Thesis (Ph.D.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 255-298). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Please read the abstract in the 00front part of this document / Thesis (PhD (Agricultural Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

Yes / The purpose of this paper is to offer a consolidative approach in exploring the potential contribution of digital technologies in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) for the sustainable performance of food supply chain business, through the circular economy concepts. As a single case study, this qualitative, interpretivist research was based on one of the largest food producers in the United Kingdom. The research utilises semi-structured interviews and applies thematic analysis to offer rich insights into SSCM challenges and their relationship with the business performance, through ten in-depth interviews. Findings derived from thematic analysis of the interview transcripts suggest four main critical success factors underpinning SSCM practices and businesses performance – i.e. business continuity, waste reduction, performance measurement approach, and organisational learning, which could use the help of digital technologies to improve. This led to seven propositions to be addressed in the future research. This research offers real, practical insights into SSCM challenges, within the context of food supply chain and explores the potential of digital technologies in overcoming them. Accordingly, the primary contribution of this work is grounded in the identification of critical success factors in SSCM for Food Supply Chains (FSC). Hence, this work contributes further to the literature on SSCM, as well as circular economy, by providing a study of a business in the context of the highly pertinent and valuable food industry.

ABSTRACT The theoretical argument that emerges from my empirical study argues that food provisioning systems in Johannesburg, as a potential lens to further investigation of food supply systems in the developing south cannot be classified within a traditional-modern dichotomy. This dissertation proposes a new conceptual device – a food provisioning continuum – which should inform research on African food supply systems in the future. The process of locating this rich case within a broader theoretical paradigm to validate it and to provide it discursive space, however, is not objective or without friction. I argue that it is possible to choose to locate rich empirical material in different conceptual frameworks, related not only to its applicability, but also to how the research may be valued and seen to extend knowledge. The expectation of the research community and the epistemological demand of new research, for a Masters dissertation is that the scholarly work will build on and extend existing knowledge. It is assumed that thorough research will challenge the boundaries of knowledge and that the candidate, after having undergone this academic rite of passage, will graduate from being a student to being a colleague within a research community. However, the process of creating new theory and advancing existing theory is not quite an objective or frictionless process as it first appears. Research in the south is validated more highly if it is located within, or builds upon international/northern theory even by research forums in the south like the NRF. The pressure for researchers from the south to locate their research in conceptual frameworks from the north – in order to be validated – appears to be one of the rules of the game. While this is validation as part of an academic exercise may be necessary, the practise entrenches spatial or geographical hierarchies within academia and academic discourse. The epistemological process of forging new theoretical frontiers is thus a constructed, unnatural space fraught with less critical valuing systems than are expected to be present within academia, no less within the discipline of geography.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (International Relations), 2017 / Through a close reading of the changes that have occurred within African agriculture using Food Regime Theory, this study will attempt to further understand the impact that has been felt by small-scale farmers who are a dominant feature of African agriculture. This paper will seek to understand the influence that the increased corporatization of agriculture through globalization has had on the small-scale farmer in Africa. As agriculture has become more and more corporatized and commodi:ied, it becomes important to consider the changes that have occurred for those actors within the industry and how these changes will impact them. This paper is attempting to do that through a close reading of the changes that have taken place within an integral part of the agricultural process: the seed. / GR2018

