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Article
Publication date: 9 September 2013

Mamta Tandon, Padma Vasudevan, S.N. Naik and Philip Davies

A variety of biomass plantations are being raised for energy production. This case study is on energy production potential of seasonal oil bearing crops in India. These crops have…

Abstract

Purpose

A variety of biomass plantations are being raised for energy production. This case study is on energy production potential of seasonal oil bearing crops in India. These crops have the advantage of producing oil (liquid fuel) as well as biomass as agro residue (solid fuel). The purpose of the study is to estimate total energy yields of oil bearing crops and compare with other types of energy plantations. Also oil bearing crops bioaccumulate metals and thus phytoremediate soil. This provides scope for waste water irrigation.

Design/methodology/approach

Relevant published papers on energy production by raising oil bearing crops have been analyzed. The effect of waste water irrigation and agronomic practices on increasing productivity is given special attention.

Findings

It is shown that the seasonal oil bearing crops such as castor have a high potential to generate energy and this is comparable to energy produced by many perennial grasses. The energy yields of castor under irrigated condition was 196×103 MJ/ha and this is comparable to the reed canary grass which yields 195×103 MJ/ha. Some of the oil bearing crops are also super accumulators of certain toxic metals.

Research limitations/implications

In this study, only all the accessible papers on the topic could be analyzed.

Practical implications

This case study indicates that raising oil bearing crops such as castor using waste water has many advantages which include high energy yields, utilization of waste water for productive purpose and phytoremediation of soil.

Originality/value

The comparison made between various types of energy crops for their energy generation is an original contribution. Findings of economic and environmental benefits by waste water irrigation are also of value.

Article
Publication date: 9 March 2015

Adappa Chandrashekar Lokesh, Naranapur Somashekhar Mahesh, Balakrishna Gowda and Peter White

The purpose of this paper is to present a review of strategy developed by University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore in Biofuel Park, Hassan (Government of Karnataka…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a review of strategy developed by University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore in Biofuel Park, Hassan (Government of Karnataka, initiative to develop biofuel programme in India) for promoting sustainable biodiesel production using oil extracted from tree borne oil species. The main aim of this study was to analyse the current strategy, identify the limitations and propose sustainable biodiesel production strategies for rural Karnataka.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents critical analysis of current Biofuel Park strategy using strength weakness opportunities and threat (SWOT) method. The data for SWOT analysis were collected from Biofuel Park log books, followed by interviews with around 50 associations of biofuel feed stock growers. Further, to evolve sustainable strategies, a case study was carried out at a local village assessing sustainability of biodiesel production and use from four local tree species oil namely; Pongamia pinnata, Azadiractha indica, Madhuca indica and Simarouba glauca. The evolved strategies were brainstormed with local farming community and the deliberations were used to lay a road map for implementing the evolved strategies.

Findings

The strategies proposed in the paper would help in sustainability of villages with respect to local energy needs and generate employment. The roadmap proposed would minimise green house gas (GHG) emission compared to Biofuel Park model/strategy and minimise biomass displacement.

Originality/value

This paper fulfils a need to study biofuel strategies adopted by government bodies, analyse the same for sustainability and propose alternatives to overcome the limitations of the practiced strategy.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 26 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 July 2015

Adewale Williams Adebayo, Babatunde S Ogunsina and Olasunkanmi Saka Gbadamosi

– This study aims to investigate some physicochemical characteristics of Hildegardia barteri seed oils obtained by cold-pressing and solvent extraction procedures.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate some physicochemical characteristics of Hildegardia barteri seed oils obtained by cold-pressing and solvent extraction procedures.

Design/methodology/approach

Crude oil samples were obtained from the kernels by cold pressing and solvent extraction. The physicochemical properties of the oil samples were investigated according to the standard procedures in published works of literature.

Findings

The oil yield was 55.7 and 97 per cent for cold-pressed kariya seed oil (CPKSO) and solvent-extracted kariya seed oil (SEKSO), respectively. Specific gravities, refractive indices, viscosities, iodine value, saponification value, peroxide value and acid value were 0.8742 and 0.9036; 1.4629 and 1.4584; 75.93 and 74.90 mPa.s; 55.78 and 53.56 g of I2/100g of oil; 249.76 and 253.90 mg KOH/g; 4.86 and 5.02 meq KOH/g; 2.12 and 2.09 mg KOH/g of oil for CPKSO and SEKSO, respectively. The physicochemical characteristics of kariya seed oil were not significantly affected by extraction method. The fatty acid profiles of CPKSO and SEKSO showed that the two oil samples contain 24.2 and 23.7, 31.3 and 29.3, 23.2 and 23.7 and 19.6 and 21.3 per cent of myristic, palmitic, stearic and linolenic acids, respectively. Lauric and oleic acids were present in very little proportions of 0.3 and 0.41; and 0.01 and 0.03 per cent, respectively, whereas linoleic acid was 1.4 per cent for the two oil samples. Significant differences in fatty acid profiles were observed for lauric, palmitic and linolenic acids (p = 0.05). Saturated and unsaturated fatty acids were about 79.0 and 77.11 per cent and 21.01 and 22.73 per cent for CPKSO and SEKSO, respectively.

Practical implications

This work promotes H. barteri tree beyond its use as a mere ornamental plant. The non-conventional seed oil it produces may find relevance in the food or biofuels industry subject to further investigation.

Originality/value

This study is the first to document the extraction and physicochemical properties of kariya seed oils.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science, vol. 45 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 February 2021

Jiehong Zhou, Yu Wang, Rui Mao and Yuqing Zheng

As technical barriers gradually become the important tools of trade protection, it is important to understand whether intensified enforcement of border controls is adopted as a…

423

Abstract

Purpose

As technical barriers gradually become the important tools of trade protection, it is important to understand whether intensified enforcement of border controls is adopted as a hidden tool of trade protectionism and differs across periods and industries.

Design/methodology/approach

This article applies a panel structural vector autoregression (PSVAR) model to investigate the potential role of trade protectionism motives in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) import refusals on China's agricultural exports, utilizing newly constructed monthly data at the industry level.

Findings

The results show that import refusal is mainly driven by the inspection history, highlighting the importance of the intrinsic product quality and maintaining an excellent inspection history in border inspection. The novel finding is that US employment contractions would also lead to a small increase in FDA import refusals, especially those taking place within ten months and made without sampling tests. Such an association is driven by industry-specific employment shocks and becomes stronger after the financial crisis. It is also more evident in industries where the US lacks competitiveness against China, being manufactured without mandatory safety regulations, and with negative skewness of employment growth.

Originality/value

This research is one of the preliminary attempts to understand whether the de facto border controls are worked as a hidden tool of protectionism to agricultural products, and what the specific trajectory and duration of the impacts at the monthly level. This study provides empirical evidence showing the role of protectionism motives in FDA import refusals and is heterogeneous across industries, which generate new insights and policy implications to predict and cope with additional barriers on agricultural trade.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1980

The terms are not synonymous; their differences are mainly of function and areas of administration. Community Health is used in national health service law; environmental health…

Abstract

The terms are not synonymous; their differences are mainly of function and areas of administration. Community Health is used in national health service law; environmental health to describe the residuum of health functions remaining with local authorities after the first NHS/Local Government reorganization of 1974. Previously, they were all embraced in the term public health, known for a century or more, with little attention to divisions and in the field of administration, all local authority between county and district councils. In the dichotomy created by the reorganization, the personal health services, including the ambulance service, may have dove‐tailed into the national health service, but for the remaining functions, there was a situation of unreality, which has persisted. It is difficult to know where community health and environmental health begin and end. From the outside, the unreality may be more apparent than real. The Royal Commission on the NHS in their Report of last year state that leaving environmental health services with local authorities “does not seem to have caused any problems”—and this, despite the disparity in status of the area health authority and the bottom tier, local councils.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 82 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 7 June 2021

Tamoor Khan, Jiangtao Qiu, Ameen Banjar, Riad Alharbey, Ahmed Omar Alzahrani and Rashid Mehmood

The purpose of this paper is to assess the impacts on production of five fruit crops from 1961 to 2018 of energy use, CO2 emissions, farming areas and the labor force in China.

1860

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the impacts on production of five fruit crops from 1961 to 2018 of energy use, CO2 emissions, farming areas and the labor force in China.

Design/methodology/approach

This analysis applied the autoregressive distributed lag-bound testing (ARDL) approach, Granger causality method and Johansen co-integration test to predict long-term co-integration and relation between variables. Four machine learning methods are used for prediction of the accuracy of climate effect on fruit production.

Findings

The Johansen test findings have shown that the fruit crop growth, energy use, CO2 emissions, harvested land and labor force have a long-term co-integration relation. The outcome of the long-term use of CO2 emission and rural population has a negative influence on fruit crops. The energy consumption, harvested area, total fruit yield and agriculture labor force have a positive influence on six fruit crops. The long-run relationships reveal that a 1% increase in rural population and CO2 will decrease fruit crop production by −0.59 and −1.97. The energy consumption, fruit harvested area, total fruit yield and agriculture labor force will increase fruit crop production by 0.17%, 1.52%, 1.80% and 4.33%, respectively. Furthermore, uni-directional causality is correlated with the growth of fruit crops and energy consumption. Also, the results indicate that the bi-directional causality impact varies from CO2 emissions to agricultural areas to fruit crops.

Originality/value

This study also fills the literature gap in implementing ARDL for agricultural fruits of China, used machine learning methods to examine the impact of climate change and to explore this important issue.

Details

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-8692

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 February 2017

Samuel Ayofemi Olalekan Adeyeye

This paper aims to review scientific contributions that are essential to reduce the challenges to food security in Africa through food processing and appropriate storage…

5163

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to review scientific contributions that are essential to reduce the challenges to food security in Africa through food processing and appropriate storage technologies.

Design/methodology/approach

Several literature studies on the role of food processing and appropriate storage technologies in ensuring food security and food availability in Africa were critically reviewed.

Findings

The study revealed that the world faces multiple challenges to food security including under nutrition and overconsumption, rising food prices, population growth, rapid diet transitions, threats to agricultural production, inefficient production practices and supply chains and declining investment in food system research. Many people lack adequate amounts of foods that are rich in the nutrients needed for a healthy and productive life. According to FAO, 1996, chronic undernutrition affects 43 per cent of the Africa’s population or some 215 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. Food security is highly instrumental to the economic growth and sustainability of any country. The use of simple but effective on- and off-farm storage facilities and agro-processing technology should be promoted to add value to products and increase their shelf-life. The Strategic Grain Reserve Scheme should be modernized, strengthened and upgraded to a National Food Reserve Program, which will enable it to handle all staples and essential food products. This will help in attainment of national food security goal. It is also crucial to promote and develop agro-processing in the various African countries for the evolution of virile agro-allied industries and rural micro-enterprises.

Research limitations/implications

The paper reviewed the role of food processing and appropriate food storage technologies in ensuring food security and availability in Africa. There are insufficient data and information on adoption of new food processing and appropriate storage technologies in Africa. Although, there have been some instances where the introduction of modern techniques has resulted in products rejection by consumers.

Practical implications

The paper helps in reviewing food situation in Africa and how to make food available for the people and Africa food secured.

Social implications

This paper revealed strategies that could be used to improve food security and ensuring food availability in Africa.

