Italian Review of Agricultural Economics

Poorer, but richer. An ecosystem services account for Campania, Calabria and Sicily

2020-12-16T12:08:00+00:00

Ecosystems deliver value to people and the economy through ecosystem services. The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission has quantified the use of ecosystem services by the main economic sectors and households at EU level. In this paper, we downscaled the extraction of six ecosystem services for three Southern Italy regions in 2012: Campania, Calabria and Sicily. The results show that these regions, that result poorer than the rest of Italy according to a GDP-based indicator, generate higher flows of ecosystem services compared to the national average. The results should be considered as conservative, as many important ecosystem services are unaccounted. This kind of assessment can be useful for a wide range of polices targeting climate change, biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.

Innovation in the Italian Sector of Vending Machines. Between Growth and Search for Sustainability

2020-12-16T12:07:55+00:00

Changes in lifestyles involve many aspects of food consumption widely analysed in literature, while the development of specific distribution forms, such as the vending machines, are less known and still perceived unsuitable to respond to the segmentation of demand. This sector is recording impressive growth rates. Italy is the country in Europe with the highest number of machines, as well as being leader in the production of machines and in the development of management services. This growth is not extraneous to the search for greater qualification of the foodstuff supply. The most recent data show numerous experiences aimed at introducing a more accurate selection of products supplied. Nevertheless, the agricultural sector doesn’t seem to be adequately involved in the vending machines supply chain, except for some limited experiences. The objective of the paper is to analyse the most significant initiatives to assess whether they could contribute to the reinforcement of the role of agriculture and to the definition of new criteria within the selection procedures for vending services.

Individuazione e implementazione di indicatori di benessere animale: aspetti tecnici e impatto economico

2020-12-16T12:07:51+00:00

The planning of a policy intervention aims at optimizing the decision-making process, resources allocation, outcomes of the intervention. The development of an integrated approach may contribute to achieve an effective and efficient planning. The article develops a protocol based on the adoption of qualitative and quantitative methods, in order to support policymaker in planning intervention measures. The developed protocol is tested on a case study: the planning of measure 14 – Animal welfare – in the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 of the Apulia region. Indicators of animal welfare, scientifically valid and objectively miserable, emerged from the case study as additional commitments to implement in cattle and buffalo farms. An economic analysis of each indicators allowed to estimate a countervailing measure for additional costs associated with the achievement of higher standards of animal welfare.

La normative italiana sull’agricoltura sociale e il ruolo dell’impresa agricola

2020-12-16T12:07:47+00:00

In Italy, the regulatory framework on Social Farming has a high level of articulation at national and regional level and requires adequate analysis in order to understand the possible implications for the agriculture. The purpose of the article is to contribute to the understanding the possible interactions between farmers, local communities, public and private actors and recipients. The contribute, after a general analysis of the national and regional legislation, focuses on the figure of the SF operator and on the modalities of registration with the regional register. The question arises is whether and to what extent the regulatory framework on SF changes the role of agriculture itself with the system into which it operates, mainly about social aspects and relations with other local actors.

EU border rejections of unauthorized GM food and the trade deflection effects

2020-12-16T12:07:43+00:00

We identify that consignments rejected by the European Union, due to the presence of unauthorized Genetically Modified food, have been diverted to third countries, creating trade deflections. We rely on a gravity model to examine the effects on food products. Our results show that the rejection of shipments by the EU has a side-effect on the global trade flows in the form of trade deflection, which can overcome losses related to A.A. The deflection occurs largely for products whose major importers have already approved most of the GM events rejected by the EU and with very concentrated export market. We also found that exporting countries with higher border rejections tend to increase their trade deflections, providing a deeper understanding of the effects of A.A on global trade flows.

Valorizzazione del latte «Prodotto di montagna»: un’analisi esplorativa sulle scelte di acquisto dei consumatori

2020-12-16T12:07:40+00:00

In order to promote the sustainable development on mountain areas, the EU introduced the optional quality term «Mountain Product» to food products produced and processed in these areas. Nowadays in Italy, 606 producers have chosen to adhere to this new label. Thus, a key interest lies in identifying the consumer propensity to purchase a «mountain‐type» food. The aim of this study is to estimate the premium price that consumers are willing to pay for a labeled mountain milk. To accomplish this aim, a dichotomous choice contingent valuation, based on a double-bound model, has been applied. Results indicate that consumers’ beliefs about the production process and quality attributes of mountain food affect their WTP a premium to buy these specific products. In addition, mountain products are attracted mainly by health-conscious and local economy-conscious individuals.