Pub Date : 2024-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102738
Irvin Rojas , K. Aleks Schaefer
Due to phytosanitary concerns, the U.S. has historically only allowed the importation of avocados from one Mexican state—Michoacán. In Michoacán, avocados have become a source of cartel conflict and violence. In August 2022, authorized shipments of avocados from an additional Mexican state – Jalisco – were allowed to enter the U.S. This research investigates the market impacts and unintended consequences of expanding the phytosanitary exclusion zone for Mexican avocados. We find that expansion of the phytosanitary exclusion zone was unequivocally beneficial from the perspective of U.S. avocado users and consumers. However, economic outcomes in the Mexican market are more nuanced, and temporal relationships suggest expansion of the phytosanitary exclusion zone may have affected cartel-related activity both in Michoacán and Jalisco.
{"title":"Expanding the phytosanitary exclusion zone for Mexican avocados: Market impacts and unintended consequences","authors":"Irvin Rojas , K. Aleks Schaefer","doi":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102738","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102738","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Due to phytosanitary concerns, the U.S. has historically only allowed the importation of avocados from one Mexican state—Michoacán. In Michoacán, avocados have become a source of cartel conflict and violence. In August 2022, authorized shipments of avocados from an additional Mexican state – Jalisco – were allowed to enter the U.S. This research investigates the market impacts and unintended consequences of expanding the phytosanitary exclusion zone for Mexican avocados. We find that expansion of the phytosanitary exclusion zone was unequivocally beneficial from the perspective of U.S. avocado users and consumers. However, economic outcomes in the Mexican market are more nuanced, and temporal relationships suggest expansion of the phytosanitary exclusion zone may have affected cartel-related activity both in Michoacán and Jalisco.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":321,"journal":{"name":"Food Policy","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 102738"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142578736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102761
Madhura Rao , Jonathan Luger , Barbara J. Regeer , Cristina Yacoub Lopez , Danielle Wilde , David Wilde , Emel Karakaya Ayalp , Julia Pinedo Gil , Nina Isabella Moeller , Yağmur Özcan Cive , Marjoleine G. van der Meij
In this study, we examine how 16 initiatives across Europe are addressing ‘wicked’ food system issues by mobilising local networks and implementing small-scale but impactful changes in urban and peri-urban regions. To map the potential of these initiatives to contribute to large-scale change, we apply the Small Wins Framework proposed by Termeer & Dewulf (2019). By analysing data collected through interviews with participants working on initiatives spanning 13 cities across 9 European countries, we identify the manifestation of six propelling mechanisms that signal the capacity of small wins to bring about systemic change. Findings from this study reveal the presence of most mechanisms across the included initiatives. However, the ways in which these mechanisms appear depend on various factors such as stakeholder motivation, the maturity of the initiative, the need for additional funding, local food culture, and the regional and national political landscape among others. Our analysis indicates that the Small Wins Framework could be successfully used as a mapping tool in urban transformation processes, but it is likely to be more effective as a tool for reflexive monitoring rather than ex-post evaluation. Drawing on the impacts of various large-scale disruptions on the initiatives, we suggest that social, political, and economic shocks can present windows of opportunity to accelerate change and that initiatives performing well under such pressure should be supported in their pursuit of systems transformation. Lastly, we recommend non-linear growth strategies such as spreading, deepening, and expanding, as ways to compound the impact of small wins.
{"title":"Small wins in practice: Learnings from 16 European initiatives working towards the transformation of urban food systems","authors":"Madhura Rao , Jonathan Luger , Barbara J. Regeer , Cristina Yacoub Lopez , Danielle Wilde , David Wilde , Emel Karakaya Ayalp , Julia Pinedo Gil , Nina Isabella Moeller , Yağmur Özcan Cive , Marjoleine G. van der Meij","doi":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102761","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102761","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, we examine how 16 initiatives across Europe are addressing ‘wicked’ food system issues by mobilising local networks and implementing small-scale but impactful changes in urban and <em>peri</em>-urban regions. To map the potential of these initiatives to contribute to large-scale change, we apply the Small Wins Framework proposed by <span><span>Termeer & Dewulf (2019)</span></span>. By analysing data collected through interviews with participants working on initiatives spanning 13 cities across 9 European countries, we identify the manifestation of six propelling mechanisms that signal the capacity of small wins to bring about systemic change. Findings from this study reveal the presence of most mechanisms across the included initiatives. However, the ways in which these mechanisms appear depend on various factors such as stakeholder motivation, the maturity of the initiative, the need for additional funding, local food culture, and the regional and national political landscape among others. Our analysis indicates that the Small Wins Framework could be successfully used as a mapping tool in urban transformation processes, but it is likely to be more effective as a tool for reflexive monitoring rather than ex-post evaluation. Drawing on the impacts of various large-scale disruptions on the initiatives, we suggest that social, political, and economic shocks can present windows of opportunity to accelerate change and that initiatives performing well under such pressure should be supported in their pursuit of systems transformation. Lastly, we recommend non-linear growth strategies such as spreading, deepening, and expanding, as ways to compound the impact of small wins.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":321,"journal":{"name":"Food Policy","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 102761"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142593156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102760
Jingru Jia, Paul E. McNamara
This study investigates the different impact of informational interventions on smallholder farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags in Sierra Leone. Despite the proven efficacy of PICS bags in reducing post-harvest losses and maintaining crop quality, their adoption rates remain extremely low in Sierra Leone. Through a field experiment with random assignment involving 436 households, this research investigates how health and profit-oriented information impacts farmers’ valuation of PICS bags. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: receiving health benefits information, receiving profit benefits information, or a control group receiving standard usage instructions. Both treatment groups also received the standard usage instructions provided to the control group. The WTP was assessed using the Becker–DeGroot–Marschak (BDM) auction method. Results indicate that while profit-related information significantly increases WTP, health information does not. Additionally, this study explores heterogeneity in treatment effects, finding that there is no significant variation in response across different demographic and socioeconomic groups, pointing to a potential uniformity in the effectiveness of the informational interventions.
{"title":"Information interventions and willingness to pay for PICS bags: Evidence from Sierra Leone","authors":"Jingru Jia, Paul E. McNamara","doi":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102760","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102760","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the different impact of informational interventions on smallholder farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags in Sierra Leone. Despite the proven efficacy of PICS bags in reducing post-harvest losses and maintaining crop quality, their adoption rates remain extremely low in Sierra Leone. Through a field experiment with random assignment involving 436 households, this research investigates how health and profit-oriented information impacts farmers’ valuation of PICS bags. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: receiving health benefits information, receiving profit benefits information, or a control group receiving standard usage instructions. Both treatment groups also received the standard usage instructions provided to the control group. The WTP was assessed using the Becker–DeGroot–Marschak (BDM) auction method. Results indicate that while profit-related information significantly increases WTP, health information does not. Additionally, this study explores heterogeneity in treatment effects, finding that there is no significant variation in response across different demographic and socioeconomic groups, pointing to a potential uniformity in the effectiveness of the informational interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":321,"journal":{"name":"Food Policy","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 102760"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142593157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102767
Duo Chai , Shujin Yu , Ting Meng
As income rises and the food supply becomes more sufficient, food waste becomes increasingly severe in emerging economies. Promoting food conservation behaviors among residents is crucial; however, there is little evidence of the consumer-related driving factors behind this behavior from both internal and external perspectives. Based on the theory of planned behavior and the structural equation model, this paper examines the impact mechanism of internal moral constraints and external government intervention on the psychology of saving food among Chinese urban residents in one research framework. Survey data combined from random street-stop interviews and an online survey are applied. Results show that moral constraints, as internal factors, still play a crucial role in forming Chinese urban residents’ willingness to save food. The most influencing mechanisms are through impacts on attitude (personal moral cognition) (β = 0.311) and perceived behavioral control (comparison of economic and moral costs and benefits) (β = 0.581). In the meantime, government interventions, as external factors, significantly impact residents’ willingness and behavior to save food. The government’s efforts in guiding food conservation have a direct promoting effect (β = 0.135) on the respondents’ food-saving willingness, while services and support to food conservation from the government directly promote food-saving behaviors (β = 0.068). Also, the number of household generations and respondent age positively impact food saving willingness, while chronic diseases, income, and food consumption expenditure have adverse impacts. Policies encouraging food saving need to conduct from both internal and external intervention. On the one hand, it demands to strengthen residents’ moral constrains by promoting traditional virtues and improving the awareness of global food security challenges, which can increase the benefits of food saving behaviors in terms of moral values. On the other hand, government intervention on guiding and supporting food conservation can effectively increase both willingness and behaviors of food saving.
