Future of Food: Journal on Food

Mobile app for cocoa crop in Colombia: challenges and opportunities

Katherin Castro-Ríos
Universidad Católica de Manizales
Claudia Nohemy Montoya-Estrada
Universidad Católica de Manizalez
María-Carolina Cuesta
Let Me Know
Alejandro Gutierrez Diaz
Let Me Know

A study was conducted to keep scientific record of the challenges and opportunities of the insertion of a mobile app for cocoa producers in the Colombia region as a prospective tool or strategy for technological transfer and appropriation into that sector. A survey with structured and semi-structured questions that pertained to cocoa producer men and women was conducted. The questions were related to the general conditions of their labour activities and were discriminant in the following categories: cocoa-grower characteristics, farm conditions, farm characteristics, and cocoa crop. From this information, restrictions and opportunities for use of a mobile app in the cocoa sector were analysed. Smartphones and mobile apps are used by farmers in this sector, even though the quality of service is deficient. An opportunity to include topics on good agricultural practices into mobile apps to enhance the transfer and appropriation of these topics to the crop producers was identified.

Keywords : cocoa information ,information and communication technologies ,smartphones ,agriculture ,agricultural innovation ,rural development .

Myanmar High School Students’ Perceptions of College and International Readiness in Western Society

Mark Speckien
Louisiana Tech University
Mark Speckien
Louisiana Tech University
International students are more likely to experience mental health issues and increased stress. Mental health is often surrounded by negative societal stigmas that act as barriers to seeking support and tend to lead to greater mental health concerns. International students tend to seek socioemotional support from other international student peers rather than seeking out counseling services. However, this study shows that LGBTQIA+ international students were less likely to seek socioemotional support from other international student peers due to fear of their sexual orientation being discovered and their families finding out about their identity. This study examines how LGBTQIA+ international students talk about their experiences on and off campus in relations to their socioemotional well-being. Specifically, this study sought to better understand the complexities of LGBTQIA+ students’ identities, and the challenges they faced in terms of their socioemotional well-being. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Keywords : international students, socioemotional well-being, mental health, identity development, intersectionality, LGBTQIA