The rapid diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICT) is believed to be one of several important drivers of international trade and globalisation. The purpose of this dissertation was to analyse whether the three ICT - fixed telephone lines, mobile phones, and the internet - has encouraged international trade in important agri-food products. Gravity models of bilateral trade between countries were chosen to explain international trade. We used panel data of the values of bilateral trade between pairs of countries for the period 1995 to 2009. The empirical results from OLS and negative binomial regression estimation suggest that ICT has an effect on international trade in agri-food products. The impact is, however, not always strong and, contrary to expectations, it is often negative. For the products, ‘wine’ and ‘fruit and vegetable juice’, we found no effect of ICT on trade at all. Although there is great variation in the estimated impacts of individual ICT on international trade, the impact of mobile phones is somewhat stronger than that of fixed telephone lines and of the internet. Die rasante Verbreitung von Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien (IKT) gilt als einer von vielen treibenden Kräften des internationalen Handels und der Globalisierung. Ziel dieser Dissertation war es herauszufinden, ob die drei IKT - Festnetztelefone, Mobiltelefone und Internet - den internationalen Handel von wichtigen Agrar- und Ernährungsgütern fördert. Gravitationsmodelle des bilateralen Handels wurden ausgewählt um den internationalen Handel zu erklären. Paneldaten wurden genutzt um den bilateralen Handel zweier Länder zwischen den Jahren 1995 und 2009 zu analysieren. Die empirischen Ergebnisse der OLS Schätzung und der negativ binominalen Regression zeigen, dass IKT einen Effekt auf das Handelsvolumen von Agri-food Produkten ausübt. Der Einfluss ist nicht immer stark und entgegengesetzt der Erwartungen, ist der geschätzte Einfluss häufig negativ. Lediglich bei ‚Wein‘ und bei ‚Obst- und Gemüsesäften‘ konnte kein Einfluss von einem speziellen IKT auf den Handel nachgewiesen werden. Obwohl es große Variationen bei den geschätzten Effekten von einzelnen IKT auf den internationalen Handel gibt, ist der Einfluss von Mobiltelefonen größer als der von Festnetztelefonen und dem Internet.

Information and communication technology (ICT) has always mattered in agriculture. Ever since people have grown crops, raised livestock, and caught fish, they have sought information from one another. Today, ICT represents a tremendous opportunity for rural populations to improve productivity, to enhance food and nutrition security, to access markets, and to find employment opportunities in a revitalized sector. ICT has unleashed incredible potential to improve agriculture, and it has found a foothold even in poor smallholder farms. ICT in Agriculture, Updated Edition is the revised version of the popular ICT in Agriculture e-Sourcebook, first launched in 2011 and designed to support practitioners, decision makers, and development partners who work at the intersection of ICT and agriculture. Our hope is that this updated Sourcebook will be a practical guide to understanding current trends, implementing appropriate interventions, and evaluating the impact of ICT interventions in agricultural programs.

With the ability to reach many farmers with timely and accessible content, the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for agriculture (ICT4Ag) has the potential to transform farming and food production, worldwide. ICT4Ag supports new methods in the monitoring and management of soils, plants and livestock (precision agriculture), access to online markets, and improved communication between value chain stakeholders, among others. The services provided are vital in connecting farmers with the information they need to improve their agricultural productivity and reduce poverty. Through case studies and examples of ICT4Ag initiatives from across Asia, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa, the first chapter looks at how ICT4Ag actually works to drive economic development across developing economies.

Sustainable Food Supply Chains: Planning, Design, and Control through Interdisciplinary Methodologies provides integrated and practicable solutions that aid planners and entrepreneurs in the design and optimization of food production-distribution systems and operations and drives change toward sustainable food ecosystems. With synthesized coverage of the academic literature, this book integrates the quantitative models and tools that address each step of food supply chain operations to provide readers with easy access to support-decision quantitative and practicable methods. Broken into three parts, the book begins with an introduction and problem statement. The second part presents quantitative models and tools as an integrated framework for the food supply chain system and operations design. The book concludes with the presentation of case studies and applications focused on specific food chains. Sustainable Food Supply Chains: Planning, Design, and Control through Interdisciplinary Methodologies will be an indispensable resource for food scientists, practitioners and graduate students studying food systems and other related disciplines. - Contains quantitative models and tools that address the interconnected areas of the food supply chain - Synthesizes academic literature related to sustainable food supply chains - Deals with interdisciplinary fields of research (Industrial Systems Engineering, Food Science, Packaging Science, Decision Science, Logistics and Facility Management, Supply Chain Management, Agriculture and Land-use Planning) that dominate food supply chain systems and operations - Includes case studies and applications

"This book is a comprehensive collection of research on the emerging trends and advances in the global application of information and communication technology use in agriculture and rural development"--Provided by publisher.

Characterised by conceptual diversity, the Handbook of Globalisation and Development presents contributions from prominent international researchers on all aspects of globalisation and carefully considers their role across a whole host of development processes. The Handbook is structured around seven key areas: international trade, international production, international finance, migration, foreign aid, a broader view, and challenges. Adopting a multi-disciplinary approach, the section on ‘a broader view’ delves into dimensions of globalisation and development that go beyond the mere economic, such as: culture, technology, health, and poverty. Carefully crafted, the chapters herein offer a rigorous and comprehensive assessment of the available research to date and provide an assessment of policy options across all areas considered.

The Encyclopedia of Food Security and Sustainability, Three Volume Set covers the hottest topics in the science of food sustainability, providing a synopsis of the path society is on to secure food for a growing population. It investigates the focal issue of sustainable food production in relation to the effects of global change on food resources, biodiversity and global food security. This collection of methodological approaches and knowledge derived from expert authors around the world offers the research community, food industry, scientists and students with the knowledge to relate to, and report on, the novel challenges of food production and sustainability. This comprehensive encyclopedia will act as a platform to show how an interdisciplinary approach and closer collaboration between the scientific and industrial communities is necessary to strengthen our existing capacity to generate and share research data. Offers readers a ‘one-stop’ resource on the topic of food security and sustainability Contains articles split into sections based on the various dimensions of Food Security and Food Sustainability Written by academics and practitioners from various fields and regions with a “farm to fork understanding Includes concise and accessible chapters, providing an authoritative introduction for non-specialists and readers from undergraduate level upwards, as well as up-to-date foundational content for those familiar with the field