Search results for: Japanese food
3518 The Enquiry of Food Culture Products, Practices and Perspectives: An Action Research on Teaching and Learning Food Culture from International Food Documentary Films
Authors: Tsuiping Chen
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It has always been an international consensus that food forms a big part of any culture since the old times. However, this idea has not been globally concretized until the announcement of including food or cuisine as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2010. This announcement strengthens the value of food culture, which is getting more and more notice by every country. Although Taiwan is not one of the members of the United Nations, we cannot detach ourselves from this important global trend, especially when we have a lot of culinary students expected to join the world culinary job market. These students should have been well educated with the knowledge of world food culture to make them have the sensibility and perspectives for the occurring global food issues before joining the culinary jobs. Under the premise of the above concern, the researcher and also the instructor took on action research with one class of students in the 'Food Culture' course watching, discussing, and analyzing 12 culinary documentary films selected from one decade’s (2007-2016) of Berlin Culinary Cinema in one semester of class hours. In addition, after class, the students separated themselves into six groups and joined 12 times of one-hour-long focus group discussion on the 12 films conducted by the researcher. Furthermore, during the semester, the students submitted their reflection reports on each film to the university e-portfolio system. All the focus discussions and reflection reports were recorded and collected for further analysis by the researcher and one invited film researcher. Glaser and Strauss’ Grounded Theory (1967) constant comparison method was employed to analyze the collected data. Finally, the findings' results were audited by all participants of the research. All the participants and the researchers created 200 items of food culture products, 74 items of food culture practices, and 50 items of food culture perspectives from the action research journey through watching culinary documentaries. The journey did broaden students’ points of view on world food culture and enhance their capability on perspective construction for food culture. Four aspects of significant findings were demonstrated. First, learning food culture through watching Berlin culinary films helps students link themselves to the happening global food issues such as food security, food poverty, and food sovereignty, which direct them to rethink how people should grow, share and consume food. Second, watching different categories of documentary food films enhances students’ strong sense of responsibility for ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all people in every corner of the world. Third, watching these documentary films encourages students to think if the culinary education they have accepted in this island is inclusive and the importance of quality education, which can promote lifelong learning. Last but not least, the journey of the culinary documentary film watching in the 'Food Culture' course inspires students to take pride in their profession. It is hoped the model of teaching food culture with culinary documentary films will inspire more food culture educators, researchers, and the culinary curriculum designers.Keywords: food culture, action research, culinary documentary films, food culture products, practices, perspectives
Procedia PDF Downloads 1043517 Feasibility Study of Implementing Electronic Commerce in Food Industries with a Case Study
Authors: Maryam Safarirad
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Fast and increasing growth of electronic commerce (e-commerce) in developed countries and its resulting competitive advantages mean that those countries should revise dramatically their trade and commercial strategies and policies. Regarding the importance of food industry in Iran, the current paper studies the feasibility of implementing the e-commerce system in Shiraz’s petrochemical unit. The statistical population of the study includes 29 senior managers and experts of the food industries. In the present Feasibility study of implementing electronic commerce 249 research, senior managers and experts’ opinions on feasibility have been examined and some feedbacks have resulted in from the opinions. The current research concludes that the organization under study does not have favorable state either in software or in hardware. Implementation of the e-commerce system in food industries would reduce the average value of the transaction costs.Keywords: electronic trading, electronic commerce, electronic exchange of information, feasibility study, information technology, virtual shopping, computer networks, electronic commerce laws, food industry
Procedia PDF Downloads 4093516 Courtesy to Things and Sense of Unity with the Things: Psychological Evaluation Based on the Teaching of Buddha
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This study aims to clarify factors of courtesy to things and the effect of courtesy on a sense of unity with things based on the teaching of Buddha. The teaching of Buddha explains when dealing with things in a courteous manner carefully, the border between selves and the external world disappears, then both are united. This is an example in Buddhist way that explains the connections with all existences, and in the modern world, it is also a lesson that humans should not let matters go to waste and treat them politely. In order to reveal concrete ways to practice courtesy to things, we clarify the factors of courtesy (Study 1) and examine the effect of courtesy on the sense of unity with the things (Study 2). In Study 1, 100 Japanese (mean age=54.39, SD=15.04, 50% female) described freely about what is courtesy to things that they use daily. These descriptions were classified, and 25 items were made asking for the degree of courtesy to the things. Then different 678 Japanese (mean age=44.72, SD=13.14, 50% female) answered the 25 items on 7-point about tools they use daily. An exploratory factor analysis revealed two factors. The first factor (α=.97) includes 'I deal with the thing carefully' and 'I clean up the thing after use'. This factor reflects how gently people care about things. The second factor (α=.96) includes 'A sense of self-control has come to me through using the thing' and 'I have got inner strength by taking care of the thing'. The second factor reflects how people learn by dealing with things carefully. In this Study 2, 200 Japanese (mean age=49.39, SD=11.07, 50% female) answered courtesy about things they use daily and the degree of sense of unity with the things using the inclusion of other in the self scale, replacing 'Other' with 'Your thing'. The ANOVA was conducted to examine the effect of courtesy (high/low level of two factors) on the score of sense of unity. The results showed the main effect of care level. People with a high level of care have a stronger sense of unity with the thing. The tendency of an interaction effect is also found. The condition with a high level of care and a high level of learning enhances the sense of unity more than the condition of a low level of care and high level in learning. Study 1 found that courtesy is composed of care and learning. That is, courtesy is not only active care to the things but also to learn the meaning of the things and grow personally with the things. Study 2 revealed that people with a high level of care feel a stronger sense of unity and also people with both a high level of care and learn tend to do so. The findings support the idea of the teaching of Buddha. In the future, it is necessary to examine a combined effect of care and learning.Keywords: courtesy, things, sense of unity, the teaching of Buddha
Procedia PDF Downloads 1463515 Developing Indoor Enhanced Bio Composite Vertical Smart Farming System for Climbing Food Plant
Authors: S. Mokhtar, R. Ibrahim, K. Abdan, A. Rashidi