A presente tese aborda um tipo específico de abastecimento alimentar em que produtores e consumidores se aliam e trabalham de forma colaborativa para o funcionamento da dinâmica. O objetivo central da pesquisa foi compreender como a dinâmica de abastecimento alimentar emerge e se materializa em diferentes locais, evidenciando as práticas sociais envolvidas, bem como a interação cotidiana entre atores, materialidades e subjetividades. A análise é baseada em um estudo em perspectiva internacional, que envolve sete casos localizados em cinco países distintos, a saber: Associação de Integração Campo Cidade, em São Paulo (Brasil); Canasta Comunitaria Utopía, em Riobamba (Ecuador); GAS Testaccio Meticcio e GASPER, ambos em Roma (Italia); na cidade de Valência duas iniciativas, Grupo de Consumo Vera e Grupo de Consumo de Russafa (Espanha) e De Groene Schuur em Zeist (Holanda). A metodologia utilizada foi a abordagem etnográfica multilocalizada, sendo esta complementada por revisão de literatura, análise documental, entrevistas, notas de campo e registro fotográfico Em termos teóricos, a Teoria das Assemblages foi utilizada como uma meta-teoria para explicar a formação das dinâmicas de abastecimento. Além disso, diferentes corpos de conhecimento foram mobilizados para a análise e interpretação das práticas sociais envolvidas em torno de processos organizacionais, relações interpessoais, construção do conhecimento e ativismo alimentar. Os resultados indicam que estas dinâmicas de abastecimento emergem de forma altamente contingencial em distintos países fomentando a emergência de Alianças Alimentares Colaborativas em que os atores trabalham em atividades diversas que vão além do comércio de alimentos e que ao fim buscam a materialização de uma sociedade e um sistema alimentar distinto. Há um forte fluxo e interação entre elementos materiais e subjetivos no surgimento de representações, valores e desejos que são incorporados pelos participantes e coletivos, afetando o cotidiano dos atores e a identidade das dinâmicas de abastecimento. / The present thesis addresses a specific type of food supply in which producers and consumers work together in a collaborative way for the functioning of the dynamic. The central aim of the thesis research was to understand how the food supply emerge and materializes in different locations, highlighting the social practices involved and the everyday interaction between actors, materiality and subjectivity. The analysis is based on a international study involving seven cases located in five different countries, namely: Associação de Integração Campo Cidade, in São Paulo (Brazil); Canasta Comunitaria Utopía, in Riobamba (Ecuador); GAS Testaccio Meticcio and GASPER, both in Rome (Italy); in Valencia two initiatives, Grupo de Consumo Vera and Grupo de Consumo de Russafa (Spain) and De Groene Schuur in Zeist (The Netherlands). The methodology used was a multi-sited ethnographic approach that was complemented by literature review, document analysis, interviews, field notes and photographic register. In theoretical terms, The Assemblage Theory was used as a meta-theory to explain the formation of the supply dynamics Additionally, different bodies of knowledge were mobilized for the analysis and interpretation of the social practices involved in process of organization, interpersonal relationships, knowledge building and food activism. The results indicate that these supply dynamics emerge in highly contingent ways in different countries promoting the emergence of Food Alliances Collaborative in which actors work in various activities that go beyond food, seeking to materialize a particular model of society and a different food system. There is a strong flow and interaction between material and subjective elements contributing to the emergence of representations, values and desires that are incorporated by participants and collectives, affecting the daily lives of the actors and the identity of the supply dynamics.

