Consumer’s Behaviour in The Consumption of Fresh Farm Product During Covid-19 Pandemic at Alor Gajah, Melaka

The Malaysian Government implemented stringent containment measures to avoid the spread of COVID-19, including social isolation and the closure of businesses and schools. Although these steps are necessary to prevent the virus from spreading, many voices have raised concerns about their possible effects on the agri-food system. Therefore, this study aims to identify the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on fresh farm consumption among consumers in Alor Gajah, Melaka. This study was guided by the following research objectives: (i) to investigate the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic on consumer attitudes and behaviours on food consumption at Alor Gajah. (ii) to find out the implications of the closure of Covid-19 on food security in Alor Gajah, Melaka. Besides, this study uses quantitative methods involving (n=154) residents in the district of Alor Gajah, Melaka. The research data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Descriptive analysis was used, and the result shows that the food consumption behaviour changes during the Covid-19 pandemic especially on the fresh farm produce. The findings may provide information for the local government to develop a framework that will help to address the shortage of fresh agriculture products that were affected by the pandemic at Alor Gajah, Melaka. It will also help to prepare for an unexpected future crisis by building on existing emergency plans as well as long-term food-related strategies.

The Role of the WTO in the Global Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The WTO and international trade have proven more important than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, without the delivery of food, medicines, masks and vaccines through commerce, the pandemic could not be contained. The WTO basic principles - transparency, non-discrimination, the prohibition against border restrictions, disciplines on subsidies to industrial and agriculture products, to name a few, and in particular the WTO monitoring system have helped countries collaborating and coordinating their actions to contain the pandemic and mitigate trade and global supply chain disruptions on essential goods. In addition, during this crisis, the WTO Secretariat and its Director-General assumed enhanced responsibilities to assist Members with their extraordinary needs. The WTO became the global forum for Members’ coordination of border and internal trade-related actions, for the debate on intellectual property and the request for waiving patent protections on vaccines, while playing an active role in stimulating the expansion of vaccine production capacity in developing countries. This article contends that the response of the WTO has augmented and legitimatized its role as a global governance forum.

Uses of Selenium Nanoparticles in the Plant Production

Plant production today depends on the ability of agriculturists to transport and recycle minerals, particularly those minerals which are nutritionally important to animals and human beings, through various agriculture products. It is important to note that the attenuation of these mineral deposits by green plants, as well as their subsequent role in the production of organic compounds, is fundamental to almost all known forms of life. Selenium (Se) is among those trace mineral which are crucial for the maintenance of plant physiology. The significance, production, and biological effects of this element, as well as its application in sustainable development, are remaining an interesting topic of discussion. Moreover, there has been a huge rise in the potential applications of nanotechnology in the food and agriculture industries. Several studies have been conducted on the various biological activities of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) and their biosynthesis. There is plenty of research performed on the effects of Se in plant nutrition and physiology, but there is a lack of information about the effects of SeNPs in SeNPs toxicity, and other aspects of using SeNPs in agriculture. The current review is focused on recent information related to the effects and fate of SeNPs in agronomy. We also aimed attention at the primary sources and behavior of Se in different environments, such as soil, water, air, and plants. All the data provides an extremely fertile domain for future investigation and research.

PROYEKSI KETAHANAN PANGAN PROVINSI NUSA TENGGARA TIMUR TAHUN 2015-2045 DITINJAU DARI KETERSEDIAAN, KEBUTUHAN, DAN PERSEDIAAN BERAS

<p><em>Regional independence in fulfilling food demand is expected to increase agriculture products, both in the diversification aspect and food management. This paper aims to determine how food development strategies are, especially rice, in this climate change situation nowadays. Food planning in East Nusa Tenggara Province is done by rice availability, demand, and supply in 2015</em>–<em>2045. </em><em>According to scenarios, these projections describe</em><em> that rice supply in East Nusa Tenggara Province is surplus while the harvest area is increasing and deficit while the harvest area is decreasing. Therefore, food planning is needed regarding food availability to remain food supply in the latter days. </em><em>Food demand planning can be used as a policy basis to make food supply still stable, increase the welfare of farmers and society, and even increase both East Nusa Tenggara Province’s GDRP and Indonesia’s GDP.</em></p>

Plant Wearable Sensors Based on FBG Technology for Growth and Microclimate Monitoring

Plants are primary resources for oxygen and foods whose production is fundamental for our life. However, diseases and pests may interfere with plant growth and cause a significant reduction of both the quality and quantity of agriculture products. Increasing agricultural productivity is crucial for poverty reduction and food security improvements. For this reason, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development gives a central role to agriculture by promoting a strong technological innovation for advancing sustainable practices at the plant level. To accomplish this aim, recently, wearable sensors and flexible electronics have been extended from humans to plants for measuring elongation, microclimate, and stressing factors that may affect the plant’s healthy growth. Unexpectedly, fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs), which are very popular in health monitoring applications ranging from civil infrastructures to the human body, are still overlooked for the agriculture sector. In this work, for the first time, plant wearables based on FBG technology are proposed for the continuous and simultaneous monitoring of plant growth and environmental parameters (i.e., temperature and humidity) in real settings. The promising results demonstrated the feasibility of FBG-based sensors to work in real situations by holding the promise to advance continuous and accurate plant health growth monitoring techniques.

Effect of Plant Biostimulants on Nutritional and Chemical Profiles of Almond and Hazelnut

The increasing interest in natural foods with functional effects demands progressively higher production levels. Nonetheless, there is an orientation towards practicing more sustainable agriculture, free from environmentally harmful pesticides and fertilizers. Plant biostimulants, a class of bio-based agriculture products designed to improve crop development, represent a feasible alternative to chemical fertilizers, or, at least, an effective way of reducing the employed quantities. Herein, different types of plant biostimulants compatible with organic farming (Phytoalgae, Foliar B, Amino Acids, Soil B, Fitoalgas Green® and Sprint Plus®) were tested in two of the most important nut products worldwide: almonds and hazelnuts, which were tested for nutritional parameters, fatty acids profiles and tocopherols contents. Overall, the most notorious effects in almond samples were obtained with phytoalgae (seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum extracts), particularly reflected in the upraising around 10% of γ-tocopherol and β-tocopherol contents. Likewise, hazelnuts treated with NPK + phytoalgae were also characterized by an increase of almost 18% in tocopherols levels, while treatment with NPK alone induced 15.1% higher percentage of linoleic acid.

Implementation of Permaculture Design to Achieve Food Self-Sufficiency in Mood Forest Farm, Hualien County, Eastern Taiwan

The Covid-19 pandemic is a global health crisis that has hit more than 100 countries including Taiwan. The agricultural sector is one of the sectors that has experienced the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the strategies and efforts that can solve it is food self-sufficiency through increasing production, diversifying local food, and developing sustainable agriculture. While in the process to achieve food self-sufficiency, there are also many challenges like intensive farming. Therefore, an effort is needed to improve the environment, the quality, and the safety of agriculture products through ecological balance. Permaculture is the system that uses natural principles between humans to live more productive with their environment. Through this concept, practitioners can be more productive with their environment. The study aims to analyze the implementation of permaculture design for food self-sufficiency on farm in eastern Taiwan. This study was used qualitative methods through interviews, participant observation, field notes, documentation to collect data. The result that practitioners integrate several designs based on principles and ethics of permaculture, including providing their food, fruit, vegetables, and livestock products. Practitioners also integrate elements into a multi-functional design, creative ideas to solve the problem that they face and make these efforts a challenge for them, such as bird kites and eagle poles for rice paddy pest problems. Thus, the concept of permaculture has been proven to increase productivity, harmony, and sustainability with the environment through the use of natural principles and human life.

Recent Achievements in Electrochemical and Surface Plasmon Resonance Aptasensors for Mycotoxins Detection

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi that contaminate agriculture products. Their release in the environment can cause severe damage to human health. Aptasensors are compact analytical devices that are intended for the fast and reliable detection of various species able to specifically interact with aptamers attached to the transducer surface. In this review, assembly of electrochemical and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) aptasensors are considered with emphasis on the mechanism of signal generation. Moreover, the properties of mycotoxins and the aptamers selected for their recognition are briefly considered. The analytical performance of biosensors developed within last three years makes it possible to determine mycotoxin residues in water and agriculture/food products on the levels below their maximal admissible concentrations. Requirements for the development of sample treatment and future trends in aptasensors are also discussed.