Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

Active Consideration Of Health And Nutritional Quality Of Food Choices, Christopher R. Gustafson

Cornhusker Economics

Everyone can be positively influenced by effective interventions promoting healthier food choices. A handful of recent papers have documented positive impacts on dietary quality resulting from interventions that remind people to consider health through prompt messages or subtle priming in supermarkets and in controlled, online experiments. These studies have focused on the impact of reminders on nutritional quality rather than explaining how reminders work. An exception, Arslain, Gustafson, and Rose (2021), collected data on multiple elements of individuals' choice processes to trace the impact of reminders on decisions, showing that reminder messages led people to consider a healthier set of …

Examining Emergency Citizen Response To The Covid-19 Pandemic: Emergent Groups Addressing Food Insecurity In Portland, Oregon, Aliza Ruth Tuttle

Dissertations and Theses

Emergency response agencies commonly focus on how hard infrastructure will interact with extreme climatic and geologic events: bridges during an earthquake and buildings following a tornado, for example. Peoples' actual experience of these extreme events vary, however, based on socially constructed consequences of natural hazard events and their interaction with a depleted or robust social safety net.

Previous research shows people living with depleted social safety nets and who experience a natural hazard event are likely to help where they see disaster. Individuals consistently form groups, called emergent groups, to organize their efforts. This research explored emergent groups that formed …

Implementing Food Pantry Nutrition Policies: Perspectives From The Field, Jessica Vincent

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The charitable food system includes food pantries and are often used by individuals and households who are food insecure (Kuhns & Norotny, 2021; Seligman & Berkowitz, 2019; Sangye, 2013). Adults with any level of food insecurity have a 43% to 53% greater risk of developing a chronic disease than those who are food secure. Those who are food secure have a 37% risk of developing a chronic disease (Gregory & Coleman-Jenson, 2017). For this reason, efforts are being made from state and federal levels to focus on nutrition security, rather than only food security, by increasing the percentage of nutrient …

Don’T Count On Kiwis At A Kiwi Farmers’ Market: Communicating Intersections Of Globalization And Local Food At Aotearoa New Zealand Farmers’ Markets, Travis Bartosh

Communication (PhD) Dissertations

The main question driving this study seeks to understand how New Zealand farmers’ markets represent and engage with global and local issues in relation to food production, distribution, and consumption. Under this question, three sub-questions seek to understand the discourses present at the markets, how these discourses insect with globalization and local food, and how this intersection works to organize contemporary farmers’ markets.

The findings for this dissertation are divided into three chapters. The first findings chapter lays out the discourses present in the data. These discourses are largely related to food producer sovereignty. The second findings chapter looks …

Analyzing Flexibility As A Risk Management Strategy In Agricultural Systems, Jedidiah Hewlett

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Agricultural businesses deal with uncertainty of all kinds. Uncertainty arising from variability in resources, markets, human factors, and regulatory policy can be sources of significant risks. Acquiring or building flexibility in an operation is one of the ways suggested to manage risk and uncertainty—reducing the impact of negative outcomes and increasing the benefit of positive outcomes. Although flexibility has been repeatedly encouraged for businesses, the definition of flexibility and its value remains ambiguous after more than 80 years of research. Flexibility is often described as a multi-dimensional ability to effectively deal with change in the business operating environment. Flexibility can …

What Is The Value Of Ethanol To Nebraska Corn Producers?, Austin Harthoorn

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this thesis, we examine the role of local ethanol plants on net price received by Nebraskan corn growers, with net price comprised of the grain buyer’s bid onsite less the transportation cost incurred through delivery. As each farm operation is uniquely located between different sets of grain buyers, an ethanol plant impacts each grower’s net price to a different degree, depending on location. Exploring this, we use grain bid and transportation cost data based on actual ethanol plants, grain elevators, and sample farm locations in Nebraska, estimating the diversely located corn grower’s net prices received from surrounding grain buyers. …

Cecl For Financial Institutions: An Analysis Of The Scale Method, Jared Stauffer

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Released by the Federal Reserve Bank in June of 2021, the Scaled CECL Allowance for Loss Estimator (SCALE) is meant to assist community banks implementing the new Current Expected Credit Loss (CECL) accounting standard. The efficacy of this method is important to community banks and financial institutions considering the use of SCALE to estimate expected future losses. Using quarterly Call Report data, two separate analyses of the SCALE method are conducted. First for qualifying community banks and second for Farm Credit Services of America, an agricultural credit association within the Farm Credit System. For the first quarter of 2022, both …