Originality/value

This review paper is of value to policymakers, government agencies responsible for food quality control and assurance and consumers to make food available and affordable for the people.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science, vol. 47 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 1980

Reviewing the Food Standards Report on Misdescriptions contained in this issue—the terms, names, phrases widespread in the field of agriculture and food—one cannot fail to notice…

Abstract

Reviewing the Food Standards Report on Misdescriptions contained in this issue—the terms, names, phrases widespread in the field of agriculture and food—one cannot fail to notice the impressive role that words generally play in everyday use of language, especially in those areas where widespread common usage imports regional differences. The modern tendency is to give to words new meanings and nowhere is this so apparent as in the food industry; the Food Standards Committee considered a number of these. The FSC see the pictorial device as making a deeper impression than mere words in relation to consumer preference, which is undoubtedly true. Even Memory can be compartmentalized and especially with the increasing years, the memory tends to become photographic, retaining visual impressions more strongly than the written word. Auditory impressions depend largely on their accompaniments; if words are spoken with the showing of a picture or sung to a catchy tune, these will be more strongly retained than mere words on a printed label. At best, pictorial devices give rise to transient impressions, depending on the needs and interests of the viewer. Many look but do not see, and as for spoken words, these may “go in one ear and out of the other!”.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 82 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1973

For most people, especially those with fixed incomes, household budgets have to be balanced and sometimes the balance is precarious. With price rises of foods, there is a switch…

Abstract

For most people, especially those with fixed incomes, household budgets have to be balanced and sometimes the balance is precarious. With price rises of foods, there is a switch to a cheaper substitute within the group, or if it is a food for which there is no real substitute, reduced purchases follow. The annual and quarterly reviews of the National Food Survey over the years have shown this to be so; with carcase meat, where one meat is highly priced, housewives switch to a cheaper joint, and this is mainly the reason for the great increase in consumption of poultry; when recently the price of butter rose sharply, there was a switch to margarine. NFS statistics did not show any lessening of consumer preference for butter, but in most households, with budgets on a tight string, margarine had to be used for many purposes for which butter had previously been used. With those foods which have no substitute, and bread (also milk) is a classic example, to keep the sum spent on the food each week about the same, the amount purchased is correspondingly reduced. Again, NFS statistics show this to be the case, a practice which has been responsible for the small annual reductions in the amount of bread consumed per person per week over the last fifteen years or so; very small, a matter of an ounce or two, but adequate to maintain the balance of price/quantity since price rises have been relatively small, if fairly frequent. This artifice to absorb small price rises will not work, however, when price rises follow on one another rapidly and together are large. Bread is a case in point.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 75 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1976

JAMES LOVE and RICHARD DISNEY

The Convention signed at Lomé on 28 February 1975 between the nine members of the European Economic Community and forty‐six developing countries, known as the ACP States, has been…

194

Abstract

The Convention signed at Lomé on 28 February 1975 between the nine members of the European Economic Community and forty‐six developing countries, known as the ACP States, has been hailed as an important advance in economic cooperation between rich and poor nations. Not only has the number of countries associated with the EEC been raised from the nineteen involved in the earlier Yaoundé Convention, but the ACP countries as a group now appear to enjoy more favourable provisions for trade and aid than those obtained under earlier agreements. Among the new ACP States is Ethiopia, a country neither connected with the EEC through previous arrangements nor having any historical links with Europe apart from a brief period of colonial rule by the Italians during 1936–41. The objective of this paper is to examine the implications of the provisions of the Lomé Convention in relation to Ethiopia. In addition to addressing the major question of local concern, i.e. whether or not Ethiopia is likely to benefit from association, a case study of this country is of more widespread interest. The lessons for Ethiopia may be applicable to other countries with similar circumstances. In addition, on the grounds of absolute poverty the Lomé Convention provides preferential treatment in some areas for certain of the least developed ACP countries, of which Ethiopia is one. The likely benefits of association for Ethiopia may serve, therefore, as an indicator of the extent of the EEC's commitment to assisting the ACP States, and the least developed in particular.

Details

Journal of Economic Studies, vol. 3 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3585

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