In developing countries, urbanization and demographic changes are increasing food waste generation at household levels. However, it remains unclear how behavioural and personal characteristics influence the behaviours of urban consumers in developing countries regarding food waste. In this study, we extended the integrative model of behavioural prediction to examine the determinants of food waste behaviour amongst a sample of 698 urban dwellers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The empirical results revealed that attitudes and perceived behavioural control were the most important predictors of intention toward food waste reduction. With regard to food waste behaviours, the results showed that the more an individual feels obliged to discard less food, the higher the odds that the quantity of food that gets wasted by the household would be reduced. Likewise, knowledge about the negative impacts of wasting food and an ability to interpret information on labels of food products were associated with decreased quantities of household food waste. In addition, lower psychological distance to food waste was generally associated with lower quantities of wasted food. Finally, sociodemographic characteristics and food-shopping routines were found to be significant predictors of food waste behaviours. Overall, these findings constitute an entry point for more research and policy measures in order to understand determinants of household food waste behaviours in developing countries and to design effective interventions to reinforce their behaviours towards more sustainable food consumption patterns.

Abstract: An unsustainable food system in Sweden, marked by power imbalances, limited opportunities for smaller producers, and a lack of collaboration, demands solutions. Many workers in the food system operate as smaller producers, while the retail sector is highly concentrated, dominated by a few major retailers. Due to their significant market share, these retailers have the potential to drive production improvements, sustainability, and innovation by actively supporting smaller producers. However, if these issues remain unaddressed, the entire food system risks becoming increasingly vulnerable to future disruptions. This thesis aims to explain the dynamics within the Swedish food value chain, focusing on the collaboration between established retailers and smaller producers. It seeks to understand how this collaboration can be improved by both parties to foster a more sustainable food system. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews employing a dual-perspective approach from both producers and retailers, it sought an understanding of both actors’ perspectives regarding their current experiences and perceptions. Both producers and retailers acknowledge the need for collaboration, but challenges persist, particularly expressed by the producers. The main theory used, The Ladder of Partnership, highlights the necessity for trust, mutual understanding, and investment in collaboration. While some companies are making efforts, more is required for a sustainable food system. Given the retailer’s market influence, they should lead by creating opportunities for smaller producers, making strategic decisions about market inclusion, and excluding less sustainable options. The thesis advocates for accountability and shared responsibility among all actors in the food system to achieve a sustainable future. The study concludes that the Swedish food value chain relies on collaboration among various actors, and without it, the system's functionality would be compromised. 

The agricultural sector in Sweden needs to cut GHG emissions and contribute to the climate goal of net-zero emissions by 2045. The GHG reduction goal for agricultural emissions is not quantified, but the Swedish climate policy framework states that ‘Swedish food production shall increase as much as possible with as little climate impact as possible’. Multiple key actors within the sector of food and agriculture have developed roadmaps or industry specific goals for reducing GHG emissions from the sector. Consequently, requirements for transparent GHG accounting and reporting are increasing within the agricultural sector, both on a national and international level. The purpose of the Agrosfär tool is to establish an automatic data driven climate calculator used to calculate GHG emissions from agricultural products and on a farm enterprise level. Automation and automatic data collection will save time, increase the accuracy of the calculations, and simplify updates of the tool to keep it aligned with the most recent climate data and climate reporting methodology. It will make it possible to continuously carry out follow-ups on climate performance indicators and measure improvements from climate measures taken. A working group consisting of agricultural life cycle assessment experts has developed the framework of the tool (e.g., setting system boundaries, selecting methodologies and input data). A technical team has developed algorithms, a digital interface and coupled the tool to other existing agricultural databases, providing farm specific information on crop and animal production data, soil characteristics, carbon footprints and amounts of purchased inputs etc. The tool and user interface have been developed based on input from farmers through prototyping and in-depth interviews. The priority guidelines on which the calculation model is based are the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR), the International Dairy Federation (IDF)’s approach for carbon footprint for the dairy sector, and FAO Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance guidelines (FAO LEAP). From the farm perspective, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) Corporate Standard, GHG Protocol Agricultural Guidance (Scope 1 & 2) and GHG Protocol Corporate value chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard are guiding standards. Where standards have diverged or where assumptions have been required, the working group has made expert judgements on which method/guideline to follow or what assumptions to make. A first version of the tool, first described in report version 1, was developed as the basis for further development. The first version contains an animal and a crop module, and can calculate the carbon footprint of crops, milk and beef. This report (version 1.1) has been updated to include the most recent developments of the tool. The main change is that the tool can now also be used to calculate farm climate impact on a yearly basis. Future possibilities to develop the tool and calculation model are described in chapter 7, including suggestions for developing modules for more animal production types, deepening the integration between the crop and animal modules, expanding sources for automatic data collection, developing a carbon sequestration module, and other technical and methodological improvements to ensure alignment with important climate reporting standards. The report will be repeatedly updated as the tool develops, and new versions of the tool are released.

