Coconut (Cocos nucifera) is an economic plant which is cultivated in most tropical countries (Seow and Gwee, 1997). It is also called a “tree of life” because of its many usage and versatility. Dendy and Timmins (1973) cited a coconut fruit is composed of about 38.5% shell, 51.7% kernel and 9.8% water. It is considered one of the most important crops in the Philippines as it substantially contributes the income to Philippine economy. The Philippines continues to be one of the world’s leading suppliers of traditional coconut products which includes copra, coconut oil and virgin coconut oil (ETCgroup, 2013). A significant amount of the country’s population depends in the coconut oil industry as a source of livelihood especially in locations …show more content…
Despite their contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and their share is relatively high for some coconut products, their income remains low. Thus, the coconut farmers are considered as one of the poorest in the Philippine agriculture communities (Balisacan, 1992). It is necessary to address the market development needs of coconut farmers in order to decrease the poverty in coconut farming communities relating the deficiency of capital, technical, equipment and tools. Furthermore, specific measures need to be given to the farmers such as providing them training on product processing and quality improvement. In addition, people tend to be more innovative in producing other products of coconut, and that is “virgin coconut …show more content…
It is acquired with or without using heat, without undergoing any additional chemical processing after extraction. According to the standards set by Department of Trade and Industry – Bureau of Product Standards of the Philippines (BPS), 2004 (the world’s largest exporter of coconuts), virgin coconut oil must be colorless, sediment free with natural fresh coconut scent and free from rancid odors or tastes. There are two main processes in producing for Virgin Coconut Oil; Fresh dry and Fresh wet (Canlas et al, 2005). In the dry method, the fresh coconut meat is pressed to acquire the oil. In this, minimal heat is applied to quickly dry the fresh coconut meat after which the oil is pressed out via mechanical means. In the fresh wet method, the oil is extracted from fresh coconut meat without drying (Bautista et al, 2005). Coconut milk is extracted first by pressing, the oil is then further separated from the water. Methods that can be used to separate the oil from water includes, boiling, fermentation and mechanical centrifuge. The traditional fermentation process is the natural separation which needs longer time to break the emulsion of coconut oil and water through gravity (N.A. Nik Norulaini et al, 2009). Gravity is mainly associated with the slow sedimentation process of an immiscible mixture. Sometimes, gravity separation may
“Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday conveys the inhumane, gory lynchings of African-Americans in the American South, and how this highly unnatural act had entrenched itself into the society and culture of the South, almost as if it were an agricultural crop. Although the song did not originate from Holiday, her first performance of it in 1939 in New York City and successive recording of the song became highly popular for their emotional power (“Strange fruit,” 2017). The lyrics in the song highlight the contrast between the natural beauty and apparent sophistication of the agricultural South with the brutal violence of lynchings. Holiday communicates these rather disturbing lyrics through a peculiarly serene vocal delivery, accompanied by a hymn-like
The Brazilian acai berry has been a food staple for low income families for years and a cultural symbol for generations. This berry is vital in Brazil, where it is farmed and, until recently had a relatively small market. However, after an Oprah interview the demand for acai has become an international affair. The rising demand has created a free market; however the once inexpensive food staple has become too expensive for the low income families. This report will analyse the current markets advantages and disadvantages, followed by two possible government intervention models. The examined interventions will be export tariff and price ceiling.
Along the Caribbean coastline a banana business became a United States capitalist empire, which shaped the course of twentieth-century Central American history and nationalism (Langley 33). As American businessmen and entrepreneurs had their eye on profits they turned to Central America and the Caribbean as an untapped or uncultivated abundant source of bananas. Thus the “banana men” stormed the weak political fronts in this area, such as Nicaragua and Honduras, to begin their venture of bananas by taking advantage of the political and economic climate. These were areas prone to exploitation because of their weak political systems, which eventually lead to the capitalist expansion and market driven destruction of the region by the “banana men”.
One of the largest issues facing the Global South today is food security. In many cases food security is closely associated with agriculture in a specific area. Due to several issues faced by post war agriculture in Sierra Leone a food security issue has arisen leading to income/consumption poverty. One of the issues facing in Sierra Leone is the number of citizens choosing to work in the mining industry as opposed to working in agriculture. Another issue faced by the agriculture industry in Sierra Leone is the displacement of many farm families due to the civil war and the affect it has on food production. The agriculture industry in Sierra Leone also faces this issue of rice importation into the country which lowers the income of farmers. These issues faced by the agriculture sector in Sierra Leone have lead to problems with food security and poverty.