{"title":"Do moral constraints and government interventions promote the willingness and behaviors of food saving among urban residents in China? An empirical study based on structural equation model","authors":"Duo Chai , Shujin Yu , Ting Meng","doi":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102767","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102767","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As income rises and the food supply becomes more sufficient, food waste becomes increasingly severe in emerging economies. Promoting food conservation behaviors among residents is crucial; however, there is little evidence of the consumer-related driving factors behind this behavior from both internal and external perspectives. Based on the theory of planned behavior and the structural equation model, this paper examines the impact mechanism of internal moral constraints and external government intervention on the psychology of saving food among Chinese urban residents in one research framework. Survey data combined from random street-stop interviews and an online survey are applied. Results show that moral constraints, as internal factors, still play a crucial role in forming Chinese urban residents’ willingness to save food. The most influencing mechanisms are through impacts on attitude (personal moral cognition) (β = 0.311) and perceived behavioral control (comparison of economic and moral costs and benefits) (β = 0.581). In the meantime, government interventions, as external factors, significantly impact residents’ willingness and behavior to save food. The government’s efforts in guiding food conservation have a direct promoting effect (β = 0.135) on the respondents’ food-saving willingness, while services and support to food conservation from the government directly promote food-saving behaviors (β = 0.068). Also, the number of household generations and respondent age positively impact food saving willingness, while chronic diseases, income, and food consumption expenditure have adverse impacts. Policies encouraging food saving need to conduct from both internal and external intervention. On the one hand, it demands to strengthen residents’ moral constrains by promoting traditional virtues and improving the awareness of global food security challenges, which can increase the benefits of food saving behaviors in terms of moral values. On the other hand, government intervention on guiding and supporting food conservation can effectively increase both willingness and behaviors of food saving.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":321,"journal":{"name":"Food Policy","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 102767"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142659403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Research has identified women’s empowerment as a critical factor for nutritional outcomes and a priority area for understanding women’s mental health status. At the same time, there is no consensus on how empowerment should be measured. The surrounding debate has produced several empowerment metrics that are widely used, yet we know little about whether they can be substituted for one another or their respective strengths and weaknesses. Using data collected from a single sample of women from rural, northern Kenya, we compare five empowerment metrics: The Project-level Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (pro-WEAI) and associated Health and Nutrition Module (HN), Women’s Empowerment in Nutrition Index (WENI), Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index (WELI), and the Survey Based Women’s Empowerment Index (SWPER). The metrics have shared theoretical origins and are commonly used in the food, nutrition and health spaces to study rural women’s lives across low- and middle-income countries. We examine the metrics’ characteristics, distributions, pairwise correlations and capacity of each metric to predict outcomes often associated with the concept of empowerment: body mass index (BMI) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). We find striking differences between these common empowerment metrics. The metrics’ correlations with one another are highly variable as are the predictive capacities for both outcomes. Further, our analysis finds that the choice of metric can dramatically influence which individuals are identified as empowered. In sum, our results suggest that while these metrics are used in remarkably similar ways to understand rural women’s empowerment and its consequences, unless they are computed with many identical survey questions, the metrics do not capture the same underlying concept and are not interchangeable. We recommend that our work be replicated elsewhere and caution should be taken when implementing and interpreting research using these metrics, as findings may be highly sensitive to the choice of metric.
