Gli acquisti di prodotti florovivaistici in Italia

This paper examines the consumers’ behaviours in buying flowers and ornamental plants in Italy, through the analysis of attitudes, motivations, preferences and, in particular, of the tendency to purchase organic flowers and ornamental plants. The results if, on the one hand, show a modest spread in purchasing organic flowers and ornamental plants, on the other hand, show a good tendency to purchase and the willingness to pay for organic products, revealing concrete opportunities of growth for this area of the market.

How Organizational Resources and Managerial Features Affect Business Performance: An Analysis in the Greek Wine Industry

Despite the growing interest of the wine industry in quality and environmental certifications and the influence of these standards on positioning in international markets, scholarly research has paid proportionally limited attention to the link between winery export intensity and the adoption of internationally recognized standards. This study aims to analyze which factors make an organizational model performant, and to verify the impact of the adoption of third-party certifications on the export performance by using the resource-based view (RBV) theory as a theoretical lens. Findings show that younger wineries are more oriented towards the adoption of voluntary quality and environmental ce…

Monumental trees and their existence value: the case study of an Italian natural park

The paper deals with the evaluation of the existence value of monumental trees in a protected area. Financial resources to be destined for protection interventions have been decreasing more and more, with a high risk of losing this natural heritage. A Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) survey was carried out among the Madonie Park (Sicily, Italy) resident households to evaluate the existence value of monumental trees of the nature trail named "Piano Sempria-Piano Pomo", represented by a population of "Giant hollies" and by 7 other individual trees. These are the main results of the CVM survey: the overall response rate was 40%, individual average WTPs ( Willingness To Pay ) were €12.37 for t…

Organizzazione del comparto agrumicolo: rapporti tra imprese produttive, industrie di trasformazione e mercato

COVID-19 Drives Consumer Behaviour and Agro-Food Markets towards Healthier and More Sustainable Patterns

This study examines the extant state of research into our understanding of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in its early stages on food-purchasing behaviour. As such, it includes a summary and categorisation of the findings, extending to consumption preferences worldwide. After the indiscriminate stockpiling of food, which was witnessed in many countries following the implementation of the lockdown, the impact of COVID-19 (COronaVIrus Disease-2019) on consumer habits has inversely varied in function of personal attitudes, individual and household experiences, and characteristics. Specific contexts, and the financial, economic, and logistic nature of these contexts, have also been foun…

A ricardian analysis of the impact of climate change on permanent crops in a mediterranean region

This is the first study which explores the impact of climate change in Sicily, a small Mediterranean region of Southern Europe. According to research, Mediterranean area has shown large climate shifts in the last century and it has been identified as one of the most prominent “Hot-Spots” in future climate change projections. Since agriculture is an economic activity which strongly depends on climate setting and is particularly responsive to climate changes, it is important to understand how such changes may affect agricultural profitability in the Mediterranean region. The aim of the present study is to assess the expected impact of climate change on permanent crops cultivated in Sicilian r…

Is there sustainable entrepreneurship in the wine industry? Exploring Sicilian wineries participating in the SOStain program

Abstract Global climate change and the accelerating depletion of natural resources have contributed to increase discussions about the role of private enterprises in reversing negative environmental trends. Rather than focusing on profit maximization, policy makers and consumers pressure groups expect firms to meet a triple-bottom line of economic, environmental and social value creation. Hence sustainable entrepreneurship has received recently increasing interest as a phenomenon and a research topic. More recently, the concept of sustainability has been taken seriously in the Italian wine industry. The organizational challenge for entrepreneurship is to better integrate social and environme…

Economic performance and risk of farming systems specialized in perennial crops: An analysis of Italian hazelnut production

Abstract Assessing farm profitability and economic risk is important to support farmers' decisions. Several factors affect yields and product prices, in turn influencing farmers' income level and economic risk. However, the literature has often neglected to explicitly account for the role of product quality. This is particularly important for crops such as hazelnut because farmers' prices vary according to the quality of the harvested product. Furthermore, it seems fundamental to disentangle the role of parameters influencing farm results, noticeably yield, product price and quality. This is because farmers select their risk management tools to satisfy their needs, but these are often suita…

A financial feasibility study of an aquaponic system in a Mediterranean urban context