Modeling The Impact And Accelerating The Process Of Transitioning To A Sustainable Healthy Diet Through Decision Support Systems, Prince Agyemang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food production and consumption are essential in human existence, yet they are implicated in the high occurrences of preventable chronic diseases and environmental degradation. Although healthy food may not necessarily be sustainable and vice versa, there is an opportunity to make our food both healthy and sustainable. Attempts have been made to conceptualize how sustainable healthy food may be produced and consumed; however, available data suggest a rise in the prevalence of health-related and negative environmental consequences of our food supply. Thus, the transition from conceptual frameworks to implementing these concepts has not always been effective. This paper explores the …

A Study On The Role Of Innovative Enterprise-Farmer Contracts In The Sustainable Development Of Agricultural Industrialization - A Perspective Based On Ghm Theroy, Yanjie Wu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Agricultural industrialization is the primary channel to promote large-scale agricultural production, intensive processing, and marketing, enhancing agricultural production efficiency. In the long run, promoting agricultural industrialization is conducive to the deep integration of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. It can improve the comparative efficiency of agriculture and reduce poverty by promoting the employment of agricultural labor and the flow of production factors between urban and rural areas. The model of “leading enterprises+farmers” is a significant agricultural industrialization business model. In China, the development of agricultural industrialization is late and fast, and more problems have emerged in the development. The contractual …

An Intergenerational Study Of The Entrepreneurial Nature Of Agritourism Operators, Will Culler

All Dissertations

Economic and non-economic trends have left farm operators of all ages contemplating enterprise diversification strategies to create advantages and to ensure their farms' sustainability for future generations. One such strategy is agritourism, in which a visitor to a working farm or other agricultural setting interacts with the farm landscape or participates in an agricultural process for tourism or leisure purposes. This study aims to contribute to academics, researchers, extension educators, practitioners, and farm service providers who offer training and resources to better equip current and future agritourism operators. The study tested the general hypothesis that agritourism operators' entrepreneurial goals and …

Evolution Of Bacillus Thuringiensis Maize Yields In South Africa, Courtney Fay Cooper

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The economic and environmental benefits of genetically modified (GM) maize in South Africa have been well documented in previous literature. However, concerns about the longevity of these benefits, have been raised following reports of Busseola fusca developing resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize in South Africa in 2006. This study uses empirical data to estimate the potential impact of insect resistance on yields and estimates the economic and food availability impacts of genetic deterioration of Bt maize. Using data from South African National Maize Cultivar trials from 1989-2018, yield gains from Bt are observed to peak for Bt maize in …

Determinants Of Rice Farming Efficiency In Karanganyar Central Java In The Period Of One Decade After Reformation, Umi Barokah, Wiwit Rahayu, Agustono Agustono, Ernoiz Antriyandarti

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

One of the rice producer districts in Central Java is the Karanganyar district. The productivity of rice in Karanganyar district can still be improved because until 2010 the average productivity achieved at the farm level was still below potential or the research results were 8 ton ha-1. The low performance of farming because farmers are faced by the situation of limited production factors used in business to achieve the goal of maximizing income/welfare. The popular approach to measure the level of efficiency at the farm level is to use the frontier production function to determine technical efficiency. This study aims …

A Commentary On The Healthy Community Stores Case Study Project: Implications For Retailers, Policy, And Future Research, Samantha M. Sundermeir, Megan R. Winkler, Sara John, Uriyoán Colón-Ramos, Ravneet Kuar, Ashley Hickson, Rachael D. Dombrowski, Alex B. Hill, Bree Bode, Julia Deangelo, Joel Gittelsohn

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

In the United States, low-income, underserved rural and urban settings experience poor access to healthy, affordable food. Introducing new food outlets in these locations has shown mixed results for improving healthy food consumption. The Healthy Community Stores Case Study Project (HCSCSP) explored an alternative strategy: supporting mission-driven, locally owned, healthy community food stores to improve healthy food access. The HCSCSP used a multiple case study approach, and conducted a cross-case analysis of seven urban healthy food stores across the United States. The main purpose of this commentary paper is to summarize the main practice strategies for stores as well as …

Consideration Of Nutrients Of Public Health Concern Highlighted In The Dietary Guidelines For Americans 2020–2025 Among A Large Sample Of Us Primary Shoppers, Christopher Gustafson, Devin Rose