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The population in the world are growing in very fast rate. It is expected that urban growth and development would create serious questions of food production and processing, transport, and consumption. Future smart green city policies are emerging to support new ways of visualizing, organizing and managing the city and its flows towards developing more sustainable cities in ensuring food security while maintaining its biodiversity. This is a survey paper analyzing the feasibility of developing a smart vertical farming system for climbing food plant to meet the need of food consumption in urban cities with an alternative green material. This paper documents our investigation on specific requirement for farming high valued climbing type food plant suitable for vertical farming, development of appropriate biocomposite material composition, and design recommendations for developing a new smart vertical farming system inside urban buildings. Results include determination of suitable specific climbing food plant species and material manufacturing processes for reinforcing natural fiber for biocomposite material. The results are expected to become recommendations for developing alternative structural materials for climbing food plant later on towards the development of the future smart vertical farming system. This paper contributes to supporting urban farming in cities and promotes green materials for preserving the environment. Hence supporting efforts in food security agenda especially for developing nations.Keywords: biocomposite, natural reinforce fiber, smart farming, vertical farming
Procedia PDF Downloads 1613514 Healthy Nutrition Within Institutions
Authors: Khalil Boukfoussa
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It is important to provide students with food that contains complete nutrients to provide them with mental and physical energy during the school day. Especially since the time students spend in school is equivalent to 50% of their time during the day, which increases the importance of proper nutrition in schools and makes it an ideal way to inculcate the foundations of a healthy lifestyle and healthy eating habits. Proper nutrition is one of the most important things that affect the health and process of growth and development in children, in addition to being a key factor in supporting the ability to focus, supporting mental abilities and developing the student’s academic achievement. In addition to the importance of a healthy diet for the development and growth of the child's body, proper nutrition can significantly contribute to protecting the body from catching viruses and helping it to pass the winter safely. Effective food control systems in different countries are essential to protect the health and safety of domestic consumers. These systems are also crucial in enabling countries to ensure the safety and quality of food entering international trade and to ensure that imported food conforms to national requirements. The current global food trade environment places significant obligations on both importing and exporting countries to strengthen their food control systems and to apply and implement risk-based food control strategiesConsumers are becoming more interested in the way food is produced, processed and marketed, and are increasingly demanding that governments assume greater responsibility for consumer protection and food safety. In many countries, food control is weak because of the abundance of legislation, the multiplicity of jurisdictions and weaknesses in control, monitoring and enforcement. The following guidelines seek to advise national authorities on strategies to strengthen food control systems to protect public health, prevent fraud and fraud, avoid food contamination and help facilitate trade. These Guidelines will assist authorities in selecting the most appropriate food control system options in terms of legislation, infrastructure and enforcement mechanisms. The document clarifies the broad principles that govern food control systems and provides examples of the infrastructure and methods by which national systems can operateKeywords: food, nutrision, school, safty
Procedia PDF Downloads 623513 Awareness and Perception of Food Safety, Nutrition and Food Security among Omani Women
Authors: Abeer Al Kalbani
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Oman is a sub-tropical country with limited water resources, harsh weather and limited soil fertility, constraining food production. Therefore, it largely depends on international markets to assure supply of food. In the light of these circumstances, food security in Oman is defined as the ability of the country to grant the staple food needs of people (e.g. rice, wheat, lentil, sugar, dates, dairy products, fish and plant or vegetable oils). It also involves exporting local goods with high production rates to exchange them with required food products. This concept of food security includes the availability of food through production and/or importing, stability of the market prices during all circumstances, and the ability of people to meet their needs within their income capabilities. As a result, most of the food security work is focused on availability and access dimensions of the issue. Not much research is focused on the utilization aspect of food security in Oman. Although women play a vital role in food security, there is limited research on women’s role in food security neither in Oman nor in neighboring Gulf countries. Women play an important role not only by carrying the responsibility of feeding their families but also by setting the consumption model for the household. Therefore, the research aims to contribute to the work done on food security in Oman and similar regions of the world by studying the role women play at the utilization level. Methods used in this research include Qualitative unstructured interviews, focus groups, survey questionnaire and an experimental study. Based on the FAO definition of food security, it consists of availability, access, utilization and sustainability. Results from a pilot study conducted for this research on two groups of women in Oman; urban and rural women, showed that women in Oman are responsible for achieving these four pillars at the household level. Moreover, awareness of women increased as their educational level increased. Urban women showed more awareness and openness to adopt healthier and proper food related choices than rural women. Urban women seem also more open than rural women to new ideas and concepts and ways to healthier food. However, both urban and rural women claim that no training and educational programs are available for them and awareness of food security in general remains relatively low in both groups. In the light of these findings, this research attempts to further investigate the social beliefs, practices and attitudes women adopt in relation to food purchase, storage, preparation and consumption as considered as important parts of the food system. It also seeks to examine the effect of educational training programs and media on the level of women awareness on the issue.Keywords: food security, household food security, utilization, role of women
Procedia PDF Downloads 4003512 An Investigation into the Impact of Brexit on Consumer Perception of Trust in the Food Industry
Authors: Babatope David Omoniyi, Fiona Lalor, Sinead Furey