Abstract Aquaponics is largely recognized as a solution for sustainable food production as it follows a biomimetic natural system and the circular economy principles, allowing large food productivity on nonagricultural land, and at the same time strongly reducing inputs and waste. In this study, we collected technical, economic and production data from a pilot aquaponic plant producing lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) realized in an urban context in Sicily (Southern Italy), very suitable area for aquaponic production in relation to the Mediterranean climate. Through the determination of Net return and Break Even Point, analysing on one side the items which c…

CALANO LE SUPERFICI COLTIVATE A FRUMENTO DURO

Sustainability initiatives and experiences in the Sicilian wine industry

The Italian wine sector shows an increasing interest towards sustainability issues. As a result, a wide number of programs and initiatives concerning environmental, social and economic sustainability has been developed in recent years. The aim of this manuscript is to describe the adaptation of the Sicilian wine sector to the new scenario of sustainable productions. To this purpose a direct survey of 5 Sicilian wineries involved in two different sustainability programs, SOStain and Magis, was carried out. The findings of the study reveal that the sustainability path undertaken by the wineries analyzed has led to management awareness that company activities can ensure social and human benefi…

Conservazione del Catasto nella recente normativa nazionale

Implementation of green harvesting in the Sicilian wine industry: Effects on the cooperative system

This paper contributes to assessing the effectiveness of the GH measure to contribute in reducing the supply of wine grapes, and thus contrasting the fall of wine prices in those years when especially abundant productions are expected. By analysing the application of this measure to the Sicilian wine sector during the three-year period (2010–2012), we assess its effects on the regional wine cooperative system. The results from the analysis of the statistical data show that the GH measure was successful in terms of the number of applications, the supported area and financial expenditures, and contributed with other factors to determining a reduction in wine grape production. The empirical su…

IL MERIDIONE NEL FLOROVIVAISMO HA UN RUOLO DI PRIMO ATTORE

Il ruolo delle Tecnologie Informatiche e di Comunicazione e della logistica distributiva sulla competitività del comparto ortofrutticolo siciliano

In recent years, the market globalization process has deeply changed the international competitive background, leading, inevitably, to a revision of the strategies and the organization structures of the companies. It is now widely accepted that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and supply chain logistics management, have an important role in the increasing of the competitive potential of each company and in the development of entire economic sectors. The importance of these factors in the business strategies of the firms, has generated an increasing attention by the research world to the study of the economic and social impact, both about the spread of modern information and co…

New development opportunities for the craft brewing segment: the case study of a micro-malthouse

In Italy in the past few years, the number of small breweries penetrating the craft beer sector has grown exponentially. Craft producers intend to give a strong added value and a local character to their production in different ways. One of these is the use of malt derived from small batches of local cereals and pseudo cereals. The aim of this study is the assessment of investment profitability, through a cost-benefit analysis (CBA), for a compact and a modular micro-malting plant in Sicily (Southern Italy). The CBA for a micro-malthouse was carried out considering both installation and operating costs. Net present value (NPV), discounted benefit-cost ratio (DBCR) and internal rate of retur…

Economic aspects of sicilian agriculture

Sicilian agriculture is characterized by a rather small farm size, which represents an obstacle to he implementation of technological innovation process and limits the horizontal and vertical sector integration. The aim of this paper is to analyze the Sicilian agriculture through available statistical data. The value added of primary sector at basic prices in Sicily, during the two-year period of 2004-05, was 3.2 billion of euros. The UAA is distributed in a quite uniform way among field crops (476,099 ha), tree crops (480,023 ha) and fodder crops (485,263 ha). Among the field crops, the most common species was the durum wheat, while for the tree crops the olive tree was the most important.…

L'Organizzazione Comune di Mercato relativa all'ortofrutta

Motives for buying local, organic food through English box schemes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain the growing interest of English consumers in local organic food sold through box schemes, by providing insights into the motives of customers of such schemes and examining the relationship with their awareness about problems of the agro-food system. Design/methodology/approach A mixed methods approach combined in-depth interviews with 22 box scheme customers with a quantitative survey of 416 consumers, analysed by means of principal component analysis and an ordered logit model. Findings Consumers of small local organic box schemes in England are both altruistically and hedonistically motivated. This includes a strong political motivation to …

Poca attività d'impresa nelle op ortofrutticole siciliane

An exploratory study of sustainable rural tourism in Sicily

Recently, a significant interest was noticed around rural tourism, and particularly agritourism, which represents the main specific application. Rural tourism is a sustainable tourism, since the valorisation and conservation of environmental and territorial resources where economic activity is carried out are its main features. From the official statistical data, it appears clear that this activity, widely spread in Italy, may provide a significant financial support both to agricultural firms and to the whole sector of tourism, and thus allows redistributing touristic flows from coastal towards inland areas. The main aims of the paper are both to analyse the agritourist supply in Sicily com…

Sustainable tourisme in the rural areas of a southern Italian region

In the last few years, a significant interest has been observed about all the possible ways rural tourism is carried out, but especially concerning agritourism, which represents the main specific application. Rural tourism is a form of sustainable tourism since its pillar is constituted by both valorisation and conservation of the environmental and territorial situation where economic activity is carried out in tune with identity and culture of local communities. From the official statistical data, it brings out the fact that this economic activity, widely spread in the Italian territory, may provide a significant financial support both to agricultural firms and to the whole economic sector…

THE SUCCESS FACTORS OF A SICILIAN MARKET-ORIENTED WINE COOPERATIVE

Wine cooperatives have a long tradition in Sicily, as well as in Italy and in Europe. The objective of this paper is to reconstruct the general framework of the Sicilian wine cooperatives that still account for nearly 80% of the regional wine grapes production. In this context we examine the productive, organizational and commercial strategies of a case study: Cantine Settesoli. Founded in Menfi (Western Sicily, Italy) in 1958 on the initiative of a group of wine grape-growers, the Cantine Settesoli has developed over the decades and now represents the major bottled wine cooperative in Sicily, whose 2,135 members own 5% of Sicilian vineyards. With its four wine-making plants, a volume of gr…

A Systematic Literature Review of Historic Garden Management and Its Economic Aspects

Historic gardens are important parts of humanity’s built heritage within the designed landscape, providing many environmental, economic and socio-cultural benefits. Management is a key part of their conservation, perhaps the most difficult because it is costly, must be continual, and requires a skilled workforce. This systematic review looks at the literature addressing historic garden management, with special attention regarding the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability. Academic studies on this subject come from many different disciplines, making it both stimulating and fragmented. It is now time to consolidate these interdisciplinary efforts into a clear vision, in…

Explorative study of multifunctional agriculture in a Sicilian inland area

The study investigates the agricultural multifunctional activities carried out in a Sicilian typical rural area, the motivations for entrepreneurial choices and the overall level of satisfaction. An exploratory survey was therefore carried out on a selected group of 13 farms localized in 3 Sicilian provinces, with the goal to identify strengths and weaknesses of their multifunctional activities. From the farm survey, several positive results came to light, among which a wide variety of services and activities, an increase in farm workforce and a high level in communication and Internet services. On the other hand, some criticalities emerged in the transition process, such as heavy delays in…

Il grano duro nello scenario internazionale e nazionale

Aspetti produttivi, strutturali e commerciali del florovivaismo in Italia e nelle regioni del Mezzogiorno

The The Land Cadastre in Italy and some fiscal implications: a case study

The Land Cadastre, as an inventory of all relevant real estate in a territory, and most importantly, as a national tax system is, or at least should be, the protago-nist of fiscal, social and civil implications affecting the Italian context. According to unitary farmland incomes, the last revision dates back to 1978-1979, a period that no longer reflects the country’s current socioeconomic situation and does not consider the changes the land market has undergone over the years. Through the analysis of 183 purchases and sales of agricultural land in two districts in western Sicily, this research aims at verifying the adequacy or inadequacy of the current cadastral tariffs. Based on the price…

Aspetti economici della diospiricoltura in Sicilia

Reducing the data-deficiency of threatened European habitats: Spatial variation of sabellariid worm reefs and associated fauna in the Sicily Channel, Mediterranean Sea

Biogenic reefs, such as those produced by tube-dwelling polychaetes of the genus Sabellaria, are valuable marine habitats which are a focus of protection according to European legislation. The achievement of this goal is potentially hindered by the lack of essential empirical data, especially in the Mediterranean Sea. This study addresses some of the current knowledge gaps by quantