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In the early 21st century, societies and their governments around the world have been meeting unprecedented challenges, many of which surpass the capacities, capabilities, and reaches of their traditional institutions and their classical processes of governing. Among these challenges are the need for an accelerated transition of the global economy from its current fossil fuel basis to renewable energies, the so-called post-carbon era also known as the third industrial revolution, the containment and reduction of government spending and debt financing, the increasing rapidity of market changes, and the expanding lag of timely interventions via traditional lawmaking and government action. While upholding the proven principles of Western democracy, democratic self-governance in 21st century market economies apparently needs to develop new institutional formats and novel mechanisms for staying abreast with the systemic dynamics of a tightly interconnected global society. We claim that actionable and omnipresent information along with its underlying technologies are substantial prerequisites and backbones for developing models of smart (democratic) governance, which foster smart, open, and agile governmental institutions as well as stakeholder participation and collaboration on all levels and in all branches of the governing process. We present and discuss an agenda for research and practice, which advances the concept of smart, open, and participatory government of the 21st century.

Climate disasters affect human security and development, moreso in fragile and conflict-affected contexts where population’ capacities to cope with climate change are compromised. Responses to such crises lie at the nexus of humanitarian assistance, development, and peacebuilding. Yet, there are still too few integrated programmatic responses coordinating peacebuilding and climate actions to ensure a progressive human development. This research develops a multi-scalar model to help actors identify thematic areas to inform synergistic efforts and programs at different scales to better coordinate their actions. Findings suggest that climate action and peacebuilding sectors can coordinate actions around climate and conflict risk assessments, the management of land and water resources, ecosystem restoration, nature-based climate adaptation, climate and conflict smart agriculture, natural resources governance, and sustainable market development. These collaborative efforts have the potential to generate co-benefits, such as increased social cohesion and livelihood creation.

This article describes the process of business activity organization on the regional level and possible influence that external factors cause on it. It is stated that in the years 2010-2016 the number of economic entities in Ukraine has slightly decreased. It is concluded that the share of all the types of enterprises is similar in Ukraine comparing with the EU averages, although there is a significant deviation in the indices of businesses by 10 thousand population which in Ukraine are less than the average for EU countries. In the process of researching the state of development of business activity and the problems of SME development are being indicated. The problems include the following: lack of business support programs at the national level; inconsistency of bank lending to the requirements of business (high interest rates); insufficient infrastructure to support business; unsatisfactory state of vocational training; lack of seed capital for business creation; lack of working capital for business development. It’s concluded that the business model of any business activity plays the role of a template in the process of creation and operation of business in the certain circumstances. It also is an important step in the strategic planning, which includes an overview of future business that in turn affects the evaluation of the main keys of success of the enterprise and determines its growth. The model of business creation is relatively based on resource approach, which is concentrated on the resources and capabilities of the enterprise and is the most important for determining strategic actions. In the perfect circumstances the resources for business activity are meant to become the part of the process of business creation and development. They may be helpful not only as route map of the project implementing but also as its main part. The issue of developing the set of measures that provide the specific tasks of development and activity of small and medium enterprises at the regional level that will ensure efficient use of any information and implementation of scientific approach in business was further developed. The measures mentioned include: implementing the support of entrepreneurship; microcredit funding of the SMEs; increasing the number of small and medium-sized businesses in the production and others. The article also states that business is entirely dependent on the state system concept. The set of measures that provide specific tasks of development and activity of small and medium enterprises (stimulation of entrepreneurship, attracting business in the IT sector, the promotion of export-oriented businesses) should not only solve the economic problems of the country and the region but social issues as well: providing more working places and supporting the small business in the regions. The research and conclusions gained in this article may be used as the theoretical and practical material for government in order to support the SMEs and for entrepreneurs who intend to start their own business.

