for creating and editing documents that require a high quality printing output. It has complex characteristics that demand the creation of templates to facilitate its use. The purpose of this article was to create a model of thesis and dissertations in LaTeX, for the Postgraduate Studies Program in Production Engineering at the Paulista University in order to facilitate the students´ inclusion and allowing the presentation of papers within international standards. Method: It was adopted the methodology of Design Science Research (DSR), which provides guidelines for creation or adaptation and evaluation of artifacts, such as software, and others scientific tools. As requirements it was used the manual of academic standards available on the institution website. The evaluation took place through simulations and presentation for students and program faculty followed by a questionnaire applied to 34 respondents. Results: it was found that nearly 40% answered to know the program and 60% was not aware of it. After the presentation, about 32% of respondent indicated the template as being difficult to use, 50% found it reasonable, and 18% responded as “easy”. About 76.5% of the groups formed for analysis, pointed positively as to replace conventional editors for LaTeX, although 23.5%. had a different opinion. The most outstanding variables in favor were: the typographical quality and the concentration on the logical content and facilities. Master's students had greater homogeneity in responses. Conclusion: the proposed template was accepted with enthusiasm, even though the difficulty of use should require a training period.Introdução: o LaTeX é um programa para criação e edição de documentos que requerem alta qualidade tipográfica mas, por apresentar características complexas, exige a criação de templates que facilitem sua utilização. O objetivo deste artigo consistiu em criar e avaliar um modelo de teses e dissertações em LaTeX para o Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Produção da Universidade Paulista, facilitando a inclusão dos discentes e permitindo a apresentação de trabalhos dentro dos padrões internacionais. Método: adotou-se a metodologia do Design Science Research (DSR), que consiste em fornecer diretrizes para criação ou adaptação e avaliação de artefatos, tais como software e outras ferramentas científicas. Como base para os requisitos utilizou-se o manual de normas acadêmicas disponível no site da instituição. As avaliações ocorreram por meio de simulações e apresentação para discentes e docentes do programa com posterior aplicação de um questionário para 34 respondentes. Resultados: verificou-se que cerca de 40% já conhecia o programa e 60% não o conhecia. Após a apresentação deste, aproximadamente 32% considerou a utilização difícil, enquanto 50% a consideraram razoável e 18% fácil. Cerca de 76.5% dos grupos formados para análise apontou positivamente a condição de substituir os editores convencionais pelo LaTeX, sendo que 23.5% discordaram. As variáveis “pró utilização” mais destacadas foram: qualidade tipográfica, concentração no conteúdo lógico e facilidades. Os mestrandos apresentaram maior homogeneidade nas respostas. Conclusão: o template proposto foi aceito com entusiasmo, ainda que com a ressalva de se realizarem treinamentos devido à uma percepção significativa sobre a dificuldade de utilização

Main variables that are influenced by the anthropic activity resulting from the soybean production in the municipalities of Mato Grosso

This study aimed to identify how the main variables that are influenced by the anthropic activity resulting from the soybean production in the Mato Grosso Municipalities cluster among themselves. Factor analysis method was used to identify underlying dimensions that can account for the shared variation of observed variables. The factorial analysis proposes to reduce the number of variables by the extraction of independent factors, so that a better explanation of the relationship between the original variables occurs, avoiding correlational problems and reducing the relevance of endogeneity. Three dimensions were identified, each with a different combination of variables. Based on the results from principal components modelling it is fair to state that the impacts of the anthropic activity resulting from soybean production in the Mato Grosso municipalities can be analyzed according to three main domains: production impacts, socioeconomic impacts and demographic impacts. The main contribution of this paper is that it offers a useful framework of analysis for both public and private decision-makers regarding the influence of soybean production on economic, social, environmental, and cultural factors

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio