Papers by Marianne Nylandsted Larsen
Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies
PurposeThe paper aims to explore consumer preferences for novel and other quality attributes in p... more PurposeThe paper aims to explore consumer preferences for novel and other quality attributes in processed foods. It focuses on preferences for product origin, certification on food quality and standards and tradeoffs between novelty (fortification and highly processed) and other quality attributes.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 317 consumers were randomly selected at a high-end supermarket and a traditional local market in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Stated and revealed preference approaches were used to investigate their preferences for different attributes in processed foods. A hypothetical choice experiment was used to assess consumer preference for six baby food attributes and the tradeoffs between the attributes, while the revealed preference method included questions on consumer's actual processed food purchasing and consumption habits. In addition, consumers were asked a series of hierarchical questions assessing the motivation underpinning their choices for different ...
Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography
Contract Farming and the Development of Smallholder Agricultural Businesses
Sustainability
The rapid expansion of modern food retail encapsulated in the so-called ‘supermarket revolution’ ... more The rapid expansion of modern food retail encapsulated in the so-called ‘supermarket revolution’ is often portrayed as a pivotal driving force in the modernization of agri-food systems in the Global South. Based on fieldwork conducted on horticulture value chains in West Java and South Sulawesi, this paper explores this phenomenon and the concerted efforts that government and corporate actors undertake with regard to agri-food value chain interventions and market modernization in Indonesia. The paper argues that after more than 15 years of ‘supermarket revolution’ in Indonesia, traditional food retail appears not to be in complete demise, but rather adaptive and resilient to its modern competitors. The analysis of local manifestations of supermarket-led agricultural development suggests that traditional markets can offer certain advantages for farmers over supermarket-driven value chains. The paper further identifies and discusses two areas that have so far been neglected by researc...
Journal of Agrarian Change
Land Degradation & Development, 2016
The large scale conversion of extensive swidden agriculture to intensive market oriented producti... more The large scale conversion of extensive swidden agriculture to intensive market oriented production of maize in upland areas of South East Asia is a cause of environmental concern. This study investigates how intensive maize cultivation affects soil quality in an upland area of Northern Thailand by comparing commonly used indicators of soil quality in soils from maize fields used at various intensities. Relations between these indicators and concentration of permanganate oxidizable carbon (Pox-C)a low cost proxy for soil qualityare also examined. The extent, type and drivers of land use changes between 2002 and 2012 are investigated by classification of high resolution satellite images, interviews, participatory mapping and questionnaires. We document a widespread change from traditional swidden agriculture to intensive cultivation of maize that is mainly brought about by economcic and political drivers. We show that the concentration of Pox-C in the top soil of the maize fields is closely related to common indicators of soil quality and to farmers' perceptions of soil quality. Most of the other soil quality indicators are negativelyalbeit not significantlyrelated to intensity of maize cultivation. There is a strong negative correlation between intensity of maize cultivation and concentration of Pox-C in the upper 5 cm of the soil where the Pox-C concentration declines with a rate of 40 mg year under maize À1. We conclude that Pox-C is a sensitive indicator of effects of land use intensity on the soil and a useful integrative measure of soil quality.
The European Journal of Development Research
Transnational Corporations and Development Policy, 2009
Small urban settlements or small towns in rural areas represent the fastest urban growth in most ... more Small urban settlements or small towns in rural areas represent the fastest urban growth in most of the African continent. Along with a renewed political interest in African agriculture, the role of urban settlements has gained a prominent position in poverty reduction in rural areas and as an alternative to out-migration. Based on data collected between 2010 and 2012 covering more than 60 business operators in two emerging urban centres (EUCs) and their rural hinterlands, the article explores development trajectories in two EUCs in Tanzania, both of which have experienced rapid population growth and attracted new investments in business by both migrants and the indigenous population in an effort to exploit new opportunities in the centres. The initial urbanization has not been driven by the state or by new institutional interventions such as microfinance but rather by 'the market'. This paper argues that microfinance plays a role in facilitating possibilities for some businesses to sustain, expand or diversify their businesses once the business is well-established in the EUCs. Migrants play a pivotal role for the early development and later diversification of business activities within both EUCs. They have been attracted by new investment opportunities and bring capital and knowledge from previous experiences with economic activities.
Journal of Agrarian Change, 2006
. It sets out to answer why some cotton-producing households generate comparatively higher levels... more . It sets out to answer why some cotton-producing households generate comparatively higher levels of total cotton output, and conversely why some households generate lower output. In the Tanzanian sample, variations in respondents' cotton sales revolve entirely around respondents' access to cropping land and possession of draught power, while observed differences in the Zimbabwean case are based on a combination of ownership-related assets and respondents' access to manufactured inputs. At the same time, the extent of differences in volumes of cotton sales between the top and bottom quintiles is significantly higher in the Tanzanian survey than in the Zimbabwean one. This pattern becomes even more evident when comparing the performance of the bottom quintiles in the two samples. Against this background, the paper suggests that successful forms of market coordination may not only contribute to better 'system performance' but also to fewer differences between cotton-producing households in terms of cotton output and to higher incomes from cotton production.
This paper addresses the main dynamics in the global agro-industrial value chains for tropical pr... more This paper addresses the main dynamics in the global agro-industrial value chains for tropical products. It examines new upgrading opportunities for smallholder production in Africa as a consequence of two dominant trends within global agricultural value chains. The first is caused by the dynamics of the co-existing collaboration and intensified rivalry between lead firms within the same chain. The other is caused by new opportunities and challenges stemming from increased requirements on retailer-driven markets in the North and expansion of new markets in the South. The paper points out the need to rectify the heavily biased policy focus on standard compliance with the purpose of strengthening smallholder incorporation and upgrading in retailer-driven strands of global value chains ending in the North. Instead, markets in the South and in emerging economies may function as a training ground for upgrading of African smallholder production via increases in volume and consistency of exports.
... we know that the little Walter Scott was once found during a thunder-storm lying on ... those... more ... we know that the little Walter Scott was once found during a thunder-storm lying on ... those occurring in the first six months, we have to do with an organic phenomenon, with ... Before considering the manifold outgoings of fear produced by impressions of the eye, we may glance at ...
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Papers by Marianne Nylandsted Larsen