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This ongoing project investigates the impact of Brexit on consumer perceptions of trust in the food industry. Brexit has significantly impacted the food industry, triggering a paradigm shift in the movement of food/agricultural produce, regulations, and cross-border collaborations between Great Britain, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. In a world where the dynamics have shifted because of regulatory changes that impact trade and the free movement of foods and agricultural produce between these three countries, monitoring and controlling every stage of the food supply chain have become challenging, increasing the potential for food fraud and food safety incidents. As consumers play a pivotal role in shaping the market, understanding any shifts in trust post-Brexit enables them to navigate the market with confidence and awareness. This study aims to explore the complexities of consumer perceptions, focusing on trust as a cornerstone of consumer confidence in the post-Brexit food landscape. The objectives include comparing trust in official controls pre- and post-Brexit, determining consumer awareness of food fraud, and devising recommendations that reflect the evidence from this primary research regarding consumer trust in food authenticity post-Brexit. The research design follows an exploratory sequential mixed methods approach, incorporating qualitative methods such as focus groups and structured interviews, along with quantitative research through a large-scale survey. Participants from UCD and Ulster University campuses, comprising academic and non-academic staff, students, and researchers, will provide insights into the impact of Brexit on consumer trust. Preliminary findings from focus groups and interviews highlight changes in labelling, reduced quantity and quality of foods in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, fewer food choices, and increased food prices since Brexit. The study aims to further investigate and quantify these impacts through a comprehensive large-scale survey involving participants from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The results will inform official controls and consumer-facing messaging contributing valuable insights to navigate the evolving post-Brexit food landscape.Keywords: Brexit, consumer trust, food fraud, food authenticity, food safety, food industry
Procedia PDF Downloads 453511 An Extended Model for Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security in the Agrifood Sector
Authors: Ioannis Manikas
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The increased consumer demand for environmentally friendly production and distribution practices and the stricter environmental regulations turned environmental aspects into important criteria in business decision-making. On the other hand, Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) has evolved dramatically during the last decades in theory and practice serving as a reference point for exchanging experiences among all agents involved in programs and projects to fostering policy and strategy development. Global pressures make it more important than ever to gain a better understanding of the contribution that agrifood businesses make to FNS and to examine ways to make them more resilient in an increasingly globalized and uncertain world. This study extends the standard three-dimensional model of sustainability to include two more dimensions: A technological dimension and a policy/political dimension. Apart from the economic, environmental and social dimensions regularly used in sustainability literature, the extended model will accurately represent the measures and policies addressing food and nutrition security.Keywords: food and nutrition security, sustainability, food safety, resilience
Procedia PDF Downloads 3323510 Development of a Research Platform to Revitalize People-Forest Relationship Through a Cycle of Architectural Embodiments
Authors: Hande Ünlü, Yu Morishita
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The total area of forest land in Japan accounts for 67% of the national land; however, despite this wealth and hundred years history of silviculture, today Japanese forestry faces socio-economic stagnation in forestry. While the growing gap in the people-forest relationship causes the depopulation of many forest villages, this paper introduces a methodology aiming to develop a place-specific approach in revitalizing this relationship. The paper focuses on a case study from Taiki town in the Hokkaido region to analyze the place's specific socio-economic requirements through interviews and workshops with the local experts, researchers, and stakeholders. Based on the analyzed facts, a master outline of design requirements is developed to produce locally sourced architectural embodiments that aim to act as a unifying element between the forests and the people of Taiki town. In parallel, the proposed methodology aims to generate a cycle of research feed and a researcher retreat, a definition given by Memu Earth Lab to the researchers' stay at Memu in Taiki town for a defined period to analyze local resources, for the continuous improvement of the introduced methodology to revitalize the interaction between people and forest through architecture.Keywords: architecture, Japanese forestry, local timber, people-forest relationship, research platform
Procedia PDF Downloads 1733509 Case Study: 3000acres Facilitating Urban Agriculture in Melbourne, Australia
Authors: Philippa Anne French
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This paper presents a case study of 3000acres, a for-purpose organisation established in 2013 to improve the health of Melbournians by enabling them to grow more of their own food. Over the past four years, the organisation has encountered a number of barriers, both obvious and less obvious, which discourage communities from beginning their own food-growing projects. These include soil contamination, planning policies, public perception and access to land. 3000acres has been working to remove these barriers if possible, or otherwise to find ways around them. Strategies have included the use of removable planter boxes on temporarily vacant land, separating the site soil from above-ground garden beds, writing planning exemptions, developing relationships with land management authorities and recording both the quantitative and qualitative products of food gardens in Melbourne. While creating change in policy and legal requirements will be a gradual process, discernable progress has been made in the attitudes of land management authorities and the establishment of new food gardens is becoming easier. Over the past four years, 3000acres has supported the establishment of 14 food gardens in and around Melbourne, including public community gardens, fenced community gardens and urban farms supplying food to a food relief organisation.Keywords: case study, community gardens, land access, land contamination, urban agriculture
Procedia PDF Downloads 1733508 Safety Evaluation of Post-Consumer Recycled PET Materials in Chilean Industry by Overall Migration Tests
Authors: Evelyn Ilabaca, Ximena Valenzuela, Alejandra Torres, María José Galotto, Abel Guarda
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One of the biggest problems in food packaging industry, especially with the plastic materials, is the fact that these materials are usually obtained from non-renewable resources and also remain as waste after its use, causing environmental issues. This is an international concern and particular attention is given to reduction, reuse and recycling strategies for decreasing the waste from plastic packaging industry. In general, polyethylenes represent most plastic waste and recycling process of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PCR-PET) has been studied. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) have generated different legislative documents to control the use of PCR-PET in the production of plastic packaging intended direct food contact in order to ensure the capacity of recycling process to remove possible contaminants that can migrate into food. Consequently, it is necessary to demonstrate by challenge test that the recycling process is able to remove specific contaminants, obtaining a safe recycled plastic to human health. These documents establish that the concentration limit for substitute contaminants in PET is 220 ppb (ug/kg) and the specific migration limit is 10 ppb (ug/kg) for each contaminant, in addition to assure the sensorial characteristics of food are not affected. Moreover, under the Commission Regulation (EU) N°10/2011 on plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food, it is established that overall migration limit is 10 mg of substances per 1 dm2 of surface area of the plastic material. Thus, the aim of this work is to determine the safety of PCR-PET-containing food packaging materials in Chile by measuring their overall migration, and their comparison with the established limits at international level. This information will serve as a basis to provide a regulation to control and regulate the use of recycled plastic materials in the manufacture of plastic packaging intended to be in direct contact with food. The methodology used involves a procedure according to EN-1186:2002 with some modifications. The food simulants used were ethanol 10 % (v/v) and acetic acid 3 % (v/v) as aqueous food simulants, and ethanol 95 % (v/v) and isooctane as substitutes of fatty food simulants. In this study, preliminary results showed that Chilean food packaging plastics with different PCR-PET percentages agree with the European Legislation for food aqueous character.Keywords: contaminants, polyethylene terephthalate, plastic food packaging, recycling
