Search

Agriculture is vital to global food production. Around 550 million smallholding households produce most of the world’s food, and many rely on livestock rearing for a living. Smallholder farms must survive and thrive to maintain and increase food production. Baseline information is vital for further extension service interventions. The goal of this Malawian study was to collect quantitative baseline data on crop and livestock production, agriproduct sales, and other indicators through a household survey, and to compare the efficacy (in terms of income) of using the concept of “Lead and Follow” farmer training programs. The baseline study survey was carried out in 44 sections of 11 extension planning areas from Malawi’s five districts (Dowa, Kasungu, Mchinji, Mzimba, and Rumphi). In total, 1131 smallholder households were interviewed. Crop production, livestock farming, and providing casual labor for others were all identified as significant sources of income for smallholders, implying that all agriproducts (the whole-farm approach) is equally important for improving smallholder livelihoods. On the one hand, the whole-farm approach should improve smallholders’ resilience regarding climate change and poverty. Lower agriproduct sales, on the other hand, indicated that links to the market were frequently poor but an increased market focus should help smallholders sell their produce at a fair margin. In terms of best practices adoption, both Lead and Follow farmers adopted similar farm practices (crops and livestock) to increase income. In general, no significant difference in income was calculated from many farm enterprises for both Lead and Follow farmers. However, the income from pigs and firewood was significantly higher for Follow farmers than for Lead farmers. Lead farmers reported significantly higher off-farm income sources. Significant changes are proposed to the “Lead farmer extension approach”.

An attempt was made to improve the nutritional perception and textural stability of chocolate at higher tropical temperatures by developing a composite meat chocolate using meat protein powder and animal fat. The composite meat chocolate was fortified with calcium to reduce the cariogenicity (anticaries activity) and enriched with blueberry and raspberry extract (1%, 2% and 3%) as a preservative. The products were evaluated at 0, 2, 4, and 6 months of storage (25 ± 1 °C). Both, the protein and calcium content of the optimized meat chocolate increased (p 0.05) in cholesterol content. Addition of blueberry and raspberry extracts, particularly at 3% level, improved (p

Norway has vast rangeland resources (292,361 km2) with an estimated carrying capacity of nearly four million sheep and lambs, twice the current number. However, the intensive production system currently applied has led to more concentrate dependency, resulting in heavier animals in addition to poorer utilization of rangelands and homegrown feed. Intensive feeding systems indirectly influence the sustainability of ecosystems by promoting intensive cropping that can deplete soil fertility and threaten landscape preservation and biodiversity. By contrast, extensive grazing systems can produce environmentally and animal-friendly food products and contribute to regulating soil health, water and nutrient cycling, soil carbon sequestration, and recreational environments. In this paper, the economics of current sheep feeding practices in Norway, using a linear programming model, were compared with more extensive systems which allow for higher usage of on-farm feed resources. Changes in current sheep farming practices have the potential to increase lamb meat production relative to mutton production, in addition to improving the year-round supply of fresh meat. The investigated alternatives, using the Norwegian White Sheep (NWS) breed, suggest that delayed lambing is useful only on farms with abundant pastures available for autumn feeding. Lambs achieve a better market price than hoggets and mature sheep. Therefore, based on the current Norwegian meat market and price offered per kilogram of meat for lamb, an increase in NWS lamb production improves farm profits. On the other hand, when the aim is on greater use of homegrown feed and rangelands, this can be achieved through hogget production, and the quantity of concentrates required can be reduced substantially.

The morphological and productive aspects of Norwegian sheep have developed over time and adapted to the diverse environment of the country. Before 1900, native Norwegian sheep were crossed with UK breeds to attain higher body weight and reproductive efficiency. Subsequent selection programs eventually led to the creation of the heavier (adults often &gt, 90 kg) Norwegian White Sheep (NWS), today constituting 70% of the recorded ewes. The modern Norwegian (White) Sp&aelig, l (NS) sheep, mostly &lt, 75 kg and accounting for 10% of the recorded ewe population, originated from the native short-tailed breeds that are smaller and are believed to prefer grazing at higher altitudes than NWS. Other registered breeds of the short-tailed sp&aelig, l type account for another 12% of the recorded sheep. Rugged Norwegian terrain with rich summer pastures makes the NS a complementary breed to the NWS. Increasing demand for year-round fresh meat requires changes at the farm level. Efficient use of local feed resources by extensive feeding of smaller size ewes is an opportunity for attaining economic gains and for year-round fresh meat production. The NS has a lighter bodyweight, requiring less housing space, is efficient in grazing rangeland and local pastures, and is better suited to outdoor winter grazing in coastal and fjord areas. In this paper, we compare the farm profitability (gross margin) of two Norwegian sheep breeds (NS and NWS) using a linear programming model designed for the coastal and fjord areas. The impact of ewe body weight, housing capacity, and meat produced per unit of concentrate are discussed.

