Deviant behaviour on various levels of the food supply chain may cause food risks. It entails irregular technological procedures which cause (increased probabilities of) adverse outcomes for buyers and consumers. Besides technological hazards and hitherto unknown health threats, moral hazard and malpractice in food businesses represent an additional source of risk which can be termed 'behavioural food risk'. From a regulatory perspective, adverse outcomes associated with deviance represent negative externalities that are caused by the breaking of rules designed to prevent them. From a rational choice perspective, the probability of malpractice increases with the benefits for its authors. It decreases with the probability of detection and resulting losses. It also decreases with bonds to social norms that protect producers from yielding to economic temptations. The design of mechanisms that reduce behavioural risks and prevent malpractice requires an understanding of why food businesses obey or do not obey the rules. This project aims to contribute to a better understanding of malpractice on the restaurant/retail level through comparative case studies and statistical analyses of food inspection and survey data. Accounting for the complexity of economic behaviour, we will not only look at economic incentives but consider all relevant behavioural determinants, including social context factors.
Farm structures are often characterized by regional heterogeneity, agglomeration effects, sub-optimal farm sizes and income disparities. The main objective of this study is to analyze whether this is a result of path dependent structural change, what the determinants of path dependence are, and how it may be overcome. The focus is on the German dairy sector which has been highly regulated and subsidized in the past and faces severe structural deficits. The future of this sector in the process of an ongoing liberalization will be analyzed by applying theoretical concepts of path dependence and path breaking. In these regards, key issues are the actual situation, technological and market trends as well as agricultural policies. The methodology will be based on a participative use of the agent-based model AgriPoliS and participatory laboratory experiments. On the one hand, AgriPoliS will be tested as a tool for stakeholder oriented analysis of mechanisms, trends and policy effects. This part aims to analyze whether and how path dependence of structural change can be overcome on a sector level. In a second part, AgriPoliS will be extended such that human players (farmers, students) can take over the role of agents in the model. This part aims to compare human agents with computer agents in order to overcome single farm path dependence.
To overcome the limitation in spatial and temporal resolution of methane oceanic measurements, sensors are needed that can autonomously detect CH4-concentrations over longer periods of time. The proposed project is aimed at:- Designing molecular receptors for methane recognition (cryptophane-A and -111) and synthesizing new compounds allowing their introduction in polymeric structure (Task 1; LC, France); - Adapting, calibrating and validating the 2 available optical technologies, one of which serves as the reference sensor, for the in-situ detection and measurements of CH4 in the marine environments (Task 2 and 3; GET, LAAS-OSE, IOW) Boulart et al. (2008) showed that a polymeric filmchanges its bulk refractive index when methane docks on to cryptophane-A supra-molecules that are mixed in to the polymeric film. It is the occurrence of methane in solution, which changes either the refractive index measured with high resolution Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR; Chinowsky et al., 2003; Boulart et al, 2012b) or the transmitted power measured with differential fiber-optic refractometer (Boulart et al., 2012a; Aouba et al., 2012).- Using the developed sensors for the study of the CH4 cycle in relevant oceanic environment (the GODESS station in the Baltic Sea, Task 4 and 5; IOW, GET); GODESS registers a number of parameters with high temporal and vertical resolution by conducting up to 200 vertical profiles over 3 months deployment with a profiling platform hosting the sensor suite. - Quantifying methane fluxes to the atmosphere (Task 6); clearly, the current project, which aims at developing in-situ aqueous gas sensors, provides the technological tool to achieve the implementation of ocean observatories for CH4. The aim is to bring the fiber-optic methane sensor on the TRL (Technology Readiness Level) from their current Level 3 (Analytical and laboratory studies to validate analytical predictions) - to the Levels 5 and 6 (Component and/or basic sub-system technology validation in relevant sensing environments) and compare it to the SPR methane sensor, taken as the reference sensor (current TRL 5). This would lead to potential patent applications before further tests and commercialization. This will be achieved by the ensemble competences and contributions from the proposed consortium in this project.
Dairy farming across Germany displays diverse production systems. Factor endowment, management, technology adoption as well as competitive dynamics in the local or regional land, agribusiness and dairy processing sectors contribute to this differentiation on farm level. These differences impact on the ability of dairy farms and regional dairy production systems to successfully respond to pressures arising from future market and policy changes. The overall objective of the research activities of which this project is a part of, is to develop a thorough understanding of the processes that govern the spatial dynamics of dairy farm development in different regions in Germany. The central hypothesis of this research project is that management system and technological choices differ systematically across local production and market conditions. The empirical approach will focus on the estimation of farm specific nonparametric cost functions for dairy farms located in across Germany differentiated by time and location. A spatially differentiated data base with information on input use, resource availability, as well as local market conditions for land and output markets will be compiled. The nonparametric approach is specifically suited to disclose a more accurate representation of dairy production system heterogeneity across locations and time compared to parametric concepts as it provides the necessary flexibility to accommodate non-linearities relevant for a wide domain of explanatory variables. The methodology employed goes beyond the state of the art of the literature as it combines kernel density estimation with a Bayesian sampling approach to provide theory consistent parameters for each farm in the data sample.The specific methodological hypothesis is that the nonparametric approach is superior to current parametric techniques and this hypothesis is tested using statistical model evaluation. Regarding the farm management and technological choices, we hypothesize that land suitability for feed production determines the farm intensity of dairy production and thus management and technological choices. With respect to the ability of farms to successfully respond to market pressures we hypothesize that farms at the upper and lower tail of the intensity distribution both can generate positive returns from dairy production. These last two hypotheses will be tested using the estimated spatially differentiated farm specific costs and marginal costs.The expected outcomes are of relevance for the agricultural sector and the food supply chain economy as a whole as fundamental market structure changes in the dairy sector are ongoing due to the abolition of the quota regulation in the years 2014/2015. Thus, exact knowledge about differences and development of dairy cost heterogeneity of farms within and between regions are an important factor for the actors involved in the market as well as the political support of this process.
Phosphorus (P) is one essential element for plant, which can neither be produced synthetically nor substituted by any other element. In organic farming, long term P management is one of the most important management challenges, as high soluble P fertilizers derived from fossil sources are not allowed and their use does not meet the basic ideas of closing nutrient cycles by effective management measures. Organic farming systems rely on the efficient use and recycling of available resources. Currently, some mineral nutrients like phosphorus (P) are used only once to produce food. Subsequently, they are lost due to poor recycling of organic wastes back to farmland. There is an urgent need to improve the recycling of P from urban areas and the food industry, back to cropland. However, the traditional application of some of these waste products in agriculture is facing increasing concerns about pollutants (heavy metal, xenobiotics) and protection of soils and environment. There are many technological alternatives to recycle and clean the phosphorus already available, affecting P bio-availability and pollutants content. The different options will be evaluated from an agronomical and ecological point of view in the frame of this project.
Objectives: The study links East African and European re-searchers into strategic alliances so as to contribute to resolving conflicts prevailing between the needs of different forest stakeholders and the need to sustain the remaining forest and its biodiversity. The project will develop a scientific basis and directly applicable tools for forest ecosystem restoration and sustainable management. The particular objectives are to: - Establish and validate ecological & socio-economic criteria against which status and pro-cesses of forest and its management can be assessed - Assess indicators that permit inference of the status of a particular criterion and to formulate appropriate verifiers - Design and validate nature-based silvicultural tools to gear operations so as to improve local livelihoods and sustain forest resources - Integrate results into appropriate technology packages and disseminate to target-groups. Activities: Establishment of country-specific tandems of local and European institutions. Identification of locally applicable C&I for sustainable forest management and standardisation of research methods. Together with stakeholders, joint development of a framework in which C&I can be verified locally, based on prevailing information and complementary research. Participating NGOs to facilitate establishment of socio-economic context, research institutions to investigate status and dynamics of forests. In parallel, research will commence on silviculturally relevant ecosystem characteristics. Mid-project evaluation of descriptive-analytical 1st project phase so as to formulate the experimental, predictive 2nd phase of the study. Definition of research approaches to calibrate verifiers for indicators and to test silvicultural tools suited to guide the forest ecosystem into the desired direction or status. Research on the management of invasive species, natural establishment of desirable species and on stand improvement treatments. The continuous input and evaluation through an NGO moderator will help to fine-tune and ensure the client-orientated approach of the silvicultural research. A specific communication module serves to translate scientific findings into technological packages relevant to stakeholders. Expected Outcome: Regional framework to assess sustainability of forest management. Silvicultural tools for forest restoration and sustainable forest management. Research findings translated into formats appropriate to the target group, including extension, policy advice and management guidelines.
This study has to be understood in the frame of the global Energy Policy. A great part of world energy production is currently based on non-renewable sources: oil, gas and coal. Global warming and restricted fossil energy sources force a strong demand for another climate compatible energy supply. Therefore, fossil energy sources will nearly disappear until the end of this century. The question is to find a viable replacement. By using viable' it is meant a low-cost and environmental friendly energy. In other words, the question is to find an alternative to nuclear energy among all proposed but still not mature renewable energies. One of the solutions proposed is solar energy. Yet, two major concerns slow down its development as an alternative: first, it lacks of technological maturity and secondly it suffers from alternating supply during days and nights, winters and summers. The idea proposed by Glaser in the sixties to bypass this inconvenient is to take the energy at the source (or at least, as near as possible): in other words, to put a solar station on orbit that captures the energy without problems of climatic conditions and to redirect it through a beam to the ground. That is the concept of Solar Power Satellites. Its principal feasibility was shown by DOE / NASA in 1970 years studies (5 GW SPS in GEO). Project objectives: This phase 1 study activity is to be seen as the initial step of a series of investigations on the viability of power generation in space facing towards an European strategy on renewable, CO2 free energy generation, including a technology development roadmap pacing the way to establish in a step-wise approach on energy generation capabilities in space. The entire activity has to be embedded in an international network of competent, experienced partners. As part of this, an interrelationship to and incorporation of activities targeting the aims of the EU 6th FP ESSPERANS should be maintained. In particular, the activities related to following objectives are described: The generation of scientifically sound and objective results on terrestrial CO2 emission free power generation solutions in comparison with state-of-the-art space based solar power solutions The detailed comparison and trades between the terrestrial and the space based solutions in terms of cost, reliability and risk The identification of possible synergies between ground and space based power generation solutions The assessment on terrestrial energy storage needs by combining ground based with space based energy generation solutions The investigation of the viability of concepts in terms of energy balance of the complete systems and payback times.
Der energetischen Nutzung erneuerbarer Energien kommt eine wachsende Bedeutung zu, da Ressourcen an fossilen Energieträgern immer knapper werden. Biogasanlagen stellen eine Möglichkeit zur Erzeugung erneuerbarer Energie dar. Über diesen Weg kann Biomasse ein wichtiger Wirtschaftsfaktor im ländlichen Raum werden, der eine vermehrte Wertschöpfung ermöglicht und zugleich neue Arbeitsplätze schaffen kann. Die oberösterreichische Landesregierung fördert in ihrem Wirkungsbereich die Biogasanlagentechnologie und hat die Studie Monitoring von Biogasanlagen in Oberösterreich in Auftrag zu geben. Bei zehn Biogasanlagen in Oberösterreich wurde eine intensive Datenanalyse durchgeführt. Es wurden substratspezifische und technische Daten, Funktionsschema, Verfahrenskennwerte, betriebswirtschaftliche Kennzahlen, Arbeitszeitbedarf, Güllemanagement und Betriebsmanagement der Biogasanlage ermittelt. Die zehn untersuchten Anlagen bewegten sich in einem Leistungsbereich von 45,5 - 137 kWel.. Die Hauptfermenter bestanden zu 40 Prozent aus liegenden und zu 60 Prozent stehenden Fermentern. Die Verweilzeiten im Rohrfermenter betrugen 20 - 35 Tage und in den nachfolgenden Nachgärfermentern 35 - 95 Tage. Bei den stehenden Fermentern betrug die Verweilzeit bei den Wirtschaftsdünger verarbeitenden Betrieben 27 - 40 Tage in den Fermentern und 27 - 40 Tage in den Nachgärfermentern. Grundsätzlich sollte die hydraulische Verweilzeit der Gärgüter im Fermenter 40 - 50 Tage bei 35Grad C - 40Grad CC betragen, um das Methanbildungspotential der Gärrohstoffe bis zu 95 Prozent auszunutzen. Bei schwerabbaubaren Substraten kann eine längere Verweilzeit notwendig sein. Biogasanlagen mit mehr als 50 Prozent Wirtschaftsdünger erzielten bei dieser Untersuchung einen Biogasertrag von 44 - 73 m3 Biogas pro m3 Substrat. Eine reine Energiepflanzenanlage kam auf einen Biogasertrag von 107 m3 Biogas pro m3 Substrat. Eine Anlage, die nahezu ausschließlich organische Abfälle verwertete, kam auf einen Biogasertrag von 84 m3 Biogas pro m3 Substrat. Der Einsatz von Energiepflanzen und Kosubstraten steigert den Biogasertrag. Den Arbeitsaufwand gaben die Anlagenbetreiber im Mittel mit 823 Stunden im Jahr an. Nur die Abfallverwertungsanlage wies einen überdurchschnittlich hohen Arbeitsaufwand mit 10.452 Stunden pro Jahr auf, da die Abfälle selber abgeholt und aufbereitet wurden. Kosubstrate führen zu einer Steigerung der Gasproduktion. Allerdings sieht das neue Ökostromgesetz eine Reduktion der Ökostromtarife um 25 Prozent bereits bei der geringsten Zugabe vor. Die verlockenden Entsorgungsgebühren sind in den letzten Jahren stetig gefallen und es ist schwierig, langfristige Verträge zu bekommen. Zusätzlich kommt es bei Abfallentsorgungsanlagen zu einem enormen Anstieg der Arbeitszeitbelastung. Optimale Planung der Biogasanlage, ein gutes Management und ein angepasster Automatisierungsgrad sollten den Betreuungsaufwand einer Biogasanlage auf 1-2 Stunden pro Tag beschränken. Etc.
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