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Collaboration in agricultural value chains (AVCs) has the potential to increase smallholders’ participation in international value chains and increase their benefits from participation. This scoping review explores existing collaboration models among stakeholders of AVCs in developing countries, examines enablers and constraints of collaboration and identifies policy gaps.

We systematically searched three databases, CAB Abstracts, Econlit (EBSCO) and Agricola, for studies published between 2005 and 2023 and included 59 relevant studies on AVC collaboration.

The primary motivations for collaboration are to enhance market access and improve product quality. Key outcomes of collaboration include improvements in farmers’ welfare, market participation and increased production; only a few studies consider improved risk management as an important outcome. Robust support from government and non-governmental entities is a primary enabler of collaboration. Conversely, conflicts of interest among stakeholders and resource limitations constrain collaboration possibilities. Collaboration involving high-value crops prioritizes income increases, whereas collaboration involving staple crops focuses on improving household food security.

This study may have publication bias as unsuccessful instances of collaboration are less likely to be published.

This study is unique in highlighting collaboration models’ characteristics and identifying AVC policy and programmatic areas where private firms, farmers’ groups, local governments and donor agencies can contribute.

This study estimates the land footprint, nutrients and monetary value of persimmon loss in Brazil, and also consolidated the methodological approach for assessing resources related to food loss.

It uses data on the harvested area, production, production loss and production value of persimmon in Brazil from 2014 to 2019. The persimmon loss in Brazil was converted into macro- and micronutrients, land use and monetary value.

The average annual production loss, loss production value and land footprint of persimmon are 35,100 tons, US$12m  and 1,673 hectares, respectively. Persimmon loss represents the average loss per year of 6.6bn grams of carbohydrates, 1.6bn grams of food fibers, 7.2bn milligrams of vitamin C, 41.8bn micrograms of vitamin A, 4.5bn milligrams of calcium and 54.8bn milligrams of potassium. These nutrients have the potential to meet the nutritional daily needs of approximately 135,000, 176,000 people, 270,000, 164,000, 12,000 and 32m, respectively.

Through (1) research and innovation; (2) infrastructure development; (3) training and education; (4) collaboration and networking; and (5) market diversification and value addition, people can increase persimmon shelf life, reduce postharvest losses and create a resilient environment for small persimmon farmers. This approach promotes sustainability in the agri-food system and empowers stakeholders.

This investigation helps to understand the value of food loss, considering the use of natural resources, as well as the loss of nutrients and monetary value.

Eat Right India (ERI) is a flagship initiative by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to transform the food system to ensure sustainable, safe and healthy food for all. The study summarizes the strategies, policies and programs using the NOURISHING framework.

This study identifies and reviews documents related to ERI through a comprehensive search of research literature, policy documents and information available from the institutional websites. The NOURISHING framework, which proposes a methodology to categorize, report and monitor actions to promote healthy eating, is used as a guiding framework.

Upon analyzing various strategies put forward by the ERI initiative, it was found that there are many inter-sectoral collaborations, successful institutionalizations and behavioral interventions implemented through the initiative. However, there are a few areas that require attention, which include health taxation, children's exposure to unhealthy food marketing, regulations in food advertisements and the incentivization of retailers and consumers for healthy food delivery and consumption. There is a need for a holistic approach with a congruence of health and food systems in the backdrop of a strong and efficient policy and regulatory framework to tackle the threat of Non-communicable diseases (NCD).

This article contributes to a significant discussion about transforming food systems to tackle (NCDs). It summarizes the existing initiatives in India for establishing healthy food environments and also suggests a few strategies for taking it forward. The study calls the policymakers to action for restructuring the food and health system into resilient, contextually relevant and interoperable mechanisms to address the threat of NCDs.

The purpose of this paper is to present a novel qualitative activity focus group (AFG) method for studying consumption practices. This participatory method, which is inspired by practice-theoretical thinking, combines focus group discussions with activities that represent the practices at the centre of the research.

The application of the AFG method is demonstrated with an empirical study of the transition to plant-based food consumption practices in Finland, involving four group sessions of 13 participants.

The findings from the empirical application of the AFG method illustrate that its key strength is the ability to foster fruitful and natural discussions on routine consumption practices that connect with discursive and practical dimensions and thus generate multidimensional data in resource-efficient ways.

The AFG method extends the methodological approaches in practice theory–oriented research, responding to the call for creative, real-life-reflecting methods that are able to grasp the discursive and embodied dimensions of practices. The method is proposed to be particularly suitable for research on mundane consumption practices.