Cette thèse propose trois essais sur les perturbations tout au long de la chaîne de distribution des produits alimentaires à haute valeur nutritionnelle. Elle contribue à notre compréhension des menaces liées à la réalisation des objectifs de sécurité alimentaire dans les pays émergents. Contribuant à l'analyse économique de la chaîne de distribution et des questions agricoles, la thèse est fondée sur différents éléments théoriques relatifs à la chaîne de valeur, la croissance du marché, la transmission des prix et met en œuvre des techniques d'économétrie appliquée (économétrie des données de panel, économétrie des séries temporelles) à partir de base de données originales. L'objectif est d'analyser les sources et l'ampleur des perturbations dans la chaîne de distribution des produits à haute valeur nutritionnelle.La première partie de la thèse analyse les perturbations sur les marchés des produits alimentaires à haute valeur non-transformés et moins transformés. Le Chapitre 2 examine les perturbations en amont et en aval de la chaîne de distribution de ces produits. Le Chapitre 3 étend l’analyse du Chapitre 2 en prenant en compte les perturbations relatives aux produits ayant subi un niveau de transformation élevé. Dans les deux chapitres, les perturbations sont analysées en termes de changement de prix et de quantité, à la fois en amont et en aval. Le changement de quantité est considéré comme une perturbation préliminaire alors que celui de prix est secondaire. Utilisant le marché de São Paulo comme sujet d'étude, le Chapitre 4 analyse les effets du prix du diesel sur les différents segments de la chaîne de distribution des produits alimentaires à haute valeur nutritionnelle. Un modèle à correction d’erreur (MCE) qui prend en considération les effets des prix entre les différents produits est estimé pour vérifier si les chocs provenant du prix du diesel sont plus élevés en amont qu'en aval. Ce chapitre est analytiquement fondé sur la théorie de la transmission des prix.Les résultats des Chapitres 2 et 3 montrent que les désastres climatiques sont des sources dominantes de perturbation de la chaîne de distribution des produits alimentaires à haute valeur nutritionnelle. Leur effet est négatif pour tous les produits analysés, bien que l'ampleur de perturbation varie d’un produit à l’autre. Les résultats du modèle à correction d’erreur (MCE) du Chapitre 4 montrent que les effets du prix du diesel sur les prix des produits alimentaires à haute valeur nutritionnelle sont positifs et significatifs, alors que les effets en aval sont plus élevés que ceux en amont. Les résultats de la thèse ont des implications importantes pour le développement et la mise en œuvre des politiques d’alimentation dans les pays émergents. Le Chapitre 1, introduction générale, justifie l'étude des différences entre l'ampleur de perturbation en amont et celle en aval, et situe la thèse dans les littératures existantes. Une conclusion générale est proposée en Chapitre 5 avec des propositions pour de futurs travaux de recherche. / This dissertation presents three essays on disruptions along nutritional high-value food supply chains in emerging countries. It extends our understanding of threats to the attainment of food security in emerging countries. With a contribution to agricultural economics, the dissertation relies on value chain, market growth and price transmission theories and applies both panel data and time series econometric techniques to analyse the sources and magnitudes of the disruption of nutritional high-value food chains.The first part of the dissertation examines disruptions in unprocessed and minimally processed nutritional high-value food markets. Chapter 2 examines upstream and downstream disruptions along these food chains. Chapter 3 extends the analysis in Chapter 2 by assessing how disruptions change when nutritional high-value foods are highly processed. For each of the two chapters, disruptions are studied in terms of changes in upstream and downstream quantities and prices, with the disruption of quantity considered primary while that of prices is secondary.Using the São Paulo food market as a case study, Chapter 4 analyses the effect of diesel price shocks on different segments of the nutritional high-value food supply chain. A Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) that takes into account upstream and downstream cross-price effects is estimated to ascertain if diesel price shocks are higher downstream based on price transmission theory.The results of Chapters 2 and 3 show that climatological disasters are the most dominant source of disruption of nutritional high-value food supply chains and the direction of impact is negative for all foods under study. The magnitude of disruption, however, varies by food. From the VECM results in Chapter 4, we see that the price of diesel has a positive and significant effect on food prices, while the effects downstream are lower than those upstream. These results have significant implications for the design and implementation of food policies in emerging countries.As a general introduction, Chapter 1 justifies the need to study upstream and downstream differences in the magnitude of supply chain disruption, by situating the dissertation in the existing supply chain and food price transmission literature. Chapter 5 concludes the study and offers suggestions for future research.

This dissertation is an ethnographic study of a New York City-based third-sector organization focused on what it calls "food justice." This study concentrates on how this organization, that I call Food Rights, has built a broad multi-sector network made up of a varied set of constituents and collaborators aiming to develop and promote an alternative food system for New York City (NYC). This network model has allowed Food Rights to leverage capacity in order to reach thousands of New Yorkers who participate in many different aspects of the local food system (LFS) that correspond to its programming. These include Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), urban agriculture, emergency food, policy and advocacy efforts, and community food education. This dissertation explores the ways that Food Rights navigates the contested space of civil society and the third-sector realm through its LFS efforts--a geography where Food Rights constituents feel they have a say in how local food is grown, distributed, purchased, and prepared. It also considers the complex challenges presented by the burgeoning LFS movement in NYC. This study reveals weak contact points in Food Rights network design as well as organizational strengths that could assist it and other LFS-focused NGOs in addressing the many challenges associated with the social changes that have lead to the spatial, ideological, and material shifts that are transforming the NYC landscape into "a new ontology of food."