{"title":"How do women’s empowerment metrics measure up? A comparative analysis","authors":"Elizabeth Bageant , Erin Lentz , Sudha Narayanan , Nathan Jensen , Watson Lepariyo","doi":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102764","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102764","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Research has identified women’s empowerment as a critical factor for nutritional outcomes and a priority area for understanding women’s mental health status. At the same time, there is no consensus on how empowerment should be measured. The surrounding debate has produced several empowerment metrics that are widely used, yet we know little about whether they can be substituted for one another or their respective strengths and weaknesses. Using data collected from a single sample of women from rural, northern Kenya, we compare five empowerment metrics: The Project-level Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (pro-WEAI) and associated Health and Nutrition Module (HN), Women’s Empowerment in Nutrition Index (WENI), Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index (WELI), and the Survey Based Women’s Empowerment Index (SWPER). The metrics have shared theoretical origins and are commonly used in the food, nutrition and health spaces to study rural women’s lives across low- and middle-income countries. We examine the metrics’ characteristics, distributions, pairwise correlations and capacity of each metric to predict outcomes often associated with the concept of empowerment: body mass index (BMI) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). We find striking differences between these common empowerment metrics. The metrics’ correlations with one another are highly variable as are the predictive capacities for both outcomes. Further, our analysis finds that the choice of metric can dramatically influence which individuals are identified as empowered. In sum, our results suggest that while these metrics are used in remarkably similar ways to understand rural women’s empowerment and its consequences, unless they are computed with many identical survey questions, the metrics do not capture the same underlying concept and are not interchangeable. We recommend that our work be replicated elsewhere and caution should be taken when implementing and interpreting research using these metrics, as findings may be highly sensitive to the choice of metric.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":321,"journal":{"name":"Food Policy","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 102764"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142659404","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102762
Keijiro Otsuka , T.S. Jayne , Yukichi Mano , Kazushi Takahashi
This Viewpoint article synthesizes seminal research from multiple disciplines in a virtual special collection (VSC) of Elsevier articles to highlight critical remaining steps to achieve a sustainable Green Revolution (SGR) in Africa. It is now widely recognized that the combined use of improved seeds and inorganic fertilizers – which were critical to the Asian Green Revolution – are necessary but insufficient conditions for African farmers to sustainably raise the productivity of their cereal crops. We highlight three key conclusions emerging from the VSC. First, achieving a maize SGR in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will require the development of site-specific soil management practices that can be consistently applied by highly resource-constrained farmers. This condition is far from being achieved in most of SSA. Second, the challenges to achieving a rice SGR are different: Best management practices are largely established and effective. Rice yields have already increased dramatically in parts of SSA where Asian-style seed-fertilizer technology and cultivation practices have been adopted. Therefore, the priority for enhancing rice productivity in SSA is to promote wider adoption of these established practices in rice-producing areas. Third, overcoming these challenges for both maize and rice requires strong adaptive agricultural research, development, and extension organizations on the ground. Many African countries currently lack these organizations to carry out the core activities required to achieve a SGR; therefore, building institutional capacity for national and regional agricultural research, extension, and policy analysis is a fundamental component of an effective SGR strategy.