The broad range of topographical elevations has encouraged agricultural expansion whose diverse production of food constitutes an important part of the Colombian economy. The agricultural sector contributed 14% of GDP, excluding coffee, with a production worth almost 11 billion US. In the hot lowlands of the Caribbean heartland, the inter-montages valleys, and the savannas of Orinoquia, there are immense plantations of bananas, sugar cane, rice, cotton, soybeans and sorghum, and large cattle farms that produce meat and dairy products. (Sited Dennis Hanratty)
The cocoa industry is made up of small scale family farms with low economic standings and a few large scale plantations which control the cocoa market. Due to large scale cocoa plantations small scale farms are struggling economically which has resulted in a fragile unsustainable society. The use of hybrid cocoa crops has made it easy for large scale plantation to control the market and remove negotiating leverage from small family farms. Family farms have grown accustomed to the use of child labor, and as a result have negatively influenced the education of many children in major cocoa producing countries. Family small scale farms have had to compete with better yielding crops and little wealth, in response they have grown accustomed to child
The Shea tree is indigenous to the semi-arid Sahel region of West Africa which extends over five thousand kilometers. The processing of Shea Butter from the nut is traditionally done by the women of the community. For centuries these women have collected, marketed and transformed Shea nuts into a multipurpose product. When the nuts are crushed they produce a vegetable fat known as Shea butter. After processing the butter is stored in cool storage rooms until they are shipped to Sekaf International distribution centers. T...
At the end of 2014, 129 small farmers organizations in 20 countries held a certificate to produce and sell Fairtrade cocoa. Helping representing 179,800 small-scale farmers. Sales weight of Fairtrade cocoa grew to 70,600 tonnes in 2013-14, year-on-year increase by 17%. These sales include a Fairtrade Premium of $200 per tonne for farmers, this helps them to invest in their businesses or local community. In 2013-14, cocoa organizations received £8.4 million in Premiums. Which 37% was invested in various projects and programs to improve productivity and quality. The Premium is also invested in community programs such as schools (Côte D’Ivoire has only around a 50% literacy rate), medical centers and clean running water. Read more about the investments made by cocoa farmers with the Fairtrade Premium in this recount.” Farmers in the 85,000-strong Fairtrade certified Kuapa Kokoo cooperative in Ghana have spent their premium on building wells for drinking water, building public toilets, and a mobile clinic to visit member’s
Coconut oil can be used for a wide variety of health, wellness and beauty issues. However, there seems to be a lot of confusion about the different types of coconut oil on the market. What's good and what's not so good, etc. Before you can make an intelligent decision about which coconut oil is right for you and your situation, you need to know a few of the basics about coconut oil before you begin your search.
Introduction: The situation of Chiquita Brands International is serious. Bananas, the main source of revenue from Chiquita, cause an ethically questionable situation. Bananas are a very popular food in Europe and the United States because they are inexpensive and convenient. Especially the price of the fruit can only be provided because the bananas are grown in large plantations along the Equator. These large plantations cause social and environmental problems.
Biological Knowledge The production of palm oil requires the deforestation and clearing of land which threatens the rich biodiversity in the ecosystem of Indonesia, which is affected by the production of palm oil negatively as issues are raised with the problem of deforestation with the clearing of land, and also the potential distinction of animals such as orangutans. There are still however ways in which the production of palm oil can be sustainable to the environment, as palm oil is essential for the use by humans because of the containment of the nutrients and also with the production of foods and products. Arguments for The production of palm oil is beneficial for humans as palm oil contains various nutrients. Research suggests that the palm oil contains the essential nutrients contributing to good health, like low cholesterol for humans.
Food insecurity and poor nutrition is an alarmingly large problem for low income families, especially in developing countries. Many strategies exist to fight this problem, although not many of these address all the factors contributing to it along with all the possible solutions to solve it. In many cases, multiple strategies must correlate and work together so that all the determinants of this issue are addressed and can fight food insecurity from different angles. This essay will discuss the significance of the problem, a range of possible strategies to solve the problem, and go into detail on a select few that will correlate and work together to solve different factors of food insecurity and poor nutrition.
Even though that Filipinos would greatly prefer rice-meals as a primary staple it is never too late to introduce a new product to the market. The food industry is primarily fueled by tastes and fads. The culture of the Filipino is when they like the food that they eat, regardless of the price they will keep on buying the product. Until their marginal utility for the products completely depleted, this is why the food industry is really fueled by tastes and buying behaviors.
Therefore, the way the producers get the cocoa to the market is by after the beans are dried and packed into sacks, the farmer sells to a buying station or local agent. The buyer then transports the bags to an exporting company. The exporting company inspects the cocoa and places it into plastic bags. The cocoa is trucked to the exporter’s
Two common products that are Fair Trade Certified are Cocoa and Coffee, each of which contains problems that producers face but gain benefits from Fair Trade. Fairtrade International states that cocoa is grown in tropical regions of more than 30 developing countries, such as West Africa and Latin America, providing an estimate of 14 million people with livelihood. Fair Trade Standards for cocoa includes no forced labor of any kind - including child labor and environmental standards restricts the use of chemicals and encourage sustainability. A problem cocoa producers face is the lack of access to markets and financing. Since cocoa is a seasonal crop, producers need loans to meet the needs for planting and cultivating their crop. With this in mind,...