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Publications

NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.

2012

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Abstract

Working paper 2012-1 presents the outcome of the project “Miljø- og klimaanalyse for norsk landbruk og matsektor” (Analysis of Environmental and Climate-related aspects of Norwegian agri-food sector). The project has been led by NILF in cooperation with MiSA and John Hille. The objective has been to develop methodological guidelines for comprehensive assessments of measures aimed at relieving environmental and climatic stresses from Norwegian food production and consumption.

Abstract

Firms in the agri-food industry are embedded in a system of institutions, regulations and policies that shape their economic environment and affect their conduct and performance. Changes in this system can propose new challenges for the firms that need to adequately and efficiently change and adapt to the emerging environment. The following article examines how deep structural changes in the institutional and regulatory setting can be effectively addressed by organizational innovation and what can be the catalysts behind a successful innovation effort. In doing so the analysis examines the case of Valio, the largest Finnish dairy company and its reconstruction effort due to Finland’s EU accession in 1995. After years of restructuring and changing its business model the company remains a major player in Finland and one of the most well-known brands in the region.

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Abstract

Tourism is acknowledged to be an important business sector in rural areas. This paper argues that second-home owners constitute an important market segment for businesses that offer nature-based tourism activities. Previous research has shown that a number of factors influence tourist behaviour. This study examined how motivation and demographic variables affect second-home owners’ intention to purchase three different types of activity products: learning, adventure, and hunting products.We found substantial variations in the purchase intentions for these products among second-home owners. These intentions were influenced by push and pull motivations, age, income and educational level. Secondhome owners with a high intention of purchasing nature-based tourism activity products tend to be young, high-income, and socially oriented risk takers. Businesses offering nature-based tourism activity products should use a combination of demographic and psychographic variables when they segment the second-home market.

Abstract

The Horn of Africa includes Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda and is the poorest region on the continent. More than 40 per cent of the population of over 160 million is living in areas prone to extreme food shortages (FAO, 2011). In mid-2011 the world became witness to a widespread food crisis in the Horn of Africa, which has escalated into acute shortages of food notably in the regions of southern Somalia, northern Kenya, southeastern Ethiopia and Djibouti. The U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia on July 20 declared that severely reduced food access, acute malnutrition, and high crude mortality rates indicate ongoing famine conditions in the Bakool and lower Shabelle regions in southern Somalia (UN, 2011). USAID estimates that 2.8 million people in southern Somalia and 12.4 million people in Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya require immediate, lifesaving humanitarian assistance (USAID, 2011). Furthermore, more people in Eritrea, Uganda, Sudan and South Sudan are also facing a worrying food situation. The causes of food crisis are both environmental, structural and avoidable factors have taken in a broader spectrum of problems affecting the region. This paper addresses in detail some important causes and aggravating factors of famine in Horn of Africa and recommend possible interventions to tackle food shortage and famine in a sustainable way.