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This study aims to assess barriers in accessing and uptaking climate change adaptation information among smallholder tomato farmers in Tanzania.

This study was conducted in Iringa and Morogoro regions, Tanzania. It adopted cross-sectional research design. Multistage, purposive and random sampling techniques with a sample size of 183 smallholder tomato farmers were used. Questionnaires containing closed- and open-ended questions, interview guide and focus group discussions were used to collect data. To ensure validity and reliability of data collection instruments, pretesting of the questionnaires was conducted by administering them to a small group of smallholder tomato growers. Statistical Product and Service Solutions software was used to analyse quantitative data while NVivo was used for analysing qualitative data.

Lack of clear understanding of climate change information (132, 72.1%), scarcity of libraries and information centres (125, 68.3%), inadequate income (125, 68.3%), lack of trust of sources of information (114, 62.3%), lack of sufficient knowledge about climate change (111, 60%), illiteracy (110, 60.1%), poor distribution of electricity in rural areas (109, 59.6%) and use of jargons (93, 50.8%) in explaining climate change adaptation issues are hindrances for smallholder tomato farmers to access and uptake climate change adaptation information.

This study was conducted in only two districts in Tanzania; thus, the findings cannot be generalized.

The government and relevant agencies are recommended to use appropriate strategies for breaking the barriers that impede easy access and uptake of climate change adaptation information by smallholder tomato farmers as one of the interventions to combat the impacts posed by climate change.

This study has contributed to the ongoing discourses on climate change issues. Such discourses have influenced attention and understanding of the role of access and uptake of climate change adaptation information by smallholder farmers for planning and implementation of adaptation strategies through awareness creation.

This study is in line with goal number 13.3 of Sustainable Development Goals, which vows on taking necessary actions in combating climate change and its impacts. Thus, smallholder tomato farmers’ awareness about climate change through access and uptake of climate change adaptation information is one of the interventions to combat climate change and its impacts.

Socio-economic shocks have been the sources of burden to smallholder farmers, and the recent COVID-19 pandemics, can be termed a shock that could lead to distortions in the operations of the commodity value chain. The study, therefore, examined the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on income and access to economic input such as labour, seeds, fertilisers, herbicides, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was carried out in Kano State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was employed in the selection of 260 respondents comprising producers (115), marketers (60), processors (46) and transporters (29). Primary data were collected from stakeholders in tomato value chain through the use of a structured questionnaire. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that tomato value chain in Kano State, Nigeria, is male-dominated. The average age of stakeholders ranged between 43 years (transporters) and 51 years (processors). Results further revealed a significant relationship in income of marketers' pre- and during COVID-19 pandemic. However, non-significant relationship was observed in the income of producers, processors and transporters prior and during COVID-19 pandemic. There was also no significant difference in the economic value of seeds, manure and fertiliser before and during COVID-19 pandemic. The most important constraints to the producers were the high cost of farm chemical procured while the marketers were confronted with high cost of transportation. The processors were faced with high processing cost and transporters experienced request for undue levies by market authorities. The study recommends that mechanism be devised to improve availability of inputs to producers and dissemination of adequate market information to stakeholders in the tomato value chain regularly to improve contribution of the commodity to food security and economic development.

This study aims to determine the influence of bruise damage generated from the impact test on the physical, chemical and nutritional responses of tomato fruit.

The impact loading was applied from different heights. The impact energies for 20, 40 and 60 cm drop heights were 129.59, 259.18 and 388.77 mJ, respectively. The injured samples were kept for 48 hours at low (10 °C) and ambient (22 °C) storage temperatures. Weight loss, firmness, color, total soluble solids (TSS), lycopene and carotenoids were measured before the impact test (day 0) and after 48 hours of the impact and storage.

The drop height of 60 cm and storage at 22 °C showed the highest values in the bruised area. The impact from the 60 cm drop height significantly reduced weight, lightness, yellowness, hue, firmness, lycopene and carotenoids, particularly at 22 °C storage condition. Redness (a*) and color index (CI) showed a remarkable increase (p < 0.05) at 22 °C on tomatoes affected from the highest impact level (388.77 mJ) after 48 hours of storage. No pronounced significance was seen between TSS and drop heights. This study has confirmed that tomato bruising for a short-term storage period induces physiological changes at different storage temperature conditions.

The study can confirm the crucial role of inappropriate handling in increasing fresh produce loss within short-term storage. Also, this research can be considered as a guideline for transporters, handlers, processors, distributors and horticulture researchers in the fresh produce supply chain during postharvest operations.

With the empirical evidence on the purchase behaviour of tinned tomatoes, food labelling and the safety consciousness of consumers in Ghana were examined.

Primary data were obtained from 130 consumers. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis and multinomial probit analysis were applied.

Consumers use tinned tomatoes for cooking because of its easy accessibility in nearby shops, guaranteed constant supply, attractive package, it being affordable/cheaper, its better colour, advertisement/promotion, and longer shelf life. There is a low level of food safety consciousness among consumers since only one-fifth read labels on tinned tomatoes very often, and one-fifth do not read labels at all. Consumers frequently check on tinned tomatoes' most essential information: brand/type, manufacturing and expiry dates, and weight/volume. Age, residential status, contact information, nutritional benefits and affordability influence the choice of retail brand of tinned tomatoes. The health label consumer segment and conventional label consumer segment were identified, with the majority being the former.

