The kiwi is a highly insect-pollinated dependent crop and is the cornerstone of the Greek agricultural sector, rendering the country as the fourth biggest kiwi producer worldwide, with an expected ...increase in national production the following years. This extensive transformation of the Greek arable land to Kiwi monocultures in combination with a worldwide shortage of pollination services due to the wild pollinators' decline raises questions for the provision of pollination services, and consequently, for the sustainability of the sector. In many countries, this shortage of pollination services has been addressed by the installation of pollination services markets, such as those in the USA and France. Therefore, this study tries to identify the barriers towards the implementation of a pollination services market in Greek kiwi production systems by conducting two separate quantitative surveys, one for beekeepers and one for kiwi producers. The findings showed a strong basis for further collaboration between the two stakeholders, as both of them acknowledge the importance of pollination services. Moreover, the farmers' willingness to pay and the beekeepers' willingness to receive of the beekeepers regarding the renting of their hives for pollination services were examined.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
PurposeHoney is a product that has been consumed for thousands of years owing to honey's nutritional value and unique properties. This survey aimed to assess factors affecting consumer behaviour for ...honey in countries of the Balkans and Western Europe, on a comparative basis.Design/methodology/approachThe high importance of honey consumption along with findings from previous surveys on consumer behaviour are included in the introduction chapter. Based on these, and focussing on the fundamental consumer behaviour theories (stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model, theory of planned behaviour (TPB), and health belief model (HBM)), a questionnaire was designed and answered by 2,113 individuals from the Balkans and Western Europe, of which 2,088 were honey consumers. Principal component analysis (PCA) analysis was used to interpret the results.FindingsAccording to the analysis, both Western Europeans and Balkans consume honey weekly, whilst only a few consume honey daily. A crucial difference between the two samples is that Western Europeans consider honey to be an expensive product, whilst Balkans considers honey's price acceptable. In general, men consume more honey than women, and households with children purchase honey more often and in more significant quantities. In conclusion, the main reason affecting European honey consumption is the health impact, which is related to therapeutic properties and high nutritional value of honey.Originality/valuePCA results clarified the factors affecting honey consumption, whilst at the same time, consumer profiles of Balkan and Western European consumers were outlined and compared with each other, outlining a more detailed description of honey consumption in Europe.
Highlights: • AI in weed management potentials for transforming agricultural ecosystems. • AI influence in economic, social, technological, and environmental dimensions. • AI's role in enhancing food ...safety by reducing pesticides residues. • Digital literacy as a crucial enabler empowering stakeholders to use AI effectively.Abstract: In the face of increasing agricultural demands and environmental concerns, the effective management of weeds presents a pressing challenge in modern agriculture. Weeds not only compete with crops for resources but also pose threats to food safety and agricultural sustainability through the indiscriminate use of herbicides, which can lead to environmental contamination and herbicide-resistant weed populations. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has ushered in a paradigm shift in agriculture, particularly in the domain of weed management. AI's utilization in this domain extends beyond mere innovation, offering precise and eco-friendly solutions for the identification and control of weeds, thereby addressing critical agricultural challenges. This article aims to examine the application of AI in weed management in the context of weed detection and the increasing impact of deep learning techniques in the agricultural sector. Through an assessment of research articles, this study identifies critical factors influencing the adoption and implementation of AI in weed management. These criteria encompass factors of AI adoption (food safety, increased effectiveness, and eco-friendliness through herbicides reduction), AI implementation factors (capture technology, training datasets, AI models, and outcomes and accuracy), ancillary technologies (IoT, UAV, field robots, and herbicides), and the related impact of AI methods adoption (economic, social, technological, and environmental). Of the 5821 documents found, 99 full-text articles were assessed, and 68 were included in this study. The review highlights AI's role in enhancing food safety by reducing herbicide residues, increasing effectiveness in weed control strategies, and promoting eco-friendliness through judicious herbicide use. It underscores the importance of capture technology, training datasets, AI models, and accuracy metrics in AI implementation, emphasizing their synergy in revolutionizing weed management practices. Ancillary technologies, such as IoT, UAVs, field robots, and AI-enhanced herbicides, complement AI's capabilities, offering holistic and data-driven approaches to weed control. Additionally, the adoption of AI methods influences economic, social, technological, and environmental dimensions of agriculture. Last but not least, digital literacy emerges as a crucial enabler, empowering stakeholders to navigate AI technologies effectively and contribute to the sustainable transformation of weed management practices in agriculture.
