International Journal of Sustainable Agricultural Management and Informatics (8 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• Exploring the benefits of circular bioecomony in agriculture: a bibliometric network analysis  
  by Christina-Ioanna Papadopoulou, Fotios Chatzitheodoridis, Efstratios Loizou 
  Abstract: The circular economy can lead to a new production model and in such a transition the role of agriculture is crucial. Based on the publications on the circular bioeconomy and agriculture identified in the Scopus database, the purpose of this paper is to present the key findings and provide evidence on the interdisciplinary approach to the coexistence of the concepts. An attempt is also made to evaluate the potential benefits of adopting circular bioeconomy practices in the agricultural sector. Based on the results of the bibliometric analysis, first descriptively and then by keyword analysis, it is concluded that there is a need for additional research on optimising the interaction between agriculture and the circular bioeconomy. Finally, further research is needed on the relationships between key factors related to the circular bioeconomy and agriculture, as revealed by the coexistence analysis.
  Keywords: circular bioeconomy; agriculture; network analysis; VOSviewer.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSAMI.2022.10052735
   
  
• Group decision approach for product development in the food industry  
  by Over Manuel Montes Causil, Danielle Costa Morais 
  Abstract: Decision-making is a winning factor of success in product development. Then, how group decision-making is constructed becomes a critical issue to be investigated in product development models and in group decision-making. How aggregating different preferences of decision-makers is the problem faced in this paper. Therefore, a multicriteria group decision-making approach is developed to support the decision to be recommended in the product development context. The proposed group decision approach is based on FITradeoff multicriteria method and Borda account. Findings show that this approach can be used as a guideline to build a fair recommendation in the food development process. Unlike current models, our model focuses on the evaluation of individual ranking for each decision-maker without a larger cognitive effort since incomplete information is used in scale constants elicitation procedure. Moreover, the model explores the higher positions of the alternatives to aggregate and attain the global ranking.
  Keywords: multicriteria group decision-making model; food product development; flexible and interactive trade-off; Borda; voting system.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSAMI.2022.10052894
   
  
• Embracing green consumerism: revisiting the antecedents of green purchase intention for millennials and moderating role of income and gender  
  by Vijay Kumar Jain, Anu Gupta, Hemraj Verma, Vijay Prakash Anand 
  Abstract: The world today is currently dealing with enormous environmental challenges. Deforestation, rising global temperatures, and rising sea levels are a few examples. All of these elements are increasing consumer awareness and reiterating how crucial it is to make sustainable decisions. The purpose of the study is to explore the antecedents of green purchase intention and to examine the moderating role of gender and income on intention and behaviour relationship. A theoretical framework was proposed to understand the antecedents of green purchase intention and its subsequent impact on behaviour. Structured questionnaire was designed to obtain the required information from respondents using an online survey. To evaluate the link between the construct, partial least square structural equation modelling was used. The finding shows that green product experience and eco-labelling are the most important antecedents of green purchase intention for millennials and further, confirm the moderating effect of income and gender. The study offers marketers and policymakers useful insights. Knowledge of factors leading to green purchase intention would help marketers in devising marketing strategies to promote green consumption behaviour among millennials which will help in conservation of valuable resources, reduction of waste, and carbon footprint having positive impact of environment.
  Keywords: environmental concern; carbon footprint; circular economy; green consumption; recycling; decoupling.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSAMI.2023.10053900
   
  
• Shrinkage of agricultural and rural areas: the case study of Kastoria  
  by Eleni Papadopoulou, Eleni Kalantzi, Christos Papalexiou 
  Abstract: The increasing urbanisation of modern societies led to the shrinking of many EU rural areas. In Greece, the area facing one of the largest shrinkage is the Municipality of Kastoria, which presents both simple (demographic) and complex (socio-economic) shrinkage. The simple shrinkage appears with a great population decline, low rates and population fertility density. Regarding the complex shrinkage, the economic crisis started in 2010 has the largest impact, coupled with the lack of public/private services, specialised labour force and the settlement of incoming migrants to city centres. The shrinkage of rural areas is a burning issue that is affected by multiple factors and needs to be immediately addressed by applying EU, national and local scale policy measures. This paper aims to examine the factors that led to shrinkage, to identify the problems and the obstacles, as well as to suggest forms of support and policy recommendations for policy mitigation or adaptation strategies.
  Keywords: shrinkage; complex shrinkage; rural development; local development; EU policy; local policy-making; mitigation strategy; adaptation strategy.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSAMI.2022.10051464
   