The sample size used for the study could be improved in terms of number and geographical coverage. This is because the study was limited to only one main urbanised area in Ghana. Therefore, it will be worthwhile for a further study to be conducted by comparing urban and rural consumers in Ghana and other countries within Africa, to either validate or reveal a different trajectory of consumer behaviour relevant to marketing, policy and practice.

Tomato paste (tinned tomatoes) is consumed in almost all homes in Africa, but there are food scare concerns about tinned tomatoes due to reported cases of adulteration with unhealthy materials such as starch and food colour, leading to negative health implications on consumers. This makes the reading of tinned tomato labels very crucial. Thus, it is of policy relevance to investigate consumers' reading behaviour of label information on tinned tomatoes in Ghana. However, previous studies on food labelling focussed on food and nutrition labelling and implications of food labelling on consumers' purchase behaviour, with most of them outside Africa.

The teaching objectives of the case are as follows: to develop an understanding of the scope and complexity of strategy and marketing; to examine what is meant by purpose, direction, objectives and consider how these might be set and used; to help students think and act in a strategic way; to give faculty the opportunity to illustrate the strategist’s and marketer’s toolbox, namely, tools and frameworks, such as Porters 5 Forces – The attractiveness of the industry, Porter’s Generic Marketing Strategies, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats analysis, the 4P’s – with a focus on product and distribution. The case is intended for use in MBA and Executive education courses in strategy, marketing and leadership. The case offers relevant experiences and instructive lessons in formulating and implementing business strategies. The case highlights the importance of contextual leadership intelligence and competence in enabling entrepreneurial business activities.

Tomato Jos (Nigeria) is a large tomato processing business in Kaduna, Nigeria. Nigeria is the second-largest producer of tomatoes in Africa, with Egypt as the largest. The country ranks 14th overall as a world producer. In Africa, and specifically Nigeria, there is a strong push to support small-scale farmers as a source of employment creation, as well as meeting the needs of food security. The CEO, Mira Mehata, is an ex-pat graduate from the USA with strong Agri sector experience. The business has received extensive support from the Kaduna Government as the business has secondary objectives to assist small-scale farmers in the region. Farmers need consistent off takers and reasonable set prices to see a return on their investment and Tomato Jos plays that role of being the middle-man. This results in less wasted produce – the bane of farmers globally. The price for fresh tomatoes is about three times that of processed tomatoes IE in paste or sauce – so that is an added challenge for farmers to see the value in processed tomatoes. The business currently has a 2% Market Share in Nigeria with a target of 10% over the next five years. The business so far has invested three billion Naira and plans a further five billion Naira over the next few years. The business is seen as a high-profile success story with a supportive eco-system with a push from both the Nigerian Government and some major private sector players example Dangote.

The case is intended for use in MBA and Executive education courses in Strategy, Marketing and Leadership.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CCS 11: Strategy.

A survey of the market diseases and aflatoxin contamination of tomato fruits was conducted in Sokoto in northwestern Nigeria in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Rotten tomato fruits sold at five different markets in Sokoto town, located at Central market, Kasuwar daji, Mabera, Minanata and Arkilla were heavily contaminated with moulds. Eight different fungi were found associated with the rotten tomato fruits sold in the five different markets. The associated fungi were Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus ochraceous, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium citrinum and Helminthosporim fulvum, Curvularia lunata and Sclerotium rolfsii. A. flavus and A. niger have the highest rate of occurrence among the isolated fungi, while S. rolfsii was the least encountered. Pathogenicity tests revealed that of all the isolated fungi, A. ochraceous, A. flavus, Sclerotium rolfsii and P. citrinum were highly pathogenic with the first three leading to rapid disintegration of treated fruits in 3‐5 days. A. niger was moderately pathogenic, while H. fulvum was least pathogenic on tomato fruits. Aflatoxins were detected from the sampled diseased‐marketed tomato fruits and also from the marketed rotten tomato fruits after autoclaving for 15 minutes at 121°C.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the possibility of utilization of pomegranate seed powder and tomato powder in the development of fiber-enriched chicken nuggets.

The study was designed to incorporate and evaluate the effect of pomegranate seed powder and tomato powder on the quality characteristics of the chicken nuggets. The products were developed by incorporating different levels of pomegranate seed powder (1, 2, 3 per cent) and tomato powder (1, 2, 3 per cent) separately and were analyzed for various physicochemical and sensory parameters.

The pomegranate seed powder and tomato powder significantly (p < 0.05) increased the fiber content of the chicken nuggets besides improving various sensory attributes of the products. A significant (p < 0.05) effect of the pomegranate seed powder was observed on the pH, emulsion stability, cooking yield and proximate parameters of the chicken nuggets. Tomato powder also showed a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the emulsion stability, moisture and fat content of the products. No significant (p > 0.05) effect of tomato was observed on the pH and cooking yield of the products.

Fiber-enriched chicken nuggets could be developed by incorporating pomegranate seed powder and tomato powder in the formulation besides improving various sensory attributes of the products.

Entrepreneurship.

This case is designed for teaching entrepreneurship at master’s level. Depending on students’ interests and exposure levels however, it can be applied to teaching undergraduate entrepreneurship courses that are taken after at least the two basic entrepreneurship courses.

Nigeria’s tomato industry is one of the most dysfunctional in the entire nation’s economy. Although the country is West Africa’s largest tomato producer, nearly half of the produced tomatoes rot on the way to the market, which makes Nigeria heavily reliant on imported tomato paste. Amidst growing concerns among stakeholders of the need to address the dysfunction of the tomato industry, Tomato Jos emerged as the earliest social impact venture in the tomato paste industry. Nigeria’s changing macro-economic conditions clearly call for a tomato processing industry and the entry of Tomato Jos is well timed. Within a span of two years, the company successfully raised $600,000 in equity, debt and grant financing that has catered for start-up expenses and expansion to 150 hectares of farmland. The company plans on raising an additional $25m to cater for their planned Stage III growth. Amidst growing excitement over the entry of Tomato Jos in the industry with a social enterprise, Africa’s top business tycoon, Aliko Dangote, announced entry into the tomato processing industry with a major tomato processing facility in the same region as Tomato Jos. The Dangote Group of companies is seen as very tough competition to contend with, due to their sheer size, political leverage and financial capital. This case study primarily teaches how multiple aspects of start-up entrepreneurship may be handled rather than being taught separately as is often the case in mainstream business education. Entrepreneurs in the field rarely confront real challenges in this way. This case study introduces a practice of teaching a collection of key aspects of entrepreneurship, their nuances and inter-relationships in an integrated fashion.

The overarching objective of this case is to teach students how to interpret the shifts in industry position resulting from the entry of an important competitor within the larger context of growing a social venture. At the end of the case study analysis, students will be able to analyze the effects of changing forces and conditions in a country’s business environment on a start-up social enterprise; interpret the shifts in a venture’s industry position after the entry of an important competitor; identify appropriate funding sources and financing strategies to fuel the growth of a social enterprise; identify areas of a start-up’s business model that need improvement and/or iteration to support faster growth; and develop an effectuation-based strategy for a growing venture.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

This paper aims to further progress in research on perceived quality of fresh fruit and vegetables. It seeks to develop and discuss two models for perceived quality of tomato, including the price variable as an indicator for perceived quality of tomato.

The data come from a survey of 400 consumers that measures the importance of a set of tomato attributes on a Likert scale. The models were adjusted by means of structural equation analysis. Two procedures were followed for model development: the first started from an exploratory factor analysis. In the second, relations and correlations among variables were established starting from the theoretical framework that differentiates among search, experience and credence attributes.

Two models of tomato perceived quality are formulated and discussed. Both established that the perceived quality of fresh tomato could be explained through nine attributes. Some of them can be deduced at the place of purchase; some, during consumption while others are a question of trust. With regard to using price as an indicator of the perceived quality of tomato, both models suggested the elimination of this variable from the model for perceived quality.

Studying perceived quality has received much attention in research on the behaviour of food consumers. Nevertheless, there are not many attempts to establish models for the perceived quality of fresh fruit and vegetables. Specifically, there are very few studies on consumer behaviour that analyse the perceived quality of tomato. Thus, this study is one of the first attempts to establish a model for perceived quality of tomato.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a historical background of the tomato dispute, review the USA trade law and its effect on the tomato trade, discuss the role of the North American Free Trade Agreement and other supply and demand factors on increased tomato imports from Mexico and present a conceptual analysis of the effects of a Suspension Agreement (a form of Voluntary Export Restraint) on the USA and Mexico. In 1996, the USA and Mexico signed the Suspension Agreement which sets a guaranteed minimum price for Mexican tomato imports.

Conceptual analysis graphically illustrates how the Suspension Agreement affects the tomato trade for the USA and Mexico and shows the benefits and losses of consumers and producers in these two countries.

There is no consensus regarding whether Mexico dumps tomatoes onto the US market. However, US trade law favors domestic producers, leading to the signing of the Suspension Agreement. It is shown here that this agreement has substantial welfare effects in both Mexico and the USA. While it was designed to protect US producers, it also aids Mexican consumers and may potentially improve Mexican producer surplus as well. Only US consumers unambiguously suffer a loss.

As the theoretical model indicates, the Suspension Agreement’s minimum price does help Floridian farmers but, if the rents are large enough, may also aid Mexican producers. If Mexican producers do gain, then quota rent is shifted from tomato consumers to Mexican producers. On the other hand, US consumers are hurt as well as tomato processing plants because they purchase fresh tomatoes for use as inputs. The higher price minimum after the 2013 agreement will likely intensify the welfare effects, and the addition of different categories with distinct prices is likely to have additional consequences for both welfare and trade distortions.

As the USA and Mexico recently signed a new Suspension Agreement, this paper deals with a very timely and contentious trade dispute and contributes to the area of research international trade war. The literature on Suspension Agreements is also expanded by providing welfare analysis of both producers and consumers.