Gumataw Kifle Abebe

Dalhousie University | Dal · Department of Business and Social Sciences

BACKGROUND Food safety is a key public health issue worldwide. This study aims to characterize existing governance mechanisms – governance structures (GS) and food safety management systems (FSMS) – and analyze the alignment thereof in detecting food safety hazards, based on empirical evidence from Lebanon. RESULTS Firm-to-firm and public baselin...

Although potato is considered to be one of the strategic crops for ensuring food security in Ethiopia, the adoption of high yielding and disease tolerant improved potato varieties is low. Common explanations include farmers’ attitudes to risk and socio-cultural factors. We develop a system perspective that explores farmers’ decisions about adopting...

While Contract Farming (CF) can enhance smallholders’ income in developing countries, empirical research on the motivation of smallholders to participate in CF is scarce. This paper explores farmer preferences for particular contract design attributes. We combined analytical hierarchy process and discrete choice experiments to investigate the impor...

Improving the introduction of new potato varieties requires aligning the preferences of all supply chain actors. In Ethiopia, the majority of ware potato growers source their seed from the informal supply system. Using a case study on specialised seed growers and a survey among ware potato growers and downstream chain actors, we explore the quality...

This review delves into the effects of carbon pricing policies on food affordability and the performance of the agri-food sector, with a specific focus on Canada. Against the backdrop of the widespread adoption of carbon pricing as a crucial tool in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the discussion acknowledges potential economic repercussion...

There is a pressing need for healthy diets guided by environmental and nutritional targets. Plant‐based proteins have emerged as a recent and rapidly growing trend in response to the challenge of sustainable and healthy food systems. While plant‐based protein foods are widely promoted as sustainable alternatives, shifting beliefs and attitudes abou...

Supermarketization is transforming global food retailing, but research gaps around this transformation include the role of consumers and of crises in informing the supermarketization process, with implications for the resilience of retail structures. This study aims to apply a cultural-resource based theory of the customer and show that retailers n...

This marks the 14th edition of Canada's Food Price Report, an annual publication collaboratively produced by Dalhousie University, the University of Guelph, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Saskatchewan. Each of these universities contributes to enriching the report's depth and regional insight.

The COVID-19 pandemic uncovered the weaknesses in the global food system, disrupting food production, processing, distribution, and consumer behaviors. The study seeks to examine the state of recovery in the restaurant operations, changes in supplier relationships, and the likelihood of pivoting off-premise dining options post-COVID-19. Based on pr...

This study investigates the phenomenon of forced displacement in Somalia over the past few decades and its implications for the livelihoods and food security of IDP communities. Employing a mixed-method approach, the study draws on various theories to interpret the complex dynamics underlying forced displacement and the subsequent loss of livelihoo...

Introduction How food is produced, processed, distributed, and consumed significantly impacts the sustainability of food supply chains. Short food supply chains (SFSCs) have been promoted as an alternative approach to offer sustainable solutions. However, empirical studies provide mixed evidence, and the findings greatly vary based on context. This...

Canadian food price forecasting for 2023

Food safety has become a major development challenge and a key influence on the strategic behavior of food companies. The study seeks to analyze the effect of perceived institutional pressures on the governance of food safety and the effect this may have on food safety performance in emerging food supply chains. The research develops a conceptual f...

Over the years, the Ugandan government had been promoting agricultural commercialization to become a middle-income economy by 2020. In 2012, the president remarked that if all the 40 million acres of arable land were put to full potential, everyone would be richer. Sugarcane commercialization, in the form of contract farming, has been praised as on...

The recent global COVID-19 pandemic has revealed weaknesses in the global food system, with short food supply chains (SFSCs) and long food supply chains (LFSC) being impacted differently. This raises the question as to whether the pandemic has contributed to a greater interest in and demand for locally produced foods. To answer this question, a stu...

Food system transformations occur in a complex political, economic, social, and territorial landscape. The study provides a historical construction of global food regime changes and the adaptiveness, transformability, and resilience of the local food system in Lebanon, a Middle Eastern context. Lebanon offers a unique opportunity to understand the...

This paper aims to analyze procurement decisions and contractual arrangements in the horticultural supply chain and evaluate opportunities for and challenges of horticultural producers linked to supermarkets and corporate restaurants in Lebanon. Accordingly, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with key horticultural supply chain act...

The past two years have been challenging for the restaurant industry in Canada and countries worldwide. This has led many casual and fine dining restaurants to adapt their business models to overcome the immediate and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper aims to understand how COVID-19 has impacted Canadian consumers’ on- and off-...