Procedia PDF Downloads 2673507 Food Insecurity Assessment, Consumption Pattern and Implications of Integrated Food Security Phase Classification: Evidence from Sudan
Authors: Ahmed A. A. Fadol, Guangji Tong, Wlaa Mohamed
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This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of food insecurity in Sudan, focusing on consumption patterns and their implications, employing the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) assessment framework. Years of conflict and economic instability have driven large segments of the population in Sudan into crisis levels of acute food insecurity according to the (IPC). A substantial number of people are estimated to currently face emergency conditions, with an additional sizeable portion categorized under less severe but still extreme hunger levels. In this study, we explore the multifaceted nature of food insecurity in Sudan, considering its historical, political, economic, and social dimensions. An analysis of consumption patterns and trends was conducted, taking into account cultural influences, dietary shifts, and demographic changes. Furthermore, we employ logistic regression and random forest analysis to identify significant independent variables influencing food security status in Sudan. Random forest clearly outperforms logistic regression in terms of area under curve (AUC), accuracy, precision and recall. Forward projections of the IPC for Sudan estimate that 15 million individuals are anticipated to face Crisis level (IPC Phase 3) or worse acute food insecurity conditions between October 2023 and February 2024. Of this, 60% are concentrated in Greater Darfur, Greater Kordofan, and Khartoum State, with Greater Darfur alone representing 29% of this total. These findings emphasize the urgent need for both short-term humanitarian aid and long-term strategies to address Sudan's deepening food insecurity crisis.Keywords: food insecurity, consumption patterns, logistic regression, random forest analysis
Procedia PDF Downloads 613506 Brief Cognitive Behavior Therapy (BCBT) in a Japanese School Setting: Preliminary Outcomes on a Single Arm Study
Authors: Yuki Matsumoto, Yuma Ishimoto
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Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) with children has shown effective application to various problems such as anxiety and depression. Although there are barriers to access to mental health services including lack of professional services in communities and parental concerns about stigma, school has a significant role to address children’s health problems. Schools are regarded as a suitable arena for prevention and early intervention of mental health problems. In this line, CBT can be adaptable to school education and useful to enhance students’ social and emotional skills. However, Japanese school curriculum is rigorous so as to limit available time for implementation of CBT in schools. This paper describes Brief Cognitive Behavior Therapy (BCBT) with children in a Japanese school setting. The program has been developed in order to facilitate acceptability of CBT in schools and aimed to enhance students’ skills to manage anxiety and difficult behaviors. The present research used a single arm design in which 30 students aged 9-10 years old participated. The authors provided teachers a CBT training workshop (two hours) at two primary schools in Tokyo metropolitan area and recruited participants in the research. A homeroom teacher voluntarily delivered a 6-session BCBT program (15 minutes each) in classroom periods which is called as Kaerinokai, a meeting before leaving school. Students completed a questionnaire sheet at pre- and post-periods under the supervision of the teacher. The sheet included the Spence Child Anxiety Scale (SCAS), the Depression Self-Rating Scale for Children (DSRS), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The teacher was asked for feedback after the completion. Significant positive changes were found in the total and five of six sub-scales of the SCAS and the total difficulty scale of the SDQ. However, no significant changes were seen in Physical Injury Fear sub-scale of the SCAS, in the DSRS or the Prosocial sub-scale of the SDQ. The effect sizes are mostly between small and medium. The teacher commented that the program was easy to use and found positive changes in classroom activities and personal relationships. This preliminary research showed the feasibility of the BCBT in a school setting. The results suggest that the BCBT offers effective treatment for reduction in anxiety and in difficult behaviors. There is a good prospect of the BCBT suggesting that BCBT may be easier to be delivered than CBT by Japanese teachers to promote child mental health. The study has limitations including no control group, small sample size, or a short teacher training. Future research should address these limitations.Keywords: brief cognitive behavior therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, mental health services in schools, teacher training workshop
Procedia PDF Downloads 3293505 Food Security and Utilization in Ethiopia
Authors: Tuji Jemal Ahmed
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Food security and utilization are critical aspects of ensuring the well-being and prosperity of a nation. This paper examines the current state of food security and utilization in Ethiopia, focusing on the challenges, opportunities, and strategies employed to address the issue. Ethiopia, a country in East Africa, has made significant progress in recent years to improve food security and utilization for its population. However, persistent challenges such as recurrent droughts, limited access to resources, and low agricultural productivity continue to pose obstacles to achieving sustainable food security. The paper begins by providing an overview of the concept of food security, emphasizing its multidimensional nature and the importance of access, availability, utilization, and stability. It then explores the specific factors influencing food security and utilization in Ethiopia, including natural resources, climate variability, agricultural practices, infrastructure, and socio-economic factors. Furthermore, the paper highlights the initiatives and interventions implemented by the Ethiopian government, non-governmental organizations, and international partners to enhance food security and utilization. These efforts include agricultural extension programs, irrigation projects, investments in rural infrastructure, and social safety nets to protect vulnerable populations. The study also examines the role of technology and innovation in improving food security and utilization in Ethiopia. It explores the potential of sustainable agricultural practices, such as conservation agriculture, improved seed varieties, and precision farming techniques. Additionally, it discusses the role of digital technologies in enhancing access to market information, financial services, and agricultural inputs for smallholder farmers. Finally, the paper discusses the importance of collaboration and partnerships between stakeholders, including government agencies, development organizations, research institutions, and communities, in addressing food security and utilization challenges. It emphasizes the need for integrated and holistic approaches that consider both production and consumption aspects of the food system.Keywords: food security, utilization, Ethiopia, challenges
Procedia PDF Downloads 1073504 Food Security and Utilization in Ethiopia
Authors: Tuji Jemal Ahmed