The research conducted for this thesis is an exploratory study of migrant workers' experiences in UK food supply chains. This thesis provides an original contribution to criminology by discussing how some food supply chain dynamics result in various exploitative and harmful labour practices against migrant workers. Data consisted of semi-structured interviews conducted with migrant workers in the UK, as well as individual and group interviews with food supply chain stakeholders, including representatives from industry, regulation, and labour movements. This research conceptualises labour exploitation as a continuum, with severe practices including modern slavery on one extreme and 'decent work' on the other. There are a range of practices in-between these two extremes that risk being overlooked, whereby 'routine', banal exploitation is embedded and normalised within legitimate supply chain processes. The argument developed in this thesis is that a stronger emphasis is needed on the harmful consequences of routine, mundane, everyday labour exploitation in order to understand how they can result from legitimate supply chain dynamics. The key contributions of this thesis can be summarised under four themes: developing a more rigorous analysis of 'routine' labour exploitation and harm against migrant workers; understanding how legitimate food supply chain dynamics can facilitate exploitation and harm; explaining how the regulatory framework may unwittingly result in further exploitation and harm to migrant workers; and recognising the complexity of the relationship between migration and labour exploitation. The thesis findings contribute to predominant discussions of labour exploitation that typically focus on severe exploitation such as modern slavery and emphasise rogue individuals or criminal networks as the main perpetrators. The research findings demonstrate that a significant amount of routine labour exploitation and harm remains 'under the radar' in the context of legitimate supply chain practices. Police action and supply chain regulation typically focuses on the most severe labour exploitation, which results in routine exploitation being largely unaddressed. Therefore, labour exploitation has implications for the nature, organisation, and control of harms facilitated by businesses and supply chains. It is important for criminology and society to not disregard routine labour exploitation, as these practices can result in numerous harmful consequences for workers. Since the public profile of labour exploitation continues to grow, a stronger focus is needed on the routine and banal aspects, not just the most severe practices.

The concept of sustainable diets has received increasing attention as it is recognised that several global challenges, such as malnutrition and mitigating pressures on global land resources, might be tackled together through changes in diets. This thesis has used the UK as a case study to analyse the implications of achieving healthy and environmentally sustainable diets for future land use. This thesis shows the total agricultural footprint of UK's food supply has decreased slightly over the last decades due to a lower ruminant livestock product supply. However, the total cropland footprint and its associated greenhouse gas emissions have increased, and these impacts are increasingly displaced overseas. Land use efficiency of the food supply was evaluated by combining agricultural and nutritional data. While a focus on calories and protein reflects favourably on cereals and oil crops, assessing a wider range of nutrients shows that roots & tubers and vegetables are important to “feed the UK” efficiently. Reducing land use associated with UK's food supply is possible while still meeting dietary requirements and this generally also lowers greenhouse gas emissions. Discretionary foods, such as coffee, tea and wine, and animal products should be reduced for a lower impact, but trade-offs were also identified. Four insights relevant for the wider literature were identified: a) the complexity of international trade complicates the assessment of sustainability due to difficulties linking production and consumption, b) there are different types of agricultural land, each with their own opportunity costs, c) new metrics for agricultural yield are needed, moving from “tonnes per hectare” to “people fed per hectare”, and d) the trade-offs between different environmental indicators are important. With an uncertain policy environment and a lack of willing among the population to make significant changes in their diets, the future of UK land use and diets is unclear.