The future of food value chains has increasingly been reliant on the wider adoption of sustainable farming practices that include organic agriculture. Organic farming in developed countries is standardized and occupies a niche in agro-food systems. However, such a standard model, when transferred to developing countries, faces difficulty in impleme...

12th Edition of Canada's Food Price Report which predicts food prices for 2022

Meat production is an essential component in food security and the economy in Uganda. However, food safety concerns pose a challenge to public health in Uganda and impede access to regional and global markets. Here, food safety management (FSM) practices in the Ugandan beef supply chain were evaluated. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in majo...

Recent decades have witnessed unprecedented agrarian transforma�tions and mining sector-led development projects in the countryside of the Global South. This study explores the impact of land appropria�tion for gold mining on customary land tenure systems and rural live�lihoods in Ghana. Data were gathered through face-to-face semi-structured and...

Recent decades have witnessed unprecedented agrarian transformations and mining sector-led development projects in the countryside of the Global South. This study explores the impact of land appropriation for gold mining on customary land tenure systems and rural livelihoods in Ghana. Data were gathered through face-to-face semi-structured and stru...

Agriculture is the most natural resource-intensive and climate-sensitive sector. This study examines the perceptions and attitudes of small family farmers toward climate change and identifies adaptation strategies supporting household food security in the Middle Eastern context, Lebanon. The study uses cross-sectional, primary data of households th...

The question of why some small businesses survive and become profitable while others exit the market continues to attract attention. This study analyzes the role of the institutional environment and business formation process in entrepreneurial activity (defined by total early-stage entrepreneurial activity rate) in the context of a high populous a...

The question of why some small businesses survive and become profitable while others exit the market continues to attract attention. This study analyzes the role of the institutional environment and business formation process in entrepreneurial activity (defined by total early-stage entrepreneurial activity rate) in the context of a high populous a...

Food safety has become a major development challenge and a key influence on the strategic behavior of food companies. The study seeks to analyze the effect of perceived institutional pressures on the governance of food safety and the effect this may have on food safety performance in emerging food supply chains. The research develops a conceptual f...

Food retail transformation and the expansion of modern food retailers (supermarketisation) may impact the agri-food system and actors along the value chain. This study utilizes a micro-level dataset to examine the food retail landscape and transformation in Lebanon, a highly-urbanised country; and differences in operations, marketing, and supply ch...

The food safety landscape continues to evolve across time, geography, and supply chains. This research seeks to analyze the determinants of market-based food safety management systems (FSMSs) implementation in the Middle Eastern context. Primary data were collected from food safety managers representing 94 processors across Lebanon. We found food p...

Food retail transformation in developing countries continues to receive attention due to its implications for business expansion and food system development. We assess the dynamism of supermarketization in two relatively understudied regions—Sub‐Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa—applying the institution‐based view and econometric...

Irrigated agriculture has been popularized as a key factor to improve crop yields and enhance food security in Africa. However, empirical findings are mixed. This study analyzes determinants of small-scale irrigation adoption and the impact this may have on food security in Ethiopia, where agricultural land is extremely fragmented and densely popul...

Agricultural products such as coffee, sesame, and livestock constitute major components of Ethiopian exports. Accordingly, stringent food quality and safety requirements by international buyers (in Europe, North America, and Japan) are key drivers for the past and recent food safety laws and regulations in Ethiopia. The country's sustained economic...

With increasing food insecurity and climate change, conservation agriculture has emerged as a sustainable alternative to intensive conventional agriculture as a source of food supply. Yet the adoption rate of conservation agriculture is still low. Our paper analyses the factors affecting farmers' willingness to adopt conservation agriculture in Leb...

Existing evidence on food retail expansion in developing countries is largely based on cross-country studies. This may be excellent to provide general pictures but less relevant for development planners to tailor context-specific interventions. We apply a meso-level analysis to address three questions: (i) Are modern food retail formats impeding th...

Food value chains in developing countries are changing in response to the increasing quality and safety demands of domestic and international customers. Tighter vertical ties are developing to comply with these stringent quality requirements. In addition, the issue of limited bargaining power for smallholders in these coordinated chains has prompte...

Purpose – The current market for agricultural products is creating new challenges and opportunities for (smallholder) producers in many developing countries. Their ability to compete in the market is limited by new constraints related to product quality characteristics and the prevalence of market imperfection. The paper aims to assess the role of...