Causes and solutions for fruit and vegetable waste: a participatory approach with Romanian farmers for sustainable agriculture
ABSTRACTFruit and vegetable (FV) waste poses significant challenges to agricultural sustainability, causing resource inefficiencies, environmental degradation, economic loss, and social inequalities. Farmers are the most important stakeholders in minimizing FV waste in primary production, and any in...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2024-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14735903.2024.2329391 |
| _version_ | 1797244329677291520 |
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| author | Ruxandra Malina Petrescu-Mag Dacinia Crina Petrescu Iulia Ajtai Carmen Andreea Roba Oana Adriana Gica Lucian Cuibus Ancuta Tenter Valentin Toader Adina Letitia Negrusa Nicoleta Bican-Brișan |
| author_facet | Ruxandra Malina Petrescu-Mag Dacinia Crina Petrescu Iulia Ajtai Carmen Andreea Roba Oana Adriana Gica Lucian Cuibus Ancuta Tenter Valentin Toader Adina Letitia Negrusa Nicoleta Bican-Brișan |
| author_sort | Ruxandra Malina Petrescu-Mag |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACTFruit and vegetable (FV) waste poses significant challenges to agricultural sustainability, causing resource inefficiencies, environmental degradation, economic loss, and social inequalities. Farmers are the most important stakeholders in minimizing FV waste in primary production, and any intervention must consider their attitudes and perspectives. This study had three objectives: (i) to uncover Romanian farmers’ understanding of FV waste; (ii) to explore their perceptions of direct and indirect causes of FV waste; and (iii) to reveal the solutions suggested by farmers to reduce FV waste. The results of the qualitative research methods, including one to one interviews and a community-based causal analysis (CBCA) process, showed that farmers defined FV waste as discarded produce, excluding items used for compost or animal feed. During the CBCA sessions, three commonly identified indirect causes emerged: consumers’ preference for supermarkets and perfectly shaped FV, the difficulties farmers face in accessing supermarkets, and selling imperfect FV. The study emphasizes farmers’ role in sustainable practices, calling for inclusive policies that prioritize local knowledge and farmers’ needs to tailor FV waste reduction solutions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T19:09:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-31f985c790a743ca940b3c566f97c418 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1473-5903 1747-762X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T19:09:17Z |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability |
| spelling | doaj.art-31f985c790a743ca940b3c566f97c4182024-03-26T12:00:29ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Agricultural Sustainability1473-59031747-762X2024-12-0122110.1080/14735903.2024.2329391Causes and solutions for fruit and vegetable waste: a participatory approach with Romanian farmers for sustainable agricultureRuxandra Malina Petrescu-Mag0Dacinia Crina Petrescu1Iulia Ajtai2Carmen Andreea Roba3Oana Adriana Gica4Lucian Cuibus5Ancuta Tenter6Valentin Toader7Adina Letitia Negrusa8Nicoleta Bican-Brișan9Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaFaculty of Business, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaFaculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaFaculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaFaculty of Business, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaFood Science and Technology Faculty, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaFaculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaFaculty of Business, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaFaculty of Business, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaFaculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaABSTRACTFruit and vegetable (FV) waste poses significant challenges to agricultural sustainability, causing resource inefficiencies, environmental degradation, economic loss, and social inequalities. Farmers are the most important stakeholders in minimizing FV waste in primary production, and any intervention must consider their attitudes and perspectives. This study had three objectives: (i) to uncover Romanian farmers’ understanding of FV waste; (ii) to explore their perceptions of direct and indirect causes of FV waste; and (iii) to reveal the solutions suggested by farmers to reduce FV waste. The results of the qualitative research methods, including one to one interviews and a community-based causal analysis (CBCA) process, showed that farmers defined FV waste as discarded produce, excluding items used for compost or animal feed. During the CBCA sessions, three commonly identified indirect causes emerged: consumers’ preference for supermarkets and perfectly shaped FV, the difficulties farmers face in accessing supermarkets, and selling imperfect FV. The study emphasizes farmers’ role in sustainable practices, calling for inclusive policies that prioritize local knowledge and farmers’ needs to tailor FV waste reduction solutions.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14735903.2024.2329391Food wastefruit and vegetablefarmerscausessolutions |
| spellingShingle | Ruxandra Malina Petrescu-Mag Dacinia Crina Petrescu Iulia Ajtai Carmen Andreea Roba Oana Adriana Gica Lucian Cuibus Ancuta Tenter Valentin Toader Adina Letitia Negrusa Nicoleta Bican-Brișan Causes and solutions for fruit and vegetable waste: a participatory approach with Romanian farmers for sustainable agriculture International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability Food waste fruit and vegetable farmers causes solutions |
| title | Causes and solutions for fruit and vegetable waste: a participatory approach with Romanian farmers for sustainable agriculture |
| title_full | Causes and solutions for fruit and vegetable waste: a participatory approach with Romanian farmers for sustainable agriculture |
| title_fullStr | Causes and solutions for fruit and vegetable waste: a participatory approach with Romanian farmers for sustainable agriculture |
| title_full_unstemmed | Causes and solutions for fruit and vegetable waste: a participatory approach with Romanian farmers for sustainable agriculture |
| title_short | Causes and solutions for fruit and vegetable waste: a participatory approach with Romanian farmers for sustainable agriculture |
| title_sort | causes and solutions for fruit and vegetable waste a participatory approach with romanian farmers for sustainable agriculture |
| topic | Food waste fruit and vegetable farmers causes solutions |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14735903.2024.2329391 |
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