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Food security and utilization are critical aspects of ensuring the well-being and prosperity of a nation. This paper examines the current state of food security and utilization in Ethiopia, focusing on the challenges, opportunities, and strategies employed to address the issue. Ethiopia, a country in East Africa, has made significant progress in recent years to improve food security and utilization for its population. However, persistent challenges such as recurrent droughts, limited access to resources, and low agricultural productivity continue to pose obstacles to achieving sustainable food security. The paper begins by providing an overview of the concept of food security, emphasizing its multidimensional nature and the importance of access, availability, utilization, and stability. It then explores the specific factors influencing food security and utilization in Ethiopia, including natural resources, climate variability, agricultural practices, infrastructure, and socio-economic factors. Furthermore, the paper highlights the initiatives and interventions implemented by the Ethiopian government, non-governmental organizations, and international partners to enhance food security and utilization. These efforts include agricultural extension programs, irrigation projects, investments in rural infrastructure, and social safety nets to protect vulnerable populations. The study also examines the role of technology and innovation in improving food security and utilization in Ethiopia. It explores the potential of sustainable agricultural practices, such as conservation agriculture, improved seed varieties, and precision farming techniques. Additionally, it discusses the role of digital technologies in enhancing access to market information, financial services, and agricultural inputs for smallholder farmers. Finally, the paper discusses the importance of collaboration and partnerships between stakeholders, including government agencies, development organizations, research institutions, and communities, in addressing food security and utilization challenges. It emphasizes the need for integrated and holistic approaches that consider both production and consumption aspects of the food system.Keywords: food security, utilization, Ethiopia, challenges
Procedia PDF Downloads 803503 Soil Nutrient Management Implications of Growing Food Crops within the Coffee Gardens
Authors: Pennuel P. Togonave, Bartholomew S. Apis, Emma Kiup, Gure Tumae, Johannes Pakatul, Michael Webb
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Interplanting food crops in coffee gardens has increased in recent years. The purpose of this study was to quantify the nutrient management implications of growing food crops within the coffee garden and to investigate the sustainability of this practice through field surveys in two accessible sites (Asaro and Bena) and two remote sites (Marawaka and Baira), in Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. Coffee gardens were selected at each site and surveys were conducted to assess the status of intercropping in each of the smallholder coffee gardens. Food crops in the coffee gardens were sampled for nutrient analysis Survey results indicate intercropping as a common practice in coffee gardens and entailed mixed cropping of food crops in an irregular pattern and spacing. More than 40% of the farmers used 40-60% of their total coffee garden area for intercropping. In remote sites, more than 50% of the coffee garden areas closest to the house were intercropped with food crops compared to 40% of inaccessible sites. In both remote and accessible sites, the most common intercropped food crops were 90% banana (Musa spp) varieties and 50% sugarcane (Saccharum spp). Nutrient analysis of the by-products and residuals of some common intercrops shows the potential to replenish the coffee plant's deficient nutrients like Potassium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Boron and Zinc. Intercropping of coffee gardens is increasing due to land pressure, marketing opportunities, food security and labor supplyKeywords: by-products, coffee, crops, intercropping, nutrients, soil
Procedia PDF Downloads 723502 Food and Agricultural Waste Management for Sustainable Agriculture
Authors: Shubhangi Salokhe
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Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, forestry, and fisheries for food and non-food products. Farmers combine land, water, commercial inputs, labor, and their management skills into practices and systems that produce food and fibre. Harvesting of agricultural produce is either followed by the processing of fresh produce or storage for later consumption. All these activities result in a vast generation of waste in terms of crop residue or food waste. So, a large amount of agricultural waste is produced every year. Waste arising from food and agricultural sectors has the potential for vast applications. So, agricultural waste management is an essential component of sustainable agriculture. The major portion of the waste comes from the residues of crops on farms, food processing, livestock, aquaculture, and agro-industry waste. Therefore, management of these agricultural wastes is an important task, and it requires robust strategic planning. It can contribute to three pillars of sustainable agriculture development. It protects the environment (environmental pillar), enhances the livelihoods of farmers (economic pillar), and can contribute to increasing the sustainability of the agricultural sector (social pillar). This paper addresses the essential technological aspects, possible solutions, and sound policy concerns to accomplish long-term way out of agriculture waste management and to minimize the negative impact of waste on the environment. The author has developed a sustainable agriculture waste management model for improving the sustainability of agriculture.Keywords: agriculture, development, management, waste
Procedia PDF Downloads 363501 A Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders
Authors: Ryotaro Ishikawa
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INTRODUCTION: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric label for a collection of psychological symptoms following a traumatic event. PTSD is as a result of a traumatic experience such as rape or sexual assault. A victim may have PTSD if she/he has experienced the following symptoms for at least a month: a) Stressor, b) Intrusion symptoms, c) Avoidance, d) Negative alterations in cognitions and mood, e) Alterations in arousal and reactivity. Studies on the cognitive theory of PTSD emphasized the roles of (a) negative appraisals of trauma memories in maintaining the symptomatology of PTSD, and (b) disorganized trauma memories in the development of PTSD. Mental contamination is primarily caused by experiences involving humans (e.g. violators or perpetrators) as opposed to substances (e.g. dirt or bodily fluids). Feelings of mental contamination may evoke following experiences of ill-treatment, sexual assault, domination, degradation, manipulation, betrayal, or humiliation. Some studies have demonstrated that traumatic thoughts related to sexual assault are particularly strong predictors of mental contamination. Treatment protocols based on cognitive-behavioral therapy appear to be beneficial in reducing the severity of PTSD and mental contamination. Studies on the cognitive theory of PTSD emphasized the roles of (A) negative appraisals of trauma memories in maintaining the symptomatology of PTSD, and (B) disorganized trauma memories in the development of PTSD. We will demonstrate a feasibility study of individual CBT for PTSD and mental contamination in Japanese clinical settings. METHOD: The single-arm trial is a group setting CBT intervention. The primary outcome is the self-rated Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale, with secondary measurements of depressive severity and mental pollution questionnaire. Assessments are conducted at baseline, after a waiting period before CBT, during CBT, and after CBT. RESULTS: Participants are eligible for the study and complete the outcome measures at all assessment points. In our hypothesis, receiving CBT would lead to improvements in primary and secondary PTSD severity. CONCLUSION: We will demonstrate a feasibility study of individual CBT for PTSD and mental contamination in Japanese clinical settings. Our treatment would achieve favorable treatment outcomes for PTSD with mental contamination in Japanese clinical settings.Keywords: CBT, cognitive theory, PTSD, mental pollution
Procedia PDF Downloads 4293500 The Impact of Water Reservoirs on Biodiversity and Food Security and the Creation of Adaptation Mechanisms
Authors: Inom S. Normatov, Abulqosim Muminov, Parviz I. Normatov
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Problems of food security and the preservation of reserved zones in the region of Central Asia under the conditions of the climate change induced by the placement and construction of large reservoirs are considered. The criteria for the optimum placement and construction of reservoirs that entail the minimum impact on the environment are established. The need for the accounting of climatic parameters is shown by the calculation of the water quantity required for the irrigation of agricultural lands.Keywords: adaptation, biodiversity, food security, water reservoir, risk
Procedia PDF Downloads 2503499 Rapid and Culture-Independent Detection of Staphylococcus Aureus by PCR Based Protocols
Authors: V. Verma, Syed Riyaz-ul-Hassan
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Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most commonly found pathogenic bacteria and is hard to eliminate from the human environment. It is responsible for many nosocomial infections, besides being the main causative agent of food intoxication by virtue of its variety of enterotoxins. Routine detection of S. aureus in food is usually carried out by traditional methods based on morphological and biochemical characterization. These methods are time-consuming and tedious. In addition, misclassifications with automated susceptibility testing systems or commercially available latex agglutination kits have been reported by several workers. Consequently, there is a need for methods to specifically discriminate S. aureus from other staphylococci as quickly as possible. Data on protocols developed using molecular means like PCR technology will be presented for rapid and specific detection of this pathogen in food, clinical and environmental samples, especially milk.Keywords: food Pathogens, PCR technology, rapid and specific detection, staphylococcus aureus
Procedia PDF Downloads 5113498 Recovery of Food Waste: Production of Dog Food
Authors: K. Nazan Turhan, Tuğçe Ersan
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The population of the world is approximately 8 billion, and it increases uncontrollably and irrepressibly, leading to an increase in consumption. This situation causes crucial problems, and food waste is one of these. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) defines food waste as the discarding or alternative utilization of food that is safe and nutritious for the consumption of humans along the entire food supply chain, from primary production to end household consumer level. In addition, according to the estimation of FAO, one-third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted worldwide every year. Wasting food endangers natural resources and causes hunger. For instance, excessive amounts of food waste cause greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming. Therefore, waste management has been gaining significance in the last few decades at both local and global levels due to the expected scarcity of resources for the increasing population of the world. There are several ways to recover food waste. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Food Recovery Hierarchy, food waste recovery ways are source reduction, feeding hungry people, feeding animals, industrial uses, composting, and landfill/incineration from the most preferred to the least preferred, respectively. Bioethanol, biodiesel, biogas, agricultural fertilizer and animal feed can be obtained from food waste that is generated by different food industries. In this project, feeding animals was selected as a food waste recovery method and food waste of a plant was used to provide ingredient uniformity. Grasshoppers were used as a protein source. In other words, the project was performed to develop a dog food product by recovery of the plant’s food waste after following some steps. The collected food waste and purchased grasshoppers were sterilized, dried and pulverized. Then, they were all mixed with 60 g agar-agar solution (4%w/v). 3 different aromas were added, separately to the samples to enhance flavour quality. Since there are differences in the required amounts of different species of dogs, fulfilling all nutritional needs is one of the problems. In other words, there is a wide range of nutritional needs in terms of carbohydrates, protein, fat, sodium, calcium, and so on. Furthermore, the requirements differ depending on age, gender, weight, height, and species. Therefore, the product that was developed contains average amounts of each substance so as not to cause any deficiency or surplus. On the other hand, it contains more protein than similar products in the market. The product was evaluated in terms of contamination and nutritional content. For contamination risk, detection of E. coli and Salmonella experiments were performed, and the results were negative. For the nutritional value test, protein content analysis was done. The protein contents of different samples vary between 33.68% and 26.07%. In addition, water activity analysis was performed, and the water activity (aw) values of different samples ranged between 0.2456 and 0.4145.Keywords: food waste, dog food, animal nutrition, food waste recovery
Procedia PDF Downloads 473497 Development of Probiotic Edible Film Coated Extruded Food Product
Authors: Manab Bandhu Bera, Navdeep Singh, Paramjit Singh Panesar
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In view of exploiting the health benefits of probiotic yeast S.boulardii NCDC 363 and make it available in the form of non-dairy food products, study was undertaken. In this, probiotic yeast S.boulardii NCDC 363 was incorporated in the edible film made from sodium alginate (SA), whey protein concentrate (WPC) and glycerol (50%). Response surface methodology was used to optimize process variables such as; concentration of SA (0.25-0.75%), WPC (1-2%) and temperature (70-80°C) and also to investigate effect of these process variables on viability of probiotic yeast and hardness when applied as an edible coat on extruded food products. Accelerated storage stability of optimized probiotic extruded food products samples was determined at 38 C and 90% RH. The optimized products were packed in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and aluminum laminated polyethylene (ALP) pouches at 38°C and relative humidity maintained was 90%. It was observed that product stored in ALP had better stability in terms of moisture absorption, hardness and viability.Keywords: probiotic yeast, extruded food product, WPC, RSM
Procedia PDF Downloads 2703496 The Causes and Potential Solutions for Foodborne Illness, Food Security, and Food Safety: In the Case of the East Harerghe Region of Oromia, Ethiopia
Authors: Tuji Jemal Ahmed, Abdi Mohammed, Geremew Geidare Kailo
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Food security, foodborne illness, and food safety are critical issues that affect the East Harerghe region of Oromia, Ethiopia. Despite the region's potential for agriculture, food insecurity remains a significant problem, with many households experiencing chronic hunger and malnutrition. The region also experiences high rates of foodborne illnesses, including cholera, typhoid, and diarrhea, which are caused by poor hygiene and sanitation practices. Additionally, food safety is a significant challenge, particularly in rural areas, where there is a lack of infrastructure, inadequate food storage facilities, and limited access to information about food safety. There are several factors that contribute to the current situation in the East Harerghe region; firstly, the region is susceptible to natural disasters, for instance, drought, which affects crop yields and livestock production. Secondly, the region also experiences poor infrastructure, which affects the storage and transportation of food, particularly in rural areas. Thirdly, there is a lack of awareness and knowledge on good hygiene and sanitation practices, specifically during food handling, processing, and storage. Fourthly, unitability due to conflict and other forms of land degradation exacerbates food insecurity and malnutrition. Finally, limited access to financial resources and markets commonly affects smallholder farmers by their ability to produce and sell food. To address the current situation in that area, several potential solutions can be implemented; investment in infrastructure is necessary, especially in rural areas, to improve the storage and transportation of food. Education and awareness programs on good hygiene and sanitation practices should target local communities, smallholder farmers, and food vendors. Financial resources and markets should be made more accessible to smallholder farmers, particularly through the provision of credit and improved access to markets. Addressing the underlying causes of conflict and promoting peaceful coexistence can help to reduce displacement and loss of livelihoods. Finally, the enforcement of food safety regulations and the implementation of standards for food processing and storage facilities are necessary to ensure food safety. In conclusion, addressing the challenges of food security, foodborne illness, and food safety in the East Harerghe region requires a coordinated effort from various stakeholders, including the government, non-governmental organizations, and local communities. By implementing the solutions outlined above, the region can improve its food security, prevent foodborne illnesses, and keep food safe for its population. Eventually, building the resilience of communities to shocks such as droughts, floods, and conflict is necessary to ensure long-term food security in the region.Keywords: foodborne illness, food handling, food safety, food security
Procedia PDF Downloads 933495 Teaching Food Discourse in Cross-Cultural Communication Lectures at University
Authors: Sanjar Davronov
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Linguistic research of food discourse helps to analyze gastronomic picture of the world which plays important role in cross-cultural communications. 20 hours lecture can’t provide broad knowledge about national picture of the world of native speakers whose language being studied by future translator students. This abstract analyses how to research food discourse in “Cross-cultural (or lingvo-cultural) communication” lectures for ESL students. During compare Uzbek and American national meals, we found some specific features of food names in both countries. For example: If names of food includes advertising character in USA restaurant menus like: New York strip Sirloin crowned with Fresh – squeezed orange and lemon with a hint of garlic; Uzbek meals names are too simple, short and force general afford in underlining action – preparation process like: “Dimlama” (dimla(verb-to stew)+ma(suffix of past perfect like- stew- stewed). “Qovurdoq” (qovur (verb- to fry)+ doq (suffix of adverb like “fried one”) but these are the most delicious and difficult in preparing national meals however it is heritage of national cuisine. There are also similarity between US and Uzbek food names which has geographical color - South African Lobster tail; Qashqadaryo tandiri (lamb prepared in “tandir” typical national oven with pine leafs in Qashkadarya region). Food for European people contains physical context more than spiritual but in Asian literature especially Uzbek food has some pragmatic stuff: salt and bread (associates with hospitality and humanity), don’t be faithlessness 40 for owners of house where you where a guest. We share some teaching techniques for food discourse analyzing lectures.Keywords: cross-cultural communications, food discourse, ESL lectures, linguistic research
Procedia PDF Downloads 6083494 Analysis of Critical Success Factors for Implementing Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy to Enhance Food Traceability
Authors: Mahsa Pishdar
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Food traceability through the supply chain is facing increased demand. IoT and blockchain are among the tools under consideration in the Industry 4.0 era that could be integrated to help implementation of the Circular Economy (CE) principles while enhancing food traceability solutions. However, such tools need intellectual system, and infrastructureto be settled as guidance through the way, helping overcoming obstacles. That is why the critical success factors for implementing Industry 4.0 and circular economy principles in food traceability concept are analyzed in this paper by combination of interval type 2 fuzzy Worst Best Method and Measurement Alternatives and Ranking according to Compromise Solution (Interval Type 2 fuzzy WBM-MARCOS). Results indicate that “Knowledge of Industry 4.0 obligations and CE principle” is the most important factor that is the basis of success following by “Management commitment and support”. This will assist decision makers to seize success in gaining a competitive advantage while reducing costs through the supply chain.Keywords: food traceability, industry 4.0, internet of things, block chain, best worst method, marcos
Procedia PDF Downloads 1963493 Negotiating Increased Food Production with African Indigenous Agricultural Knowledge: The Ugandan Case
Authors: Harriet Najjemba, Simon Peter Rutabajuuka, Deo Katono Nzarwa
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Scientific agricultural knowledge was introduced in Africa, including Uganda, during colonial rule. While this form of knowledge was introduced as part of Western scientific canon, African indigenous knowledge was not destroyed and has remained vital in food production. Modern scientific methods were devoted to export crops while food crop production was left to Africans who continued to use indigenous knowledge. Today, indigenous agricultural knowledge still provides farming skills and practices, more than a century since modern scientific agricultural knowledge was introduced in Uganda. It is evident that there is need to promote the still useful and more accessible indigenous agricultural practices in order to sustain increased food production. It is also important to have a tailor made agricultural knowledge system that combines practical indigenous practices with financially viable western scientific agricultural practices for sustained food production. The proposed paper will explain why the African indigenous agricultural knowledge has persisted and survived for over a century after colonial introduction of western scientific agricultural knowledge. The paper draws on research findings for a PhD study at Makerere University, Uganda. The study uses both written and oral sources, including colonial and postcolonial archival documents, and interviews. It critiques the parameters within which Western farming methods were introduced to African farmers.Keywords: food production, food shortage, indigenous agricultural knowledge, western scientific agricultural practices
Procedia PDF Downloads 4533492 Assessment of Households' Food Security and Hunger Level across Communities in Ile-Ife, Southwestern Nigeria
Authors: Adebayo-Victoria Tobi Dada, Dada Emmanuel
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This study assessed households’ food security and hunger levels among different communities with varying educational and economic background in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, and its environment. It also examined the impacts of varying demography on the household food security level in the area. This was with a view to providing information on the food security status of the subjects within the study area. Ten different communities with varying demography (Parakin, Mokuro, Ilare, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Staff Quarters, Ibadan Road, Aba-Iya Gani, Eleweran, Iraye, Boosa, and Eku-Isobo) were identified within the study area. Fieldwork was then carried out from 7th to 14th of March, 2016 in each of these communities through survey of market prices of food stuff, diet, and nutrition, social well-being, food accessibility and affordability as well as price fluctuation and variation in household’s social background. Selection of households for the survey was done using stratified random sampling method. Key informants included community heads, landlords, tenants, and household heads. Similarly, information on food security levels with respect to demographic backgrounds was obtained from the use of modified Food and Hunger Insecurity Module (FHIM) structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to one percent of the households’ population per community. The results showed that communities such as Parakin and OAU Senior Staff Quarters were dominated by civil servants, while community such as Boosa was dominated by artisans. Respondents earning between ₦11,000 and ₦20,000 per month, during the study period, had the highest percentage across the selected communities. The household food security indices showed that about 41% of the investigated respondents could not guarantee their household food for a month, while 18% reduced or skipped meals. There were positive significant relationships between monthly income (F-value = 132.04), educational status (F-value = 102.30), occupation (F-value = 104.05) and food budget (F-value = 122.09), all at p < 0.05. However, there was no significant relationship between the monthly food budget and household sizes (t-value = -1.4074, p > 0.05). Food secured households’ had the household heads with a higher level of educational attainment. The study concluded that large variations which existed between socio-economic and educational background among the communities had significant effects on households’ food security level in the study area.Keywords: food security, households, hunger level, market prices
Procedia PDF Downloads 2053491 Learning Activities in Teaching Nihon-Go in the Philippines: Basis for a Proposed Action Plan
Authors: Esperanza C. Santos
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Japanese Language was traditionally considered as a means of imparting culture and training aesthetic experience in students and therefore as something beyond the practical aims of language teaching and learning. Due to the complexity of foreign languages, lots of language learners and teachers shared deep reservations about the potentials of foreign language in enhancing the communication skills of the students. In spite of the arguments against the use of Foreign Language (Nihon-go) in the classroom, the researcher strongly support the use of Nihon-go in teaching communication skills as the researcher believes that Nihon-go is a valuable resource to be exploited in the classroom in order to help the students explore the language in an interesting and challenging way. The focus of this research is to find out the relationship between the preferences, opinions, and perceptions with the communication skills. This study also identifies the significance of the relationship between preferences, opinions and perceptions and communications skills in the activities employed in Foreign language (Nihon-go) among the junior and senior students in Foreign Language 2 at the Imus Institute, Imus Cavite during the academic year 2013-2014. The results of the study are expected to encourage further studies that particularly focused on the communication skills as brought about by the identified factors namely: preferences, opinions, and perceptions on the benefits factor namely the language acquisition; access to Japanese culture and students' interpretative ability. Therefore, this research is in its quest for the issues and concerns on how to effectively teach different learning activities in a Nihon-go class.Keywords: preferences, opinions, perceptions, language acquisition
Procedia PDF Downloads 3053490 Food Security from a Spatial Perspective; The Situation in Advanced and Less Advanced Economies
Authors: Kristina Thorell
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Food security has been one of the most important policy issues on the global arena after the Second World War. The overall aim of this presentation is to describe preconditions for a sustainable food supply from a spatial perspective. Special attention is paid to the differences between advanced and less advanced economies around the world. The theoretical framework is based upon models which are explaining complex systems of factors that affect the preconditions for agricultural productions. In additions to this, theories about how population and environmental pollution change through different stages of societal development are explained. The results are based upon data of agricultural practices, population growth, hunger and nutrition levels from different countries around the world. The analysis shows that factors which affect preconditions for agricultural production are dynamic. Factors which support the food security in the near future are a decreasing population growth, technological development and innovation but the environmental crisis is associated to high risks. It is, therefore, important to develop environmental policies and improved methods for organic farming. A final conclusion is that the spatial pattern is clear; the food supply is sufficient within advanced economies but rather complicated in development countries.Keywords: food security, agricultural geography, demography, advanced economies, population growth, agricultural practices
Procedia PDF Downloads 3103489 Assessment of Food Safety Culture in Select Restaurants and a Produce Market in Doha, Qatar
Authors: Ipek Goktepe, Israa Elnemr, Hammad Asim, Hao Feng, Mosbah Kushad, Hee Park, Sheikha Alzeyara, Mohammad Alhajri
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Food safety management in Qatar is under the shared oversight of multiple agencies in two government ministries (Ministry of Public Health and Ministry of Municipality and Environment). Despite the increasing number and diversity of the food service establishments, no systematic food surveillance system is in place in the country, which creates a gap in terms of determining the food safety attitudes and practices applied in the food service operations. Therefore, this study seeks to partially address this gap through determination of food safety knowledge among food handlers, specifically with respect to food preparation and handling practices, and sanitation methods applied in food service providers (FSPs) and a major market in Doha, Qatar. The study covered a sample of 53 FSPs randomly selected out of 200 FSPs. Face-to-face interviews with managers at participating FSPs were conducted using a 40-questions survey. Additionally, 120 produce handlers who are in direct contact with fresh produce at the major produce market in Doha were surveyed using a questionnaire containing 21 questions. A written informed consent was obtained from each survey participant. The survey data were analyzed using the chi-square test and correlation test. The significance was evaluated at p ˂ 0.05. The results from the FSPs surveys indicated that the average age of FSPs was 11 years, with the oldest and newest being established in 1982 and 2015, respectively. Most managers (66%) had college degree and 68% of them were trained on the food safety management system known as HACCP. These surveys revealed that FSP managers’ training and education level were highly correlated with the probability of their employees receiving food safety training while managers with lower education level had no formal training on food safety for themselves nor for their employees. Casual sit-in and fine dine-in restaurants consistently kept records (100%), followed by fast food (36%), and catering establishments (14%). The produce handlers’ survey results showed that none of the workers had any training on safe produce handling practices. The majority of the workers were in the age range of 31-40 years (37%) and only 38% of them had high-school degree. Over 64% of produce handlers claimed to wash their hands 4-5 times per day but field observations pointed limited handwashing as there was soap in the settings. This observation suggests potential food safety risks since a significant correlation (p ˂ 0.01) between the educational level and the hand-washing practices was determined. This assessment on food safety culture through determination of food and produce handlers' level of knowledge and practices, the first of its kind in Qatar, demonstrated that training and education are important factors which directly impact the food safety culture in FSPs and produce markets. These findings should help in identifying the need for on-site training of food handlers for effective food safety practices in food establishments in Qatar.Keywords: food safety, food safety culture, food service providers, food handlers
Procedia PDF Downloads 333