Over the last few months, CCRI researchers have had continued success with numerous articles being accepted for publication.
Amr Khafagy contributed to a new FAO study on Lebannon’s agrifood system. The study identifies the main economic and social challenges related to the agrifood sector in Lebanon, and recommends evidence-based strategies and priority areas for public investment to cope with multiple crises facing the economy. The study, entitled ‘Lebanon’s agrifood system in times of turbulence: obstacles and opportunities’, can be downloaded from the FAO website and the University of Gloucestershire research repository.
Amr continues this success by joining with former CCRI researcher Mauro Vigani with an article in ‘Agribusiness’. Entitled ‘External finance and agricultural productivity growth’, they propose a new method to measure the impact of external finance on productivity. The article is open access and can be downloaded here.
Mauro Vigani is also present in an article which sees Nenia Micha as lead author. Their article published in the Journal of Regional Studies examines the level of participation of small-scale producers in the value chains of PDO products (in this instance Feta cheese), using data from the SUFISA project on the contractual arrangements of milk producers in a less favourite area of Greece. The article entitled ‘Protected Designation of Origin food chain arrangements: leveraging market power for small-scale producers in marginal regions’ is available open access for 50 days from its publication date on the journal website.
Nenia has also had another article accepted for publication in the Journal of Rural Studies. Entitled ‘Assessing the effect of soil testing on chemical fertilizer use intensity: an empirical analysis of Phosphorus fertilizer demand by Irish dairy farmers’. The paper, in which Nenia was joined by some of her former Teagasc colleagues uses data from the Irish National farm survey to look at the impact of soil testing on the use of chemical phosphorus fertilizer by pasture based farms. Given that pasture based farms spread out their manure/slurry as organic fertiliser, soil testing is essential to avoid excess of the chemical phosphorus used additionally to meet the soil demand. The study found that soil testing substantially decreases the total amount of P applied on-farm, but also highlighted the technical and financial difficulties farmers face in applying the method and the importance of translatable and tailor made knowledge transfer tools. The article is now available on the JRS website.
Julie Urquhart has also just received news of a publication acceptance in the journal Urban Ecosystems. The paper is titled: “Tree insect pests and pathogens: a global systematic review of their impacts in urban areas” and was led by Susanne Raum at the Technical University of Munich. Julie was a co-author along with other colleagues at Imperial College London. The paper will become available on the journal website in the near future.
Julie Ingram contributed to an article published in ‘Grass and Forage Science’ that reported findings from a study that aimed to develop a freely available grass yield simulation model, for England and Wales. ‘Translating and applying a simulation model to enhance understanding of grassland management’ is available as an open access article from the journal website or the University of Gloucestershire research repository.
Daniel Keech has also published an article in ‘Urban Planning’ where he joined colleagues in Germany. Entitled ‘Continuity and Change: Socio-Spatial Practices in Bamberg’s World Heritage Urban Horticulture’, it is Daniel’s second publication with Marc linking Luhmannian social systems and urban empirical data. The paper is available open access on the journal website.