Norway is the largest sheep meat producer among Nordic countries with more than 1.3 million lambs and sheep slaughtered in 2017. The sheep industry is limited by the need for in-house feeding during the winter months. In summer, Norwegian sheep are mainly kept on rangeland pastures, with sufficient feed for almost double the current sheep population. Lambs are slaughtered over a three- to four-month period from September to December with a peak in September–October, providing a surplus of lamb, much of which is subsequently frozen, followed by eight months during which fresh produce is in limited supply. Norwegian consumers eat an average of 5.4 kg of sheep meat per person per year, much of which is purchased as a frozen product. The Muslim (4.2% of the population) preference for year-round halal meat, with an increased demand on the eve of the Muslim meat festival (Eid al-Adha), has the potential to boost demand, particularly in Oslo. This paper provides an overview of the Norwegian sheep farming system, the current market value chains, and the potential to meet the demand for halal meat in Norway (specifically during the Muslim meat festival—Eid al-Adha) to the advantage of both consumers and sheep farmers.

Although Norway is the largest sheep meat producer in Scandinavia and Norwegian Muslims are expected to double in population in the next decade, the overall local per capita red meat consumption is still low. Meanwhile, Norwegian Muslims’ purchasing preferences on lamb meat products have not been investigated. This paper presents the results of a choice-based conjoint survey which would help stakeholders to understand the niche Muslim immigrant halal meat market and potentially increase meat consumption. Post-hoc market segmentation was performed using latent class analysis, and factors affecting consumers’ purchase intentions were studied within each segment. Results show that purchasing halal meat from a butcher was the top preference while there was a higher willingness to purchase from national supermarkets among younger second-generation Pakistanis. In order to benefit from niche halal meat market, Norwegian supermarkets are recommended to adapt some of the services that halal butchers are offering to their consumers.

For decades, the clothing industry is one of the most polluting industries. In recent years the clothing industry has been getting more attention due to its unsustainable practices, especially within fast fashion. The transition towards more sustainable business strategies in both social and environmental areas seems to be going slower in the clothing industry than for other large industries (e.g. energy). Recently, there has been bad reflection on the use of wool for clothes because it, supposedly, has a bad impact on the environment. It is here, that the inspiration of this thesis came from. Because of its severe winters, Norway's culture relies heavily on wool clothing and is therefore a perfect setting for this study. The environmental effect of the entire process of making 1820 meters of wool yarn (enough for about one sweater) will be calculated in this thesis using Life Cycle Assessment including wool production and wool spinning. Although the stages of sweater production, use, and disposal would be interesting to investigate, they are outside the scope of this research. A comparison will be made of the production of wool from the two most produced Norwegian sheep breeds; Norwegian White Spæl and Norwegian White Sheep (NWS). To show how much of the impacts from the sheep production is allocated to wool in contrast to meat, economic allocation was used. The results show that the wool production indeed has a big impact on all impact categories considered. The majority of the effect originate from the production of wool from sheep, which includes enteric fermentation and manure from sheep, production of feed concentrates, grass silage and grazing infield and outfield. The negative effects of the Norwegian White Sheep were greater than those of Spæl in every category except for the risk to biodiversity. The latter results show that sheep production can potentially benefit biodiversity in terms of land occupation from infield and outfield grazing and here NWS could possibly have more positive impact. The potential total impact of one wool sweater over its whole life cycle was analysed in two separate studies. This shown that wool sweaters, when cared for according to their specific recommendations (e.g. low temperature, air drying, long lifespan, fewer washes, etc.), have a far smaller impact during the usage phase than cotton sweaters, for instance (Laitala et al., 2017; Nolimal, 2018). Wool also fits fairly well into the category of circular products since the recycling of the textiles and clothing is quite easy.

Small-scale farmers are essential players in achieving food and nutrition security and sustainable livelihoods for the world. 84% of the worlds’ estimated 608 million farms are small-scale farms (family farms), operating less than 12% of the agricultural land yet manage to produce a third 35% of the world’s food. However, the disproportionate effects of climate change are much more affecting these small-scall farmers; threatening the goal to achieve food and nutrition security. Increasing their resilience to climate change can help strengthen these small-scale farmers and achieve food and nutrition security starting from a household level. However, to do achieve this, it should be noted that social programmers and safety nets need to be context-sensitive, paying attention particular attention to the different factors (particularly from the lowest level household level) that threaten the small-scale farmers and food security. The goal of this study was to understand the complex realities on the ground through the exploration of differentiated vulnerabilities, capabilities, and challenges of rural Households in Malawi. The knowledge produced can then be used to make policy recommendations that can contribute to strengthening small-scale farmer’s resilience to climate change and food and nutrition security. The study was carried out in 5 Malawi districts (Dowa, Kasungu, Mchinji, Mzimba, and Rumphi). Data was collected in total from 1118 households out of the selected 11 extension planning areas. The study established that small-scale farmers’ households are different in characteristics and demographics and that gender inequality still exists in rural Malawi. The figures showed that selected districts are dominated by male-headed households and that they have more access to resources compared to their male counterparts. The study also showed that there are household differences in terms of food security, female-headed households are more vulnerable to food and nutrition than male-headed households. Moreover, the study revealed that households use different coping strategies, however, there are some which are more commonly used than others, such as reducing food portions at mealtimes and reducing the number of meals per day. The paper then concludes that to strengthen the small-scale farmers, policymakers and programmers should create targeted programs and policies that respond and are sensitive to these household differences. M-IR