Modern agricultural systems use both managed and wild bees in order to secure the provision of pollination services. However, the decline of both bee species due to the increased use of pesticides ...raises concerns for the supply of pollination services in agriculture. Because European policies seem ineffective in safeguarding bees as they fail to address farmers’ socio-economic issues, farmers’ adoption rate of friendlier practices by pollinators remains limited. This study uses a farm-level ecological-economic model to explore the potential impacts of changing policy intervention on the provision of pollination services and on farmers’ incomes in two characteristic farms in Southwestern France. Moreover, it integrates the economic importance of behavioral interactions between managed and wild bees on crop production. The model assesses farmers’ adoption decisions about alternative practices under risk aversion through an optimization choice among several crops, practices (novel/conventional), variable inputs, and pollination activity. The results show that a knowledge of bees’ complementarity may facilitate farmers’ adoption decisions. Furthermore, they highlight that different levels of Agri-Environmental Schemes and penalties can be efficiently targeted to encourage the implementation of new farming practices in order to preserve pollination services and maintain economically viable farms.
•A farm-scale assessment of the impact of changing policy interventions on farm incomes and pollination services.•Bees’ complementarity is a factor which may facilitate farmers’ adoption decisions.•AESs and penalties can be efficiently targeted to encourage the implementation of new farming practices towards the provision of pollination services.•A pathway for the monetary valuation of pollination services in arable crop farms.
Safeguarding natural resources and energy is essential to ensure food security for future generations. Given the increase of published papers in the agricultural field applying Data Envelopment ...Analysis (DEA), this review seeks to address the special requirements of this methodology when implemented in the agricultural sector as well as to classify papers under sustainability aspects (economic, environmental, social). More specifically, 120 papers from Scopus and Web of Science databases were included in this review by using PRISMA methodology, and they were tested in the following groups (i) General information, (ii) DEA implementation, (iii) DEA extensions, (iv) Data type, (v) Data collection and processing, and (vi) Sustainability dimensions. Results indicate that there is a great need for weights use when performing DEA in the agricultural sector, to acquire results with greater explanatory power. Moreover, systematic data collection of multiple factors could lead to the implementation of complex methodologies, providing feasible solutions to the involved stakeholders. Lastly, the social aspect is the least represented dimension out of the three aspects of sustainability, indicating the need for the integration of social factors in such analyses, especially when DEA is used to create a policy framework in a specific area.
Raising Climate Change (CC) awareness is crucial for mitigating the negative effects of this phenomenon, as well as for ensuring a sustainable future for upcoming generations. This study assesses and ...compares the climate change awareness level of Mediterranean university students in France and Greece. Emphasis was given to three research questions regarding knowledge, information sources, and awareness level. A questionnaire was used to determine the knowledge level and awareness of 641 university students in France and Greece. Principal Component Analysis was used to determine the main factors influencing the above-mentioned aspects, as was an independent sample t-test to compare the sample's awareness level and socio-economic characteristics. Based on a modified climate change awareness index developed by the researchers, most students were found to have a low level of awareness of climate change. However, there is evidence that students are willing to undertake specific eco-friendly initiatives. Additionally, one of the study's key findings is that students' knowledge and awareness of climate change varies according to socio-demographic characteristics such as gender, age, income level, and academic field. Nationality was proved to be a significant factor influencing belief in CC and willingness to take action. Incentives for both formal and informal information should be provided by policymakers to ensure theoretical background as well as climate change-related actions, in order to raise climate change awareness across younger generations.
Food fraud poses a significant challenge within the global food supply chain, with apprehensions regarding safety, authenticity, and efficiency. This study conducts a brief review of the literature ...by utilizing the Web of Science database, analyzing 2331 outcomes pertaining to the subject of food fraud. The analysis results demonstrated a noteworthy surge in scientific publications after 2013, which was propelled by events such as the horsemeat scandal and the formation of the European Food Safety Authority. Utilizing Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA), the study identified significant clusters pertaining to food transformation, safety, traceability, and distinct meat sources. In addition, trending topics shifted towards a holistic approach to food safety and the implementation of technologies like Blockchain (BC), Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Big Data (BD). These technologies offer enhanced traceability, authentication, automation, and decision-making capabilities. The present research offers valuable perspectives on the evolving landscape of food fraud research and the potential of nascent technologies to tackle these issues.
Conventional agricultural techniques cannot fulfill the requirements of a sustainable food value chain. Agroecology can be a great alternative practice for transforming the current agricultural ...systems. This approach combines ecology and agriculture, considering different stakeholders’ opinions. An assessment of the current literature about “agroecology practices” using the Web of Science database was made, and 1235 results were collected and unified into a bibtex file using R studio. The final results were extracted through the bibliometix library. The acquired results show that annual scientific production on the aforementioned term was limited between the 1990s and 2010s and has recently increased due to increased interest in the topic. Additionally, the terms “agriculture”, “management biodiversity”, and “conservation” are frequently correlated with agroecology, covering all three dimensions of sustainability. Agroecology as a trending topic has great potential to serve North African countries, increasing food security levels while assuring sustainability standards.
