Towards food systems transformation in the Mediterranean region: Unleashing the power of data, policy, investment and innovation

Agricultural research in Ghana has resulted in a number of innovations targeted at increasing the productivity of small agricultural businesses. However, none of these studies has investigated the factors that influence the adoption of technological innovation in Ghanaian agriculture businesses. Hence, this study examine the factors that influence the adoption of technological innovation in Ghanaian agribusinesses. Structural equation modeling was used to examine data collected from 1526 agribusiness employees in Ghana using a convenience sampling technique and a questionnaire survey. The findings indicate that internal, and external factors have an impact on information and communication technology (ICT), and new materials and technology (NM & NT), but no or little impact on biotechnology (BT) respectively. Also, the study reveal that human capital factors have a substantial impact on ICT, BT, and NM & NT. Lastly, the findings show that ICT, BT, and NM & NT have a positive and significant impact on technological innovation. The study underscores the need for agribusinesses to focus on internal and human capital factors since they increase employees' productivity and efficiency.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Factors influencing technological innovation among agribusiness firms: A survey of small agricultural businesses in Ghana.

Li¹,

Ntiamoah²,

Nyamah³

et al. 2022

“…Consequently, consumers' motivations and their social and/or environmental commitment can become either facilitators or barriers to the dissemination of the term and its implementation in the food production and distribution sectors. In this context, Valls-Bedeau et al (2021) conclude that in order to achieve the transformation to sustainable food systems, many factors will undoubtedly have to be considered, although environmental sustainability and consumer awareness of climate change are key.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Approach to the Perceptions of Spanish Consumers on Food Sustainability Through the Use of Projective Techniques

Mesías¹,

Fernández²,

Horrillo³

et al. 2023

Increasing social concern regarding the environmental impact caused by the growth of the world’s population and the need to produce food has led to terms such as sustainability and sustainable food production and consumption to become a current subject of discussion. However, consumers are yet not fully familiar with the concept of sustainability and what it actually entails. This paper uses projective techniques as the ideal methodology to overcome these limitations and analyse the meaning of sustainability for Spanish consumers. Results show that consumers associate sustainability with the environment, although when it is referred to food, other concepts such as local/proximity food and responsible consumption also emerge. Also, while consumers find a clear association between sustainability and organic production, this is not so clear when health is also involved. Finally, respondents’ lifestyles served us as a basis to identify three consumer groups with notable differences in terms of their perception of sustainability. These results point to the need for policies that promote sustainable food production and its awareness by consumers to help mitigate environmental degradation

“…Digital technologies are finding applications in almost all sectors of economic activities to involve sectors that were traditionally excluded by digital transformation. In this regard, Valls Bedeau et al (2021) presents an interesting discussion of the potential contribution of digital technologies for the sustainability of food systems and agriculture.…”

Section: Digitalization and The Digital Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Digitalization on Unemployment Reduction

Sandri¹,

Alshyab²,

Sha’ban³

2022

Digital transformation and the digitalization of economic activity are ongoing trends profoundly shaping the global economy. Digitalization reflects digital inputs in the production process and new household and government consumption modes, investment possibilities, and financial instruments, increasingly envisaged by digital technologies and tools. This is also impacting the labour markets, on the one hand substituting machines to labour for routinized tasks and thus decreasing the demand for soft skills labour, but on the other hand, increasing the need for new professions revolving around new production and consumption modalities and digital skills. Considering these contrasting effects, it is essential to estimate the overall impact of digitalization on employment. Therefore, this study captures the impact of economic growth and digitalization on unemployment change, evaluating a modified version of Okun’s Law on a balanced panel data set for 58 countries between 2013 and 2019. The results from the estimation of a fixed-effect model show the empirical validity of Okun’s law for the sampled countries and a significant contribution of digitalization on unemployment reduction.