Date of Award
8-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Applied Economics and Statistics
Committee Chair/Advisor
Michael Vassalos
Committee Member
Felipe Silva
Committee Member
Nathan Smith
Abstract
In 2023, 5.6% ($1.5 trillion dollars) of the United States’ Gross Domestic Product was derived from agriculture, food, and related industries. Despite the sector being efficient, challenges still exists. For example, food waste is a problem in the hospitality industry and farmers face challenges related to disease. To ensure the security and efficiency of the food supply, it is in our best interest to make adjustments in these sectors by taking actions such as reducing waste and mitigating food loss associated with disease. I explore two areas of the food supply that can benefit from changes, seeking to mitigate food waste from the restaurant sector and assess the profitability of peach orchards given the presence of Armillaria Root Rot (ARR).
In Chapter 2, I identify characteristics of consumers who take home and eat their leftovers, aiming to cover that gap on this topic in the literature that can contribute to curbing food waste. Restaurant customers can reduce waste by taking their uneaten food home in a to-go box or “doggy bag” for later consumption. My results indicate that characteristics such as meal price and type of food affect a consumer’s likelihood of taking home and consuming their restaurant leftovers. I further find that some demographic characteristics such as gender, age, and employment status can affect this probability.
In Chapter 3, I estimate the spread pattern of ARR and estimate the net present value of peach production when the disease is present in an orchard. ARR is the most damaging disease for peach orchards and threatens the economic viability of orchards throughout the country, including peach orchards in South Carolina. My results verify that production can be profitable in some circumstances, varying greatly given different discount rate scenarios as well as peach price and yield outcomes. NPV of peach orchards with ARR presence has not been widely assessed previously, so this research contributes a more accurate understanding of the spread pattern of the disease and enables a better assessment of profitability for orchards where ARR is present.
Recommended Citation
Francis, Samuel, "Sustainability Across the Food System in the Southeastern United States: Mitigating Restaurant Plate Waste and Exploring Peach Orchard Viability Amidst Armillaria Root Rot" (2024). All Theses. 4369.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/4369