  
• Predicting and forecasting water quality using deep learning  
  by Ahmad Debow, Samaah Shweikani, Kadan Aljoumaa 
  Abstract: During the last years, obtaining water with acceptable quality for human consumption or even for agricultural applications is a big challenge in many places around the world. Water quality (WQ) can be defined by various factors like pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen (DO), nitrate, temperature, total and faecal coliform. Therefore, prediction and forecast of WQ have become vital in order to monitor and control pollution. In this paper, 4-stacked LSTM models are developed to predict and forecast water quality index (WQI). Many algorithms are applied in this context to prepare the data like K-NN and annual mean, also for data analysis and features selection. The best prediction model is to predict without total coliform and RMSE value is 0.027, and the best forecasting method is filtering data with RMSE = 0.013. Models in this research can contribute in water management to avoid pollution as possible as we can.
  Keywords: chi-squared; correlation matrix; deep LSTM; dissolved oxygen; forecasting; faecal coliform; K-NN; prediction; total coliform; water quality index; WQI; water quality class.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSAMI.2022.10051380
   
  
• Geographical indication products and the provision of public goods - a Greek case study  
  by Maria Spilioti, Pavlos Karanikolas, Antonios Kominakis, Spiros Stachtiaris, Konstantinos Tsiboukas 
  Abstract: This study examines the contribution of the geographical indication product 'Ladotyri Mytilinis PDO' (LM PDO) cheese to the provision of public goods. The study draws on desk and field research, including detailed interviews with actors of the relevant value chain. Based on novel approaches to the redefinition of public goods, we identify a series of public goods and externalities with social, economic, and environmental dimensions. There is a mixed picture regarding the protection of biodiversity through the production of LM PDO: protection and maintenance of local genetic recourses, along with over-grazing and partial degradation of pastures. LM PDO has the highest symbolic value of all cheeses produced on Lesvos Island. New governance arrangements are needed, as well as the establishment of a collective body involving all interested parties of the value chain that could deal with the management of the geographical indication and the pastures of the island. The identified public goods could be instrumental in the 'localisation' of the agri-food system and further valorising this quality product through markets and public goods.
  Keywords: geographical indications; public goods; externalities; agri-food system; Greece; quality cheese.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSAMI.2022.10051007
   
  
• Gender analysis of land ownership influence on climate smart agriculture adoption among farming households in Nigeria  
  by Sarah Edore Edewor, Adebayo Musediku Shittu, Ibukun James Olaoye 
  Abstract: This study assessed how land ownership influenced climate smart agricultural practices (CSAPs) adoption among farmers based on gender in Nigeria. The study utilised secondary data obtained from 1,374 maize and/or rice-producing households across six out of the seven agro-ecological zones in Nigeria. Multivariate probit regression and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. The results revealed the adoption of the CSAPs is generally low, although adoption was higher among the male heads as compared to the female heads. Interestingly, social capital and nativity but not land ownership and gender significantly affected the adoption of the four practices. Even though there were gender differences in land ownership, land tenure, and property rights, other factors may likely be the drivers of CSAPs adoption. The study proposes driving gender sensitive policies to increase the adoption of climate smart agriculture among farmers in Nigeria.
  Keywords: climate change; land ownership; gender; climate smart agriculture; adoption; Nigeria.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSAMI.2022.10051616
   
  
• Sustainability and quality in education  
  by Eleni Vlachoudi, Georgios Tsekouropoulos, Eleni Tegkelidou, Ioanna Simeli 
  Abstract: In a constantly changing and evolving society, the school is called to play a very important role through the educational work provided, which must be both quality and effective. However, nowadays, the effectiveness of an educational unit is determined not only by high learning performance, but also by the totality of educational results produced. Early on, the researchers were interested in determining the factors that can increase the effectiveness of a school unit. The aim of the present study is to highlight the factors that can affect a school unit's effectiveness and to investigate whether professional development for teachers contributes to increasing the efficiency of an educational unit and, as a result, the quality of education, which is one of the primary goals of sustainable development. A literature review is conducted first, followed by the methodology used throughout the current study, and finally, the research findings are presented and analysed.
  Keywords: sustainability; quality; education; educators; professional development.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJSAMI.2022.10052103