Syftet med denna studie har varit att beräkna miljöpåverkan från olika svenska uppfödningsmodeller för nöt- och lammkött i produktionsområdena Götalands norra slättbygder, Götalands skogsbygder, Nedre Norrland samt del av Götalands mellanbygd (Gotland). Inom nötköttsproduktion har mjölkrastjur, mjölkrasstut, köttrastjur, köttrasstut och köttraskviga studerats. För lammkött har vårlamm, höstlamm och vinterlamm undersökts. Miljöpåverkanskategorier som ingått i studien är klimatpåverkan, markanvändning, kväveutsläpp samt påverkan på biologisk mångfald.

Salicylic acid and amino acid are plant growth promoters. Therefore, the study entitled "Effect of salicylic acid and amino acid on late season peas growth and production" was conducted. The study has two factors: amino acid (Glycine) and salicylic acid each having four levels that were sprayed on peas. Analysis of data showed that maximum germination percentage (92.50 %), plant height (63.16 cm), primary branches plant-1 (2.80), leaves plant-1 (264.27), leaf chlorophyll content (57.25 SPAD), pods plant-1 (49.25), seeds pod-1 (10.41), pod length (11.74 cm) and yield ha-1 (1922.5 kg) having least days to flowering and pod formation (50.13 and 5.12 days) were noted in 225 mg L-1 amino acid. Salicylic acid levels showed that maximum germination percentage (95.83 %) height of plants (71.85 cm), leaves plant-1 (257.13), primary branches plant-1 (3.25), leaf chlorophyll content (55.81 SPAD), pods plant-1 (52.16), seeds pod-1 (10.91), pod length(11.05 cm) and yield ha-1 (1895.0 kg) having least days to pod formation and flowering (5.26 and 48.30 days) were noted in salicylic acid level of 300 mg L-1. The combined effect of 225 mg L-1 amino acid and 300 mg L-1salicylic acid levels positively improved primary branches plant-1 (3.93), pod plant-1 (66.33), pod length (13.77 cm), seeds pod-1 (12.44), leaf chlorophyll content (64.49 SPAD) and maximum yield ha-1 (1942.66 kg). It is concluded that for higher growth and yield pea cultivar Climax when cultivated late could be applied with 225 mg L-1 amino acid and 300 mg L-1 salicylic under Peshawar climatic conditions.

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) allows rope casting and the tying of legs for nonhuman animals laughter without stunning. Thehandling and welfare of bovine livestock (Bosindicus and Bubalus bubalis) were studied in 8 local abattoirs in 5 districts of Bangladesh. A totalof 302 animals were evaluated. At the local abattoirs, approximately 1/3 of the cattle and water buffalo were eithere maciated orinjured/sick. The size and vigor of the animals determined the casting method. Small and weak animals were cast on concrete floors by lifting a foreleg followed by pushing, or simply by twisting the head of the animal and then binding the legs with rope. Vigorous animals such as buffalo were castusing ropes and human force. Bleeding was slow and flaying was sometimes initiated before the animals were unconscious. Pulling and tearing of the trachea and pouring of water into the exposed trache a shortly after cutting were also observed in some cases.The over all animal handling was unnecessarily rough and he OIE standards were not implemented. Animals are subjected to considerable mistreatment, and there is an urgent need for the training nde ducation of the staff in a battoirs concerning humanes laughtering practices as well as a need to build moderns laughtering plants in Bangladesh.

The current work focuses on the pretreatment efficiency of ILs combined with heat for woody biomass consisting of spruce, birch and pine as well as winter wheat straw. The latter was investigated as a comparison and with the aim to enhance its digestibility during enzymatic hydrolysis whereby the influence of IL-treatment to cellulose resistance for hydrolysis was investigated. Considering the wood species, the most common and industrially important wood species in Northern Europe were chosen in the present work and the goal was to obtain fermentable sugars and their degradation product, i.e. 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), which is known valuable platform chemical. Further, the differences in the yields of IL-obtainable carbohydrates between these species were studied. The highest sugar yields were obtained to glucose in the case of spruce and arabinose in the case of pine sapwood, 12.07 and 7.72 mmol/L, respectively. The highest 5-HMF yield was obtained for spruce heartwood (9.18 mmol/L) with longer treatment time, such as 100h. However, regarding woody biomass, the present work was focused more on the study and analysis of the IL-containing liquid part, wood hydrolysate, after IL-treatment aiming to answer the analysis challenges related to this fraction.

This research study introduces an IoT-based Agricultural Monitoring System designed to enhance precision farming practices. Employing Arduino microcontrollers and a network of sensors including water level, soil moisture, temperature, and pH, the system enables real-time monitoring of agricultural parameters. Integration with GSM and WiFi modules facilitates data communication and remote-control capabilities. Additionally, solar power integration enhances sustainability. The collected data is uploaded to a cloud platform for analysis, providing farmers with actionable insights for informed decision-making. The study aims to optimize resource utilization, improve crop yield, and promote sustainable agriculture practices.

Soil compaction due to heavy machinery and intensive cultivation causing yield reduction in potato is an increasing problem worldwide today. In this experiment inter-row subsoiling at the depth of 55 cm has been tested as a strategy to loosen the soil after planting and thereby increase the yield in starch potato production. The effects of subsoiling were tested in three different irrigation regimes. The results show that subsoiling can increase the starch potato yield significantly in sandy soils where a compacted plough pan is present. This holds true for all years and all cultivars tested. The effect was greater in dry years and decreased with increasing irrigation intensity. However, the starch content of the tubers was not affected by subsoiling but the total starch yield from the field increased with 0.86 ton/ha to 1.37 ton/ha, depending on year, cultivar and irrigation strategy.

Assessing effects of climate change on agricultural systems and the potential for ecological intensification to increase food security in developing countries is essential to guide management, policy-making and future research. ‘Push-pull’ technology (PPT) is a poly-cropping design developed in eastern Africa that utilizes plant chemicals to mediate plant–insect interactions. PPT application yields significant increases in crop productivity, by reducing pest load and damage caused by arthropods and parasitic weeds, while also bolstering soil fertility. As climate change effects may be species- and/or context-specific, there is need to elucidate how, in interaction with biotic factors, projected climate conditions are likely to influence future functioning of PPT. Here, we first reviewed how changes in temperature, precipitation and atmospheric CO₂ concentration can influence PPT components (i.e., land use, soils, crops, weeds, diseases, pests and their natural enemies) across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We then imposed these anticipated responses on a landscape-scale qualitative mathematical model of maize production under PPT in eastern Africa, to predict cumulative, structure-mediated impacts of climate change on maize yield. Our review suggests variable impacts of climate change on PPT components in SSA by the end of the 21st century, including reduced soil fertility, increased weed and arthropod pest pressure and increased prevalence of crop diseases, but also increased biological control by pests’ natural enemies. Extrapolating empirical evidence of climate effects to predict responses to projected climate conditions is mainly limited by a lack of mechanistic understanding regarding single and interactive effects of climate variables on PPT components. Model predictions of maize yield responses to anticipated impacts of climate change in eastern Africa suggest predominantly negative future trends. Nevertheless, maize yields can be sustained or increased by favourable changes in system components with less certain future behaviour, including higher PPT adoption, preservation of field edge density and agricultural diversification beyond cereal crops.

Co-occurrence of abiotic stresses, especially drought and salinity, is a natural phenomenon in field conditions and is worse for crop production than any single stress. Nowadays, rigorous methods of meta-analysis and systems biology have made it possible to perform cross-study comparisons of single stress experiments, which can uncover main overlapping mechanisms underlying tolerance to combined stress. In this study, a meta-analysis of RNA-Seq data was conducted to obtain the overlapping gene network of drought and salinity stresses in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), which identified Rubisco activase A (RcaA) as a hub gene in the dual-stress response. Thereafter, a greenhouse experiment was carried out using two barley genotypes with different abiotic stress tolerance and evaluated several physiochemical properties as well as the expression profile and protein activity of RcaA. Finally, machine learning analysis was applied to uncover relationships among combined stress tolerance and evaluated properties. We identified 441 genes which were differentially expressed under both drought and salinity stress. Results revealed that the photosynthesis pathway and, in particular, the RcaA gene are major components of the dual-stress responsive transcriptome. Comparative physiochemical and molecular evaluations further confirmed that enhanced photosynthesis capability, mainly through regulation of RcaA expression and activity as well as accumulation of proline content, have a significant association with combined drought and salinity stress tolerance in barley. Overall, our results clarify the importance of RcaA in combined stress tolerance and may provide new insights for future investigations. 

Microalgal biomass may have biostimulating effects on plants and seeds due to its phytohormonal content, and harnessing this biostimulating effect could contribute to sustainable agriculture. Two Nordic strains of freshwater microalgae species Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus obliquus were each cultivated in a photobioreactor receiving untreated municipal wastewater. The algal biomass and the supernatant after algal cultivation were tested on tomato and barley seeds for biostimulating effects. Intact algal cells, broken cells, or harvest supernatant were applied to the seeds, and germination time, percentage and germination index were evaluated. Seeds treated with C. vulgaris, in particular intact cells or supernatant, had up to 25 percentage units higher germination percentage after 2 days and an overall significantly faster germination time (germinated on average between 0.5 and 1 day sooner) than seeds treated with S. obliquus or the control (water). The germination index was higher in C. vulgaris treatments than in the control for both tomato and barley, and this was observed for both broken and intact cells as well as supernatant. The Nordic strain of C. vulgaris cultivated in municipal wastewater thus shows potential for use as biostimulant in agriculture, adding novel economic and sustainability benefits.

The precarious potato disease known as late blight (LB), which is brought on by Phytophthora infestans, quickly decimates crops and economically detriment growers. The pathogen prefers relatively cold temperatures and that usually prevails in northern Bangladesh. To decrease the number of fungicide sprays with the changing climate, it is necessary to identify potato varieties that are most resistant to late blight. This study aims to assess the growth and production performance of late blight-tolerant potato varieties in the northern part of Bangladesh. The field study was conducted in the crop-growing years of 2017-18 and 2018-19. In this study, three exotic potato varieties [(BARI Alu-90 (Alouette), BARI Alu-91 (Carolus), and BARI Alu-77 (Sarpomira)] and two check varieties [BARI Alu-8 (Cardinal) and BARI Alu-25 (Asterix)] were used. Compared with the two cultivated varieties BARI Alu-8 (Cardinal) and BARI Alu-25 (Asterix), the BARI Alu-90 (Alouette) with the highest level of late blight resistance based on AUDPC scoring (late blight estimated mean value of 5.9). The result showed that the majority of the evaluated variety BARI Alu-90 (Alouette) and BARI Alu-91 (Carolus) were highly resistant and BARI Alu-77 (Sarpomira) is moderately resistant. In contrast, the check varieties were susceptible to late blight. The yield and shelf life (or storage) quality of BARI Alu-90 (Alouette) was also good compared with the other varieties. Considering the yield, yield contributing characters, shelf-life data and disease resistance level BARI Alu-90 (Alouette) can be grown in northern Bangladesh without chemical protection.

Stereoisomers of 4-methyl-3-heptanol (MH) are pheromone components of several Scolytus bark beetles. The elm bark beetle Scolytus laevis (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) has in previous studies been caught in traps baited with commercial MH containing all four stereoisomers, but the lure has been considered a weak attractant. In this study, we addressed the question whether stereospecific responses by S. laevis to stereoisomers of MH might contribute to its niche separation from other sympatric Scolytus species. Using GC–MS, we analyzed extracts of hindguts and abdomens from male and female S. laevis and the sympatric S. triarmatus. We also tested all four MH-stereoisomers individually and in combinations in the field to determine their role for S. laevis. All four stereoisomers were synthesized via a boronic ester method with 1,2-dicyclohexylethanediol as chiral director. In addition, the (3S,4R)-stereoisomer of MH was prepared through enantioselective, lipase-mediated transesterification of a mixture of the four stereoisomers of MH. Females of both species contained small amounts of syn-MH, and males contained trace amounts of anti-MH. The anti stereoisomer (3R,4S)-MH was attractive to male and female S. laevis, whereas the syn stereoisomer (3S,4S)-MH acted as an inhibitor or deterrent and reduced the catch when added to the attractive isomer. The syn isomer is the main aggregation pheromone component of the larger and sympatric S. scolytus and possibly also of S. triarmatus. The avoidance response of S. laevis to the (3S,4S)-stereoisomer may reduce interspecific competition for host trees.