Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 57 pages. / Thesis (M.S.P.H.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated 23,000,000 cases of viral gastroenteritis caused by Norovirus in 2000, 40% of which were transmitted by food including: a variety of fresh produce, cake, deli meats, fruit salad, cheeses and ice. (CDC, 2003). An estimated 83,391 cases of Hepatitis A virus was reported in 2000, of which 5% was attributed to foodborne transmission (CDC, 2003). These figures underscore an urgent need for a method that can isolate virus from a variety of food matrices. The aim of this study was to develop an overall assessment of the inhibitory effects of a variety of food matrices on Real Time Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). / ABSTRACT: Additionally, to compare a sequence specific hybridization probe amplification format to a non sequence specific SYBR Green format using the Roche LightCycler. The secondary aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of a food virus concentration and isolation protocol under development at the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Laboratories, Tampa. Three food specimens consisting of prepackaged smoked ham, fresh cilantro, and Thompson's green grapes were seeded with three dilutions of poliovirus 3 (Sabin strain). A viral concentration procedure under development at the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Laboratories, Tampa was used to isolate the virus. Real Time RT-PCR was carried out on the Roche LightCycler in SYBR Green and Hybridization probe formats. Spiking the virus-negative samples of each matrix with a dilution series of poliovirus 3 created post flocculation spikes. / ABSTRACT: This post-flocculation dilution series amplification allowed a standard curve to be created unique to each food matrix. The flocculation and concentrations specimens were then amplified and the standard curves from the post-flocculation seed were used to calculate the loss associated with the concentration procedure. This study reports significant differences (p[0.05) in recovery detected between the various matrices, and Real Time RT-PCR formats. The concentration protocol under development at the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Laboratories, Tampa, demonstrates a 12-78% recovery of seeded virus in a simulated "real world" virus contamination event among the various matrices. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

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Staple food prices rose sharply in 2007/2008, dropped slightly after July 2008, and rose again in 2010/2011. Since 2008, food prices have remained high, indicating a structural upward adjustment in food prices amidst excessive price volatility. The 2008 food price increases led to considerable media coverage and alarm among governments who implemented a variety of responses to protect their populations from food insecurity. At the start of the high food price crisis in May 2008, the African Union and New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AU/NEPAD) invited 16 African countries to a workshop in South Africa. The aim of the workshop was to assist selected African countries identify and formulate appropriate plans to mitigate food insecurity and manage rising food prices. This study set out to investigate whether the strategies implemented by national governments at the start of the crisis mitigated high food prices through improved risk management strategies in five African countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda and Uganda) and evaluated these strategies to see if they were included in the national agriculture and food security investment plans. To achieve this, the study set out to explore four sub-problems, namely: What was the impact of high food prices on populations in the five selected countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda and Uganda)? How did the five countries respond to the 2008 food price crisis with regard to providing for immediate needs and protecting vulnerable groups from food insecurity? How many early actions were included in country compacts and agriculture and food investment programmes? Do country investment plans include household risk management programmes that will protect vulnerable groups against high food prices in future? The involvement of the researcher in the AU/NEPAD workshop and his subsequent engagement with national government representatives provided a unique opportunity to analyse the iterative process of Country Investment Plan (CIP) development. This innovative and largely qualitative study integrated comparative, content and thematic analysis approaches, using the four elements of the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme’s (CAADP) Framework for African Food Security (FAFS) to analyse the national plans. The study drew on available data from a wide variety of national, regional and international documents. Additional data were collected through a survey questionnaire completed by CAADP country focal persons. Data sourced from documents included Food Price Indices, country policy responses to high food prices, poverty and malnutrition indicators and the types of risk management strategies designed under CAADP. The study found that food prices increased across all five countries between 2007 and 2008, although the effects of the increases varied, being influenced by, among other factors, the proportion of national stocks purchased on the international market (i.e. net importers of staple crops), the availability of substitute staples on the domestic market and the magnitude of the difference between international and domestic market prices. The 2008 food price increases forced populations to spend a higher proportion of their income on food and eroded their purchasing power, impacting on the food security of these populations. Poor people adopted eroding consumption strategies that increased food insecurity. The impact of the high food prices on populations was determined by whether they were net food buyers or producers, the mix of staple commodities in their food basket and the proportion of income spent on food. As poor net food importing countries, imported staple foods became too costly, except in Uganda - a net exporter of food staples consumed in the surrounding countries. High food prices also provoked social unrest in Ethiopia and exacerbated political and economic instability in Kenya. Countries’ early responses to the food price crisis were varied and included responses that can be classified into three main categories, namely: Trade-oriented responses protected domestic stocks, reduced tariffs, restricted exports to reduce prices for consumers or increased domestic supply Consumer-oriented responses provided direct support to consumers and vulnerable groups in the form of, among others, food subsidies, social safety nets, tax reductions and price controls Producer-oriented responses provided incentives for farmers to increase production - using measures such as input subsidies and producer price support. Most responses were aimed at managing prices, suggesting that governments tried to protect citizens from price increases and buffer consumption reduction. Safety net programmes mitigated risks through the provision of food for immediate consumption. As a result, malnutrition levels unexpectedly decreased or remained static in these five countries, despite expectations and media claims that the number of hungry people would increase significantly. The early actions from the food price workshop plans were generally systematically translated into long-term programmes in the Compacts and Country Investment Plans. In Ethiopia, seven of eight early action plans were translated into the CIP, Kenya included three of eight, Malawi’s CIP included four of ten, and Rwanda included six of its ten early actions in their CIP programme, while Uganda included only six of thirteen early actions in their CIP. The study found that CIPs included risk management strategies, but these focused predominantly on improving early warning systems and crisis prevention. The risk management options largely included options for improving crisis prevention, followed by improving emergency responses and strengthening risk management policies and institutions. Only Kenya’s CIP included more risk management options for improving emergency responses – four of six risk management programmes. Despite expectations that programmes developed under CAADP FAFS would include all FAFS elements, CIPs lacked programmes to improve dietary quality. Only Rwanda’s CIP included nutrition programmes - three of six programmes in their CIP. The study concluded that while the proposed risk management strategies could mitigate risks associated with high food prices and offer some buffer for populations from food insecurity, the programmes are not comprehensive. The plans were generally weak regarding improving dietary quality through diversification of food consumption and production. Although the CIPs included risk management strategies, these strategies would not address risks in a comprehensive manner. More effective and coherent actions are still required to help the most food insecure populations cope with increasing high food prices and future price shocks; help developing country farmers respond to the opportunities offered by the rising demand for their products; and bring more stability in prices. The early food price response workshop seems to have influenced the development of programmes in the CAADP compact and CIPs, despite the fact that the workshop did not intend to assist countries with the development of comprehensive national investment plans. The large funding gaps in the CIPs constrain implementation of essential mitigation and development strategies and could leave countries vulnerable to the negative impacts of higher prices for consumers and threaten future household food security. The study recommends that countries invest in agriculture-led growth to boost domestic production and strengthen institutional capacities regarding national food stock reserves to reduce their dependency on imports and ensure food insecurity. National monitoring and evaluation systems need to be strengthened to evaluate and monitor the implementation of CIPs and to warn about future high food prices. Empirical estimation of the impact of price increases on households across all CAADP countries is needed to understand and monitor the impact of price changes and interventions. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

Research object – agricultural enterprises. Research subject – methodics of plant production cost calculation. Research aim – to analyze references and practical methods employed in plant produce cost calculation and to propose methodics improvements of plant production cost calculation. Objectives: 1) to analyze the essence of expenditure and production cost; 5) to examine the structure of production cost and to substantiate the expedience of expenditure calculation into cost; 6) to study methodics of plant production cost calculation in agricultural enterprises; 7) to submit proposals for improvement methodics of plant production cost calculation based on references study and research results. Research methods – logical and comparative analysis and synthesis of literature by Lithuanian and foreign authors, questionnaire questioning of agricultural enterprises, methods of logical and graphic modeling. After the study of produce cost essence, indices and their composition, calculation system and plant produce cost calculation methodology applied at agricultural enterprises, proposals were submitted for improvement methodics of plant production cost calculation.

The objectives of the research was to critically analyse arguments for and against agricultural trade liberalization and its impact on food security, investigating the nexus between the three pillars of agriculture and food security, considering how the Agreement on Agriculture and the Food Aid Convention addressed the concerns that were raised by the different parties during the negotiation period, and finally it considered how the current multilateral negotiations in agriculture can provide a secure framework within which developing African countries can pursue effective policies to ensure their food security.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pardee Rand Graduate School, 2007. / Title from title screen (viewed on June 13, 2008). This website links to the complete document in PDF format. Includes bibliographical references.

Lesotho has a land area of about 30.340 square kilometers and is completely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. Much of the country is mountainous. Its agricultural sector is characterized by low productivity due to erratic climatic conditions, limited arable land and fragile soils with a low water holding capacity. These conditions have proved very detrimental to crop production, rendering agriculture a risky economic activity. Numerous efforts have been made over the years to address the technical constraints confronting the sector, but nothing seems to be changing. The implication is that the technical/climatic factors mentioned above may be only part of the problem. The current situation whereby Lesotho imports nearly 95% of its domestic food requirements is unsustainable, but this desperate picture looks set to worsen with the continuing threats of contracting farm sizes and further declines in farmer participation rates. But this sector has continued to be an important source of household survival and existence. A study was designed and conducted during 2008 and 2009 to identify the institutional constraints to horticulture production in Lesotho, looking specifically at the obstacles to effective production and marketing of horticultural products. A total of 100 farming households were enumerated in four districts of the country, namely Butha Buthe, Berea, Mafeteng, and Thaba-Tseka. A range of institutional and non-price factors in the farming and marketing environment were incorporated in a binary choice model to investigate the degree of satisfaction of the farming households with their previous year’s farming results. To avoid selection bias in the sample, a probit model was chosen, and the Stata-10 software was used to estimate probit coefficients. The results provide indications that property rights, the agricultural extension service, the condition of the physical infrastructure, and distance to markets may be crucial elements threatening the existence of this sector in Lesotho. The difficulties in accessing markets and land remain important institutional constraints to horticulture production and marketing in Lesotho. Recommendations made on these issues include providing more policy support to homestead gardening and for these issues to be incorporated into the Vision 2020 process. Also to be included is the issue of addressing the growing national food insecurity and enhancing Basotho livelihoods in general.

The consumption of unsafe fresh vegetables has been linked to an increasing number of outbreaks of human infections. In Lebanon, although raw vegetables are major constituents of the national cuisine, studies on the safety of fresh produce are scant. This research employed a holistic approach to identify the different stages of the food chain that contribute to the microbiological risks on fresh produce and the spreading of hazards. A thorough analysis of the institutional and regulatory framework and the socio-political environment showed that the safety of local fresh produce in Lebanon is at risk due to largely unregulated practices and shortfalls in supporting the agricultural environment as influenced by the lack of a political commitment. Microbiological analysis showed that the faecal indicator levels ranged from < 0.7 to 7 log CFU/g (Escherichia coli), 1.69-8.16 log CFU/g (total coliforms) and followed a significantly increasing trend from fields to the post-harvest washing area. At washing areas, Salmonella was detected on lettuce (6.7% of raw vegetables from post-harvest washing areas). This suggested that post-harvest cross-contamination occurs predominantly in the washing stage. At retails, a combination of observation and self-reported data provided an effective tool in assessing knowledge, attitudes and practices. It showed that the food safety knowledge and sanitation practices of food handlers were inadequate, even among the better trained in corporate-managed SMEs. Overall, the microbiological quality of fresh-cut salad vegetables in SMEs was unsatisfactory. The link between Staphylococcus aureus and microorganism levels on fresh salads vegetables and the overall inspection scores could not be established. On the other hand, inspection ratings on individual components, e.g., cleanliness and cross-contamination preventive measures showed significant correlation with Listeria spp. levels. Together, results confirmed that inspection ratings don’t necessary reflect the microbiological safety of fresh vegetables and that the application of control points of risk factors that likely to contribute to microbial contamination in the production environment are essential. The washing methods were limited in their effectiveness to reduce the contamination of parsley with Salmonella. In general, the pre-wash chopping and storing of parsley at 30ºC reduced the decontamination effect of all solutions, including sodium dichloroisocyanurate which was reduced by 1.3 log CFU/g on both intact and chopped leaves stored at 30ºC. In such conditions, the transfer rate of Salmonella from one contaminated parsley to subsequently chopped clean batches on the same cutting board(CB) recorded 60%-64%. Furthermore, the transmission of Salmonella persisted via washed CBs stored at 30°C for 24 h. It is recommended to keep parsley leaves unchopped and stored at 5ºC until wash for an optimum decontamination effect and to apply vigilant sanitation of CBs after use with fresh produce. This research presented important data for quantitative risk assessment for Salmonella in parsley and useful descriptive information to inform decision-makers and educators on microbial hazards associated with fresh produce in Lebanon. It also highlighted the risks areas that require urgent interventions to improve food safety. Considering the complex institutional and political challenges in Lebanon, there is an obvious need to direct development programs and support towards local agriculture production, effective education strategies and growing awareness of consumers and stakeholders on food safety related risks.

Este trabalho busca contribuir no debate acerca dos movimentos sociais, especificamente no do movimento de moradia. Oferece uma análise das dinâmicas estatais de desenvolvimento das políticas e produções habitacionais em três esferas de governo: o Governo Federal, o Governo Estadual paulista, e a Prefeitura Municipal de São Paulo. O estudo aborda a atuação destes níveis de governo desde suas origens até 2002. Ele analisa os diferentes períodos do desenvolvimento desta atuação, examinando os modelos habitacionais que os caracterizaram. Esta análise focou-se na variação da distribuição das atividades fundamentais, à produção habitacional financiada por fundos públicos, presente nos diferentes programas habitacionais realizados ao longo do tempo. Assim ela procurou identificar as continuidades e descontinuidades da ação estatal. Expõe desta forma as preferências demonstradas pelo Estado em sua ação. Isto permitiu delinear o papel do movimento de moradia em alguns dos modelos habitacionais surgidos desde a Nova República. / This study intends to contribute to debate of social movements which gather dwellings. It approaches an analysis on State-oriented dynamics to develop policies and dwellings production into three branches of government: Federal, local State of São Paulo and São Paulo county level. The policies and action of these three levels are made accessible from its origins to 2002. An effort to analysis of different moments into the process of the public action is made. The models for habitation produce are under examination. The approach focuses changes in the distribution from the basic actions up to habitation produce financed by public funds. This has been found in different dwelling programs produced through all the time. The analysis attempts to identify continuities and discontinuities into the public action. It exposes by this way the preferences shown by the State performance. Such an approach allowed to outline the role of the gather dwellings movement in some of the habitation produce models that were developed since the New Republic arrival

Capes / Os empreendimentos de agricultura familiar não são recentes no Brasil e vêm, dia a dia, ganhando força e reconhecimento. Quanto ao sistema orgânico de produção agrícola, este surgiu ao final do século XIX, com fortes movimentos contrários a utilização de produtos químicos na agricultura. Sendo uma alternativa sustentável no mercado, a demanda por produtos vem crescendo ao longo dos anos em todo o mundo, e, com isso o número de agricultores familiares dedicados à produção orgânica também se multiplica. O presente estudo objetiva delinear o planejamento estratégico voltado para a comercialização da produção orgânica de agricultores familiares, para inserção e manutenção dos seus produtos no mercado. Para isso, foram selecionados os agricultores familiares que possuem certificação por auditoria, pela certificadora IBD certificações LTDA, no município de Ponta Grossa/PR, configurando uma população de sete produtores. A obtenção dos dados se deu por meio de entrevistas pessoais, e o tratamento desses foi realizado por meio de estatística descritiva e análise interpretativa. Dessa forma, pode-se desenhar o perfil dos empreendimentos agrícolas familiares estudados, compreender os benefícios e dificuldades em obter a certificação de produção orgânica, compreender o processo produtivo e caracterizar o processo de comercialização dos empreendimentos. Além disso, foram averiguadas as estratégias adotadas para manter a produção e a comercialização da produção do núcleo familiar, bem como analisar o cenário em que estão inseridos, dentro do mercado de consumo de olerícolas e frutas. A partir desses resultados, foi possível concluir que: o baixo grau de escolaridade dos agricultores não interfere no processo produtivo, mas ainda é uma dificuldade no processo de gestão e planejamento dos empreendimentos; a obtenção da certificação de produção orgânica, embora tenha demandado um processo criterioso e demorado, é um diferencial para a comercialização; devido ao baixo volume de mão de obra dos núcleos familiares, esses dedicam muito tempo aos processos de produção e pouco tempo, ou nenhum, para planejar e gerenciar os processos de comercialização; embora haja políticas e programas de incentivo à comercialização na agricultura familiar, ainda existem carências de fomento aos processos produtivos, no sentido de expansão da oferta de insumos específicos para produção de orgânicos, e de capacitação de mão de obra; e, dentre os canais de comercialização existentes, a comercialização direta ao consumidor final é a que gera maior e mais rápido retorno financeiro, além de contribuir para a divulgação dos produtos através da comunicação boca a boca. / The family farming enterprises are not recent in Brazil and come from day to day, gaining strength and recognition. As for the organic system of agricultural production, this appeared at the end of the nineteenth century, with strong movements against the use of chemicals in agriculture. Being a sustainable alternative in the market, the demand for products has grown over the years all over the world, and with this the number of family farmers dedicated to organic production also multiplies. In this sense, the present study aims to outline the strategic planning aimed at marketing the organic production of family farmers, for insertion and maintenance of their products in the market. For this, we selected the family farmers who are certified by audit, by the certifier IBD certifications LTDA, in the city of Ponta Grossa / PR, constituting a population of seven producers. The data were obtained through personal interviews, and the treatment of these was performed through descriptive statistics and interpretative analysis. In this way, it is possible to design the profile of the family farms studied, to understand the benefits and difficulties in obtaining organic production certification, to understand the productive process and to characterize the commercialization process of the enterprises. In addition, the strategies adopted to maintain the production and commercialization of the production of the family nucleus were analyzed, as well as to analyze the scenario in which they are inserted, within the consumption market of vegetables and fruits. From these results, it was possible to conclude that: the low level of schooling of the farmers does not interfere in the productive process, but it is still a difficulty in the process of management and planning of the enterprises; the certification of organic production, although it has demanded a careful and time-consuming process, is a differential for the commercialization; because of the low volume of workforce in the family, they devote a lot of time to production processes and little or no time to plan and manage the marketing processes; although there are policies and programs to encourage commercialization in family agriculture, there are still deficiencies in the productive processes, in the sense of expanding the supply of specific inputs for organic production, and training of labor; and, among the existing marketing channels, direct marketing to the final consumer is the one that generates greater and faster financial return, besides contributing to the dissemination of products through word of mouth communication.