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

The objective of this research is to estimate the proportion of consumers who consider nutrients identified in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 (DGA) as being of public health concern during food choice using a large, population-weighted sample of U.S. residents. A question was included in a bi-monthly survey of consumer scanner panel members, asking whether respondents considered each of eight nutrients in a check-all-that-apply format. Four of these nutrients are under-consumed nutrients, while three are nutrients to avoid. Calories was additionally included, as over-consumption of calories causes weight gain. Weighted mean proportions and 95% confidence intervals were …

Balancing Mission And Margins: What Makes Healthy Community Food Stores Successful, Sara John, Megan R. Winkler, Ravneet Kuar, Julia Deangelo, Alex B. Hill, Samantha M. Sundermeir, Uriyoán Colón-Ramos, Lucia A. Leone, Rachael D. Dombrowski, Emma C. Lewis, Joel Gittelsohn

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

Mission-driven, independently-owned community food stores have been identified as a potential solution to improve access to healthy foods, yet to date there is limited information on what factors contribute to these stores’ success and failure. Using a multiple case study approach, this study examined what makes a healthy community food store successful and identified strategies for success in seven community stores in urban areas across the United States. We used Stake’s multiple case study analysis approach to identify the following key aims that contributed to community store success across all cases: (1) making healthy food available, (2) offering healthy foods …

Active Consideration Of Future Health Can Be Prompted By Simple Health Messages And Improves Nutritional Quality Of Food Choices, Christopher R. Gustafson

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Many choices that people face daily have implications for future health and well-being. Choices about what foods to purchase and consume are one of the most frequent—and universal choices—that people must make. The ongoing rise of overweight and obesity rates—and associated diet-related diseases—in the US and many other countries illustrates the future health consequences of low-quality dietary choices. While a large body of research shows that individuals with a tendency to consider the future make a wide range of healthier decisions, research on limited attention and exogenous factors influencing choice suggests that attention to the future consequences of choices may …

Food Insecurity In An Anthropogenic Age: An Analysis Into How Consumer Demand Will Shift During Crisis Events, Chloe G. Parsons, Christina Kuchmaner

Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

Consumers in the United States may need to adjust their food demand due to food insecurity caused by climate warming events. Research has focused on how climate change impacts food supply chains and distribution; however, there was little research on how consumers responded to these changes. This study analyzed how consumers across the United States responded to food insecurity caused by crisis events (i.e. pandemics and climate change), how consumers shifted from grocery store vendors to local food vendors, and if migration or food miles may increase based on potential food shortages. One study was initiated through survey and a …

Gender Barriers To Climate Change Adaptation Practices In Semi-Deciduous Forest Zone Of Ghana, Evans Amoako Amoah, Lawrence Damnyag, Frank Baffour-Ata, Dickson Boateng

Journal of Environmental Sustainability

This study investigated the gender barriers to climate change adaptation practices in the semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana. A mixed methods approach including household surveys with 210 farmers and 14 focus group discussions was employed in seven selected communities in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality of the Ashanti Region. The following research questions were answered by the study: (i) What are the climate change adaptation practices implemented by male and female farmers in selected communities of the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality to reduce climate risks? and; (ii) What are the barriers obstructing male and female farmers in implementing climate change adaptation practices in the …

Evolving Deforestation Narratives In Practice: A Study Of The Un-Redd+ Readiness Programme In Nigeria, Stuart Clive Blackwell

Master's Theses

The UN-REDD+ Readiness Programme was conducted between 2009 and 2015. The REDD+ Programme in Nigeria began once the readiness program was completed. This study conducts a document analysis of the program utilizing a political ecology lens to determine the extent to which the program adheres to or strays away from critical narratives surrounding both drivers of deforestation and inclusion and autonomy of federal, state, and local communities. By examining the entirety of the available documentation of the REDD+ Readiness program in Nigeria using a political ecological lens, this study demonstrates both an evolution of the program itself, and an evolution …

Review Of A Framework For Sustainable Thinking: Is Ql For Citizenship Even Possible?, Nathan D. Grawe

Numeracy

Van Antwerp and Heun's A Framework for Sustainability Thinking offers an extensive collection of data related to sustainability with an emphasis on energy. Intended for a primary audience of undergraduate students, the authors set the data in the context of the IPARX identity which notes that impacts (I) are the product of population (P), affluence (A), resource intensity of economic activity (R), and impact of the resources (X). In addition to being a useful text for seminars focused on sustainability and energy use, the book provides a context for contemplating the roles of expertise vs. general quantitative literacy when addressing …