Actual importance of research theme: Combating hunger and providing the Earth’s population with sufficient amount of products is considered one of the strategic priorities of human civilization sustainable development by the UN up to 2030. The rapid growth of this planet’s human population in the 21st century, estimated at 7.6. billion people, leads to the global demand for production and foodstuff. Simultaneously, traditional strategies of extensive development conventional in the 20th century and “target” intensification of agriculture do not take expected positive effect nowadays. World economy requires for new strategies of agricultural production, as well as promoting ‘green revolution’ based on the ground of IT technology advances and “Industry 4.0.”. The generalization of world experience concerning development and implementing agricultural production strategies in the 21st century is of greater theoretical and practical importance for all countries which export agricultural production in mass scales, including Ukraine which focuses on the leadership in the world agricultural business. Thus, the urgency of the issue confirms the actual importance of this article. The problem statement. Foodstuff output in world economy is growing slowly and does not meet the increasing demand for food and agricultural products in industry in global scales. Under these conditions the manufacturers of agricultural products like farmers, agro-businesses and agro-holdings, as well as transnational corporation alter and modify agricultural strategies that were conventional in the 20th century. Among the new strategies transition to precision farming and innovational agriculture based on implementing IT technologies takes the leading role. The core and socio-economic consequences of such strategy implementation require further study. Analysis of latest studies and publication. The important contribution to the study of the core and dimensions of agricultural production strategies linked to innovation and investment development as well as to improvement property relations is made by such Ukrainian scholars as P. Makarenko, V. Pilyavskiy [1] and O. Shul’ga [2]. Foreign scientists like Smaller, C., andW. Speller, withH. Mirza, N. Bernasconi-Osterwalder, andG. Dixie [3] paid the specific attention to the study of strategic priorities concerning risks minimization and profit maximization by agro-businesses and TNC within the realization of agricultural contracts at world markets. Overseas researchers KeatingB., HerreroM., CarberryP. [4] emphasized on actual importance of compliance with strategy of foodstuff security in global environment in their studies. However, the issue of developing the strategy of precise agricultural production based on widespread use of innovation and IT technologies, research into socio-economic consequences accompanying their implementation in the 21st century remains poorly studied. Research challenge of general issue. The issue of studies the core and elements of agricultural production development process in world economy is highlighted in world economic literature pretty well. Nevertheless, the study of TNCs and agricultural businesses strategies and strategies concerning transition of TNCs to the development of precise agriculture is really meaningful. Besides, at present time the trends of direct foreign investments as for agricultural lands purchase and priorities analysis of their use by TNCs in developed and developing world countries are uncertain. Socio economic consequences of mass precise agriculture introduction for national economy in countries with agrarian specialization also require detailed researching. Problem statement, objective of research. The objective of research is to highlight the core and define the regularity of formation, as well as emphasize the basic expected socio-economic consequences of precise agriculture development strategy implementing on the grounds of generalization the world experience of agricultural TNC sactivity. To achieve the objective set the article aimed at solution the following tasks: to note the main ‘players’ at the world agricultural market and study the priorities of their economic activity; to study the core and the elements of ‘green revolution’ strategy, as well as strategy of transition to precise agricultural production based on implementing innovations and IT technologies; to define strategic goals of TNCs as for the use of acquiring land ( at the cost of direct foreign investments) on the grounds of generalization developed and developing countries experience; to point out the expected socio-economic consequences of mass implementation of precise agricultural production strategies by TNCs and national agro-businesses for the economy of the countries specialized in agriculture. Method and methodology of the study. While studying the world experience of implementation the precise agricultural production development strategies theoretical and empirical methods of scientific research were employed. Historical and logical methods, abstract and specific methods, methods of analysis and synthesis, as well as causal (cause-and-effect) method were applied in the article to define strategic priorities of agricultural business and agricultural TNC specialization, to point out expected socio-economic consequences of mass transition to precise agricultural production in the countries with agrarian specialization. Synergetic approach, method of expert estimates and casual methods were applied to ground “green revolution” strategy, as well as strategy of TNCs as for transition to precise agriculture based on innovations and IT technologies. The results of study. Agricultural production is presented by farmers, households, state agricultural sector, national agro-businesses and agro-holdings, international TNCs. As a rule, farms are focused on domestic market; they specialize in production of minor parties of manual crop production and horticulture, grow vegetables, fruit and berries, as well as they are engaged in poultry farming, beekeeping, dairy production, stockbreeding in rather small scales. The farmers in developed world countries, particularly EU countries, concentrate on organic production which is of high demand among middle-class representatives. In EU countries farming is traditionally supported by the state, as it bears both economic and social valuable functions, i.e. assists in rural development and creates workplaces in countryside. The main stakeholders at the mass agricultural market in the world are considered large national and international agro-holdings an TNCs specialized in agricultural production and its industrial processing. TNCs shaped the closed loop – from selection to agricultural production, from its processing to its manufacturing. At the cost of large production scales, as well as capital concentration and centralization it is the agricultural TNCs which leads in production and export of foodstuffs at world markets. TNCs ‘ leadership at world agriculture markets is grounded on ‘green revolution’ strategy implementing, which consists of such elements as innovations, bio-selection to produce performance breed, intensive growth in crop productivity, including the one using GMO which makes cropping insensitive to water shortage, high temperatures and droughts. Agrarian TNCs in the 21st century actively implement the strategies of transition to precise agriculture based on the use of innovations and IT technologies. As the world experience confirms, strategies of transition to precise agriculture combine the following innovations: astronaut and aviation technologies, unmanned technologies, unmanned aerial vehicles; mass transition to the use of apparatus to analyze the ground online; spreading of “agro-scouting” innovation technologies as for field information gathering concerning the condition and development of agriculture; implementation intellectual system of managerial decision-making support; introduction of monitoring and control auto-system and implementation of IT-system as for account of agriculture process elements. The development of precise agriculture for national world economies which are agriculture-based offers a lot of benefits, such as: increase in labor productivity in agriculture; the decrease in employment that saves working capital of agro-businesses; industrialization and technical renovation of agrarian sector which promotes the market for IT products, precise machine building; increase in commerce and export potential of the country, mainly, in the sphere of monostructural crop production (grain, corn, soya, raps, oilseeds etc.). Such strategies also provide revitalization of direct foreign investment processes by TNCsconcerning purchasing farmland in the developing countries with their further listing as raw materials supplier for TNCs. The latter shape and control international links of production value added to all kinds of agricultural products. Among the risks which implementation of precise agriculture strategies bear for national developing country’s economy which are agriculture-based the following should be mentioned: risks concerning decrease in farms and decline in production of labor-intensive small-scale agriculture products (vegetables, fruit, honey etc.); risks of jobs recession and, respectively, the number of rural population and others. There are also other risks linked to these processes like risks of growing volumes of ready foodstuffs import, chronic scarcity of state budget and increase in internal debt, enhancing migration processes etc. In case of falling world prices for foodstuffs and worsening global conditions for agriculture products, including agrarian raw materials, in particular, due to another world economic crisis, the abandonment of occasional farmland purchased by TNCs in developing agrarian countries, their further freezing and ceasing the processing for better times should not be excluded. Under such circumstances the risks of famine for countries which could lose the managerial control over own land resources are also a threatening exercise as for implementing such TNC strategy. The field of results application. International economic relations and world economy, development of agriculture competitive strategies in world countries and agrarian TNCs in world economy. Conclusions. Farms, agro-businesses, agro-holdings and agrarian TNCs are the economic centres of mass agriculture production in all world countries. Farms are mainly specialized in labour-intensive small-scale agriculture production like horticulture, gardening, bee-keeping etc. Large agro-businesses and agrarian TNCs choose the strategy of specializing in mass monostructural agriculture production such as crop production (grain, corn, soya beans and industrial crops). In developed world countries TNCs apply the strategy of farmlands multi-purpose use, including the goals aimed at development and processing livestock and crop production; at development of renewable energy and bio-energy. In developed world countries TNCs focus on processing all kinds of agriculture products and foodstuffs production with high value added. Purchasing of farmlands by TNCs in developing countries, in particular, at the cost of direct foreign investment, provides for implementation the strategy of purchased lands engagement, mainly, to develop crop production as a raw basis for their further processing in the native countries for TNCs. The general world trend of agrarian TNCs development is use of innovation technologies, transition to precise agriculture based on IT technologies, aviation and astronautic technologies, unmanned aerial vehicles and other innovations which positively impact labor productivity and mass industrial production profitability, as well as choose transition to monostructural agrarian specialization as a priority, but bear a set of social risks for developing countries’ economies. Transition of Ukrainian agro-businesses and agro-holdings to the strategy of precise agriculture development based on innovations and IT technologies provides Ukraine’s competitiveness at the world agrarian markets. This process should go hand-in-hand with land reform taking into account Ukrainian farming interests. Establishing industrial processing of agriculture raw products and production of ready foodstuffs with high value added should be strategic for Ukraine.

La production animale est une source essentielle de revenus et d'émissions de gaz à effet de serre (GES) agricoles en Colombie, au Brésil, en Argentine, au Costa Rica, en Uruguay, au Mexique et au Pérou. Plusieurs options de gestion et technologiques, avec un potentiel d'atténuation du méthane entérique, ont été évaluées et leur mise à l'échelle devrait contribuer à la réalisation des objectifs de réduction des émissions de GES. Pourtant, l'adoption généralisée d'options d'atténuation prometteuses reste limitée, ce qui soulève des questions quant à savoir si les objectifs de réduction des émissions envisagés sont réalisables. À l'aide de données générées localement, nous explorons les potentiels d'atténuation des technologies et des pratiques de gestion actuellement proposées pour atténuer les émissions de méthane entérique, pour les systèmes de production bovine dans les pays d'Amérique latine les plus émetteurs. Nous discutons ensuite des obstacles à l'adoption d'innovations qui réduisent considérablement les émissions de méthane entérique d'origine bovine et des changements majeurs dans les politiques et les pratiques qui sont nécessaires pour relever les ambitions nationales dans les pays à forte émission. En utilisant la science la plus récente et la pensée actuelle, nous fournissons notre point de vue sur une approche inclusive et ré-imaginons comment les secteurs universitaire, de la recherche, des affaires et des politiques publiques peuvent soutenir et encourager les changements nécessaires pour élever le niveau d'ambition et atteindre les objectifs de développement durable en envisageant des actions allant de la ferme à l'échelle nationale. La producción ganadera es una fuente fundamental de ingresos y emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) agrícolas en Colombia, Brasil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Uruguay, México y Perú. Se han evaluado varias opciones de gestión y tecnológicas, con potencial de mitigación de metano entérico, y se prevé que su escalado contribuya al logro de los objetivos de reducción de emisiones de GEI. Sin embargo, la adopción generalizada de opciones de mitigación prometedoras sigue siendo limitada, lo que plantea dudas sobre si los objetivos de reducción de emisiones previstos son alcanzables. Utilizando datos generados localmente, exploramos los potenciales de mitigación de las tecnologías y prácticas de manejo actualmente propuestas para mitigar las emisiones de metano entérico, para los sistemas de producción ganadera en los países de mayor emisión de América Latina. Luego discutimos las barreras para adoptar innovaciones que reduzcan significativamente las emisiones de metano entérico en el ganado y los cambios importantes en las políticas y prácticas que se necesitan para aumentar las ambiciones nacionales en los países con altas emisiones. Utilizando la ciencia más reciente y el pensamiento actual, brindamos nuestra perspectiva sobre un enfoque inclusivo y reimaginamos cómo los sectores académico, de investigación, empresarial y de políticas públicas pueden apoyar e incentivar los cambios necesarios para elevar el nivel de ambición y alcanzar los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible considerando acciones desde la granja hasta la escala nacional. Livestock production is a pivotal source of income and agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Mexico and Peru. Several management and technological options, with enteric methane mitigation potential, have been evaluated and their scaling is anticipated to contribute towards achieving GHG emission reduction targets. Yet, widespread adoption of promising mitigation options remains limited, raising questions as to whether envisaged emission reduction targets are achievable. Using locally generated data, we explore the mitigation potentials of technologies and management practices currently proposed to mitigate enteric methane emissions, for cattle production systems in the higher emitting countries of Latin America. We then discuss barriers for adopting innovations that significantly reduce cattle-based enteric methane emissions and the major shifts in policy and practice that are needed to raise national ambitions in the high emitting countries. Using the latest science and current thinking, we provide our perspective on an inclusive approach and re-imagine how the academic, research, business and public policy sectors can support and incentivize the changes needed to raise the level of ambition and achieve sustainable development goals considering actions all the way from the farm to the national scale. الإنتاج الحيواني هو مصدر محوري للدخل وانبعاثات غازات الدفيئة الزراعية في كولومبيا والبرازيل والأرجنتين وكوستاريكا وأوروغواي والمكسيك وبيرو. تم تقييم العديد من خيارات الإدارة والخيارات التكنولوجية، مع إمكانية تخفيف الميثان المعوي، ومن المتوقع أن يساهم قياسها في تحقيق أهداف خفض انبعاثات غازات الدفيئة. ومع ذلك، لا يزال الاعتماد الواسع النطاق لخيارات التخفيف الواعدة محدودًا، مما يثير تساؤلات حول ما إذا كانت أهداف خفض الانبعاثات المتوخاة قابلة للتحقيق. باستخدام البيانات التي تم إنشاؤها محليًا، نستكشف إمكانات التخفيف من التقنيات وممارسات الإدارة المقترحة حاليًا للتخفيف من انبعاثات الميثان المعوية، لأنظمة إنتاج الماشية في البلدان ذات الانبعاثات الأعلى في أمريكا اللاتينية. ثم نناقش العوائق التي تحول دون اعتماد الابتكارات التي تقلل بشكل كبير من انبعاثات الميثان المعوي القائم على الماشية والتحولات الرئيسية في السياسات والممارسات اللازمة لرفع الطموحات الوطنية في البلدان ذات الانبعاثات العالية. باستخدام أحدث العلوم والتفكير الحالي، نقدم وجهة نظرنا حول نهج شامل ونعيد تصور كيف يمكن للقطاعات الأكاديمية والبحثية وقطاع الأعمال والسياسة العامة دعم وتحفيز التغييرات اللازمة لرفع مستوى الطموح وتحقيق أهداف التنمية المستدامة مع الأخذ في الاعتبار الإجراءات على طول الطريق من المزرعة إلى النطاق الوطني.

Since the 1970s but with greater intensity in the 1980s, strong, social, economic, and cultural transformations have led to the post-Fordist or post-productivist countryside determining what researchers identify as “rural restructuring” [...]

Introduction. The problem of Ukraine's economic development in modern conditions is directly related to the implementation of the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement, so the national economy is facing new opportunities and challenges, including the lack of effective mechanisms to restrict timber exports. The research aimed at assessing the effectiveness of the export bans to the EU. Aim and tasks. The aim of the paper is to study the mechanisms of regulation of the timber market and their export to the EU. Results. The impact of the imposed moratorium on the declared goals is analyzed in the paper. Analyzed statistics show no effect moratorium on the reduction of deforestation and halt exports of unprocessed timber. It is also impossible to make a clear conclusion about the positive impact of the moratorium on the supply of raw materials of domestic enterprises woodworking and furniture industries. However, within the structure of Ukrainian exports, the share of products of woodworking and furniture industries has increased. This was due to the reduction of Ukrainian export volumes against the background of increasing the share of exports of timber and wood products, as well as the resumption of sales of the furniture industry. Conclusions. A study of the ban on raw wood showed that in general, the effect of the moratorium imposed is not obvious, since the number of woodworking enterprises has increased and the level of employment in these sectors has increased. Ukraine requires the adoption of a comprehensive targeted program that would combine measures to develop both the woodworking and forest industries. The national interest of Ukraine is the preservation and restoration of forests, and the moratorium introduced is an example of how partial, fragmentary unsystematic decisions are made. The practical significance of the results allows to analyze existing and find new alternative export balance, ensuring equal opportunities and non-discrimination between domestic and European Union market.

The stark observation of the co-existence of undernourishment, nutrient deficiencies and overweight and obesity, the triple burden of malnutrition, is inviting us to reconsider health and nutrition as the primary goal and final endpoint of food systems. Agriculture and the food industry have made remarkable advances in the past decades. However, their development has not entirely fulfilled health and nutritional needs, and moreover, they have generated substantial collateral losses in agricultural biodiversity. Simultaneously, several regions are experiencing unprecedented weather events caused by climate change and habitat depletion, in turn putting at risk global food and nutrition security. This coincidence of food crises with increasing environmental degradation suggests an urgent need for novel analyses and new paradigms. The sustainable diets concept proposes a research and policy agenda that strives towards a sustainable use of human and natural resources for food and nutrition security, highlighting the preeminent role of consumers in defining sustainable options and the importance of biodiversity in nutrition. Food systems act as complex social–ecological systems, involving multiple interactions between human and natural components. Nutritional patterns and environment structure are interconnected in a mutual dynamic of changes. The systemic nature of these interactions calls for multidimensional approaches and integrated assessment and simulation tools to guide change. This paper proposes a review and conceptual modelling framework that articulate the synergies and tradeoffs between dietary diversity, widely recognised as key for healthy diets, and agricultural biodiversity and associated ecosystem functions, crucial resilience factors to climate and global changes.