{"title":"Viewpoint: Toward a sustainable Green Revolution in sub-Saharan Africa: The case of maize and rice","authors":"Keijiro Otsuka , T.S. Jayne , Yukichi Mano , Kazushi Takahashi","doi":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102762","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102762","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This Viewpoint article synthesizes seminal research from multiple disciplines in a virtual special collection (VSC) of Elsevier articles to highlight critical remaining steps to achieve a sustainable Green Revolution (SGR) in Africa. It is now widely recognized that the combined use of improved seeds and inorganic fertilizers – which were critical to the Asian Green Revolution – are necessary but insufficient conditions for African farmers to sustainably raise the productivity of their cereal crops. We highlight three key conclusions emerging from the VSC. First, achieving a maize SGR in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will require the development of site-specific soil management practices that can be consistently applied by highly resource-constrained farmers. This condition is far from being achieved in most of SSA. Second, the challenges to achieving a rice SGR are different: Best management practices are largely established and effective. Rice yields have already increased dramatically in parts of SSA where Asian-style seed-fertilizer technology and cultivation practices have been adopted. Therefore, the priority for enhancing rice productivity in SSA is to promote wider adoption of these established practices in rice-producing areas. Third, overcoming these challenges for both maize and rice requires strong adaptive agricultural research, development, and extension organizations on the ground. Many African countries currently lack these organizations to carry out the core activities required to achieve a SGR; therefore, building institutional capacity for national and regional agricultural research, extension, and policy analysis is a fundamental component of an effective SGR strategy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":321,"journal":{"name":"Food Policy","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 102762"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142560536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-28DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102740
Rob Kidd, Christian Reynolds
Background
In the UK, food policy is often made by national government, but typically interpreted and implemented by councils. This research explores which local government functions are involved in food policy, how they work together and how coherent their policy positions are. It builds on earlier work to map the food policy actors at national government level and to understand local government’s many functions.
Methods
The researchers conducted a literature review using search terms including ‘local authority’, ‘local government’, ‘food’ and ‘food policy’ across two academic databases: Scopus and Web of Science, plus results from Food Policy on Science Direct. The total number of papers identified and analysed was 99. They then conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with employees of local authorities and representative bodies covering the various functions of local government. They analysed the interviews using NVivo to highlight the themes, which included priority food policy issues for councils; local government functions and how they relate to each other; external stakeholders; and success factors.
Findings
Despite the high degree of complexity, fragmentation and granularity in local government, there appears to be a high degree of food policy coherence within and between individual councils. However, there is policy incoherence between central and local government, where a lack of national strategy and piecemeal approach to devolution have hindered councils’ efforts to improve the food system. Some functions of councils are particularly ‘joined up’, with good multi-function and multi-agency working arrangements in public health, trading standards, environmental health, economic development, planning and sustainability. Other functions, notably adult social care, markets and emergency planning, have been harder to engage; interview responses suggest food policy is not a priority for these functions.
Conclusions
For food policy interventions in local government to be successful, they need to be accompanied by adequate long-term funding; a coalition of support; and to be seen as a priority by relevant stakeholders. Partnership arrangements provide good opportunities to make use of existing networks. Councils could do more to increase joint working between neighbouring councils.
背景在英国，食品政策通常由国家政府制定，但通常由议会解释和执行。本研究探讨了哪些地方政府职能参与了粮食政策，它们是如何合作的，以及它们的政策立场有多一致。研究方法研究人员利用两个学术数据库中的 "地方当局"、"地方政府"、"食品 "和 "食品政策 "等检索词进行了文献综述：Scopus 和 Web of Science，以及 Science Direct 上 Food Policy 的结果。然后，他们与地方政府雇员和地方政府各职能部门的代表机构进行了 30 次半结构式访谈。他们使用 NVivo 对访谈进行了分析，以突出主题，其中包括议会优先考虑的粮食政策问题；地方政府职能及其相互关系；外部利益相关者；以及成功因素。然而，中央政府和地方政府之间的政策并不一致，缺乏国家战略和零敲碎打的权力下放方法阻碍了议会改善粮食系统的努力。议会的一些职能特别 "联合"，在公共卫生、贸易标准、环境卫生、经济发展、规划和可持续发展等方面都有良好的多功能和多机构工作安排。其他职能部门，尤其是成人社会关怀、市场和应急规划部门，则更难参与其中；访谈结果表明，粮食政策并不是这些职能部门的优先事项。伙伴关系安排为利用现有网络提供了良机。议会可以采取更多措施，加强相邻议会之间的联合工作。
{"title":"Food policy coherence in local government: Who does what and why?","authors":"Rob Kidd, Christian Reynolds","doi":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102740","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102740","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>In the UK, food policy is often made by national government, but typically interpreted and implemented by councils. This research explores which local government functions are involved in food policy, how they work together and how coherent their policy positions are. It builds on earlier work to map the food policy actors at national government level and to understand local government’s many functions.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The researchers conducted a literature review using search terms including ‘local authority’, ‘local government’, ‘food’ and ‘food policy’ across two academic databases: Scopus and Web of Science, plus results from <em>Food Policy</em> on Science Direct. The total number of papers identified and analysed was 99. They then conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with employees of local authorities and representative bodies covering the various functions of local government. They analysed the interviews using NVivo to highlight the themes, which included priority food policy issues for councils; local government functions and how they relate to each other; external stakeholders; and success factors.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>Despite the high degree of complexity, fragmentation and granularity in local government, there appears to be a high degree of food policy coherence within and between individual councils. However, there is policy incoherence between central and local government, where a lack of national strategy and piecemeal approach to devolution have hindered councils’ efforts to improve the food system. Some functions of councils are particularly ‘joined up’, with good multi-function and multi-agency working arrangements in public health, trading standards, environmental health, economic development, planning and sustainability. Other functions, notably adult social care, markets and emergency planning, have been harder to engage; interview responses suggest food policy is not a priority for these functions.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>For food policy interventions in local government to be successful, they need to be accompanied by adequate long-term funding; a coalition of support; and to be seen as a priority by relevant stakeholders. Partnership arrangements provide good opportunities to make use of existing networks. Councils could do more to increase joint working between neighbouring councils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":321,"journal":{"name":"Food Policy","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 102740"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142528504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-24DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102742
Daniel Gaitán-Cremaschi , Diego Valbuena
Sustainable Public Food Procurement (SPFP) is pivotal in advancing sustainable and healthier food systems. However, practical gaps persist in understanding how policies function at the local implementation. This study addresses these gaps by analysing 22 SPFP contracts for school meals and social care centres in Spain, focusing on implementation while contextualizing findings within the broader policy cycle. This research categorizes SPFP criteria in tenders and evaluate their potential for actionability across sustainability, nutrition, & health dimensions. It also explores how these criteria are combined into purchasing strategies to achieve simultaneous or individual goals. Key findings reveal a strong use of product quality criteria, particularly organic foods, supported by policy and ease of implementation. However, non-ambitious targets, market constraints and procurement officers’ limited knowledge hinder progress. The study highlights significant adoption of nutritional & health criteria, though non-mandatory policies and varying regional targets impede consistent implementation and reveal gaps in promoting healthy and sustainable dietary practices. Environmental criteria are widely used signalling policy priorities within the EU policy framework. In contrast, proximity and social criteria are underutilized due to regulatory constraints and insufficient guidance. Despite these challenges, innovative local procurement strategies are utilized to overcome barriers. At the strategy level, the study reveals diverse approaches to SPFP implementation, highlighting adaptability but underscoring the need for flexible frameworks that accommodate local variations while aligning with broader EU or national goals. This research advocates for a holistic approach to SPFP that addresses both the practical challenges of implementation and the systemic issues present in the earlier stages of policy development.
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The US Department of Agriculture made women farmers eligible for the Transition Incentive Program (TIP) to improve their access to farmland. TIP is a federal program that transfers near-expiring lands in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) back to agricultural use while maintaining established conservation practices. It offers incentives to landowners and requires recipients to adhere to specific conservation plans on the acquired land. Since women have shown a stronger interest in sustainable practices and face more limited access to land, TIP has the potential to enhance women’s presence in farming. However, the program’s effectiveness has not been evaluated.
In this paper, we analyze county-level data from the 2017 Census of Agriculture and data on actual TIP use to provide the first estimates of the causal effect of TIP on the presence of women farmers. We use three matching techniques – nearest neighbor, kernel nearest neighbor, and inverse probability weighting – and find a small but statistically significant positive effect. While a comparison of the share of women farmers in non-matched counties with and without TIP-enrolled lands shows that counties with TIP use have fewer women farmers, the matched results indicate that utilizing TIP increased the proportion of women farmers by one percent, or about 805 women, in the study region. The Rosenbaum bounds sensitivity test shows that the results are stable. We conclude that TIP is marginally effective at increasing the number of women in agriculture.
美国农业部让女性农民有资格参与过渡激励计划 (TIP)，以改善她们获得农田的机会。过渡激励计划是一项联邦计划，旨在将保护储备计划（CRP）中即将到期的土地转回农业用途，同时保持既定的保护措施。该计划为土地所有者提供激励措施，并要求接受者在收购的土地上遵守特定的保护计划。由于妇女对可持续实践表现出更浓厚的兴趣，且获得土地的机会更为有限，因此 TIP 有可能提高妇女在农业中的地位。在本文中，我们分析了 2017 年农业普查的县级数据和 TIP 的实际使用数据，首次估算了 TIP 对女性农民存在的因果效应。我们使用了三种匹配技术--最近邻、内核最近邻和反概率加权--发现了微小但在统计上显著的积极影响。对有和没有使用 TIP 的非匹配县的女农民比例进行比较后发现，使用 TIP 的县的女农民人数较少，但匹配结果表明，使用 TIP 使研究地区的女农民比例增加了 1%，即增加了约 805 名妇女。罗森鲍姆边界敏感性测试表明，结果是稳定的。我们的结论是，TIP 在增加农业女性人数方面略有成效。
{"title":"The transition incentive program and women farmers in the USA","authors":"Valentina Hartarska , Eugene Adjei , Denis Nadolnyak","doi":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102739","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102739","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The US Department of Agriculture made women farmers eligible for the Transition Incentive Program (TIP) to improve their access to farmland. TIP is a federal program that transfers near-expiring lands in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) back to agricultural use while maintaining established conservation practices. It offers incentives to landowners and requires recipients to adhere to specific conservation plans on the acquired land. Since women have shown a stronger interest in sustainable practices and face more limited access to land, TIP has the potential to enhance women’s presence in farming. However, the program’s effectiveness has not been evaluated.</div><div>In this paper, we analyze county-level data from the 2017 Census of Agriculture and data on actual TIP use to provide the first estimates of the causal effect of TIP on the presence of women farmers. We use three matching techniques – nearest neighbor, kernel nearest neighbor, and inverse probability weighting – and find a small but statistically significant positive effect. While a comparison of the share of women farmers in non-matched counties with and without TIP-enrolled lands shows that counties with TIP use have fewer women farmers, the matched results indicate that utilizing TIP increased the proportion of women farmers by one percent, or about 805 women, in the study region. The Rosenbaum bounds sensitivity test shows that the results are stable. We conclude that TIP is marginally effective at increasing the number of women in agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":321,"journal":{"name":"Food Policy","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 102739"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142528502","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-21DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102741
Sandro Steinbach, Yasin Yildirim, Carlos Zurita
{"title":"Potential implications of trade policy shifts after the 2024 U.S. presidential election for the agri-food sector","authors":"Sandro Steinbach, Yasin Yildirim, Carlos Zurita","doi":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102741","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102741","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":321,"journal":{"name":"Food Policy","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 102741"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142528505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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