Tag: marketing
Assessment of browsed plants in a sub-tropical forest frontier by means of fuzzy inference
Browsing of forest frontiers by cattle in sub-tropical landscapes is detrimental to ecosystem health, but essential to smallholder livelihoods. We described a silvopastoral landscape, searching for browsed plants to assess how much of the forest is actually used for this end, and also searching for potential new useful species for silvopastoral purposes. The first objective was accomplished through a floristic description, making observations of individuals with browsing marks. Information from interviews, bromatological analyses and vegetative propagation tests further complemented this information to achieve the second objective. We classified the results using Fuzzy Inference Systems (FISs). A great variety of nutritious browsed plants was found, distributed across various types of vegetation, growth habits and taxonomic groups: forest frontiers already are like silvopastoral systems. Various plants like Acalypha leptopoda, Montanoa tomentosa and Verbesina perymenioides are interesting prospects for further intensification of silvopastoral systems.
Institutional isomorphism and adoption of e-marketing in the hospitality industry: a new perspective for research
Many factors have been used to explain adoption behaviours of managers in the hospitality industry. Studies employing these factors have been carried out with the assumption (implicit or explicit) that the managers are free and independent in their decision to adopt innovations such as the use of e-marketing without much attention to the effects of external pressures. In this paper we provide a relatively new conceptual framework for innovation adoption in the field of tourism based on the concept of institutional isomorphism. We argue that e-marketing adoption decisions by tourist operators can be influenced either singly or jointly by important aspects of institutional factors namely’institutional isomorphism’, which, when combined with the traditional innovation adoption factors can enhance a better understanding of tour operators adoption behaviour.
Bark for sale: the adoption potential of Prunus africana as an agroforestry tree for small-scale farmers in Cameroon
The bark of Prunus africana, a tree growing in African highland forests, has been exported from Cameroon to Europe since 1972 for the treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Bark harvesting has had a devastating effect on the tree in Cameroon, Africa’s largest P . africana bark exporter. This paper assesses the adoption potential of P. africana a m o n g s m a l l-scale farmers,that is, its profitability, acceptability and market potential. While not as profitable as Eucalyptusspp, an alternative enterprise, farmers want to grow P. africana because it is compatible with many crops and has multiple uses –bark sales, medicine, tools, poles, seed sales, and mulch. In fact, several thousand farmers have planted the tree. The availability of markets also appears high, as herbal treatments of BPH are popular and demand is likely to grow. Research is needed in four areas to help P . africana play a sustainable role in improving the livelihoods of s m a l l-scale farmers: domestication, understanding farmers’ experiences growing and using the tree, market assessments, and tree tenure. Moreover, progress on promoting P. Africanaa s a s m a l lholder enterprise is dependent on Cameroon meeting the demands of the European Union and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to conserve and sustainably manage the tree
Agricultural economics and marketing in the tropics
Abstract not found
Agroforestry innovations and livelihood enhancement in the shadow of lucrative urban centres: a socio-economic study
A baseline study was conducted to document the social and economic impacts of adopting trees, managing agroforestry systems and improving tree product marketing practices as part of the USAID funded ‘Agroforestry Innovation and Livelihood Enhancement Program’ implemented by World Agroforestry Centre – ICRAF Southeast Asia and Winrock International, with assistance from RMI (the Indonesian Institute for Forest and Environment).IntroductionIntroductionThe data generated by this study will be used for farm-level economic analysis: (a) Analysis of the progress of agroforestry system in social and economic term, (b) Analysis of the financial return to the farm under different scenario, and (c) Orientation to farm budget and financial analysis by a selected group of interested farmers forexamining their management options including market linkages.
Domestication, utilization and marketing of indigenous fruit trees in West and Central Africa
This chapter discusses the progress in participatory tree domestication in West and Central Africa. The steps in participatory tree domestication are discussed: selection of priority species based on farmers’ preferences and market; orientation; collection of germplasm from elite trees chosen by farmers or other users; establishment of passport data for trees from which germplasm was collected (for future use in tracing the owners of trees in respect of property right); development of appropriate vegetative propagation techniques for the different species under domestication; integration of improved propagules in different cropping systems; and marketing studies of products from domesticated species
Agroecological intensification of smallholder farming
This chapter is from the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Food, Politics, and Society edited by Ronald Herring. The smallholder farmers who cultivate many of the planet’s diverse production systems are faced with numerous challenges, including poverty, shrinking farm sizes, degrading natural resources, and climate variability and change. Efforts to improve the performance of smallholder farming systems focus on improving access to input and output markets, improving farm resource use efficiency, and improving resources invested in smallholder farming. In order to support market-oriented production and self-provisioning, there is a need for greater focus on agroecological intensification (AEI) of smallholder production systems. This chapter provides an overview of some of the research frontiers supporting AEI. Market-oriented and agroecological approaches may or may not conflict, and more effort should be made to ensure that they are mutually reinforcing. To be reliable, value chains must be founded on sound production ecology. Agroecological options may be limited if farmers cannot participate in markets that support investment in the intensification and diversification of these systems. Because options must be adapted to farmers’ heterogeneous and dynamic contexts, successful AEI will require that specifics be optimized locally. Researchers must therefore understand and communicate relevant agroecological principles, and farmers and intermediaries must develop their capacity to adapt the principles to local needs and realities.
Harvesting, Postharvesting, and Marketing of Robusta Coffee in Pagar Alam
The market availability for red or ripe coffee cherries, which is an incentive for high-quality coffee postharvesting practises, remains limited, causing farmers to infrequently do so.
Bundling of inputs and services for sustainable smallholder agriculture: the concepts, theoretical arguments and bundle designs using conjoint analysis
Product bundling is receiving increasing attention in sustainable agricultural development as a means to ensure access to and enhance the uptake of, agricultural technologies by smallholders. Yet, the how and why of bundling for smallholders are not well-understood. The current paper, therefore, brings bundling theory from the marketing literature to the smallholder context. We use a conjoint experiment, a proven marketing technique for designing new products, services and bundles, to design agricultural input and service bundles for soybean-producing smallholders in rural Ethiopia. The empirical findings from 252 smallholders suggest that product bundling enhances smallholders’ preferences and hence intentions to adopt technologies but that bundles must be designed carefully following a smallholder-centric approach. Drawing on our findings and the literature, we delineate the different steps that need to be taken to develop bundles for the successful uptake of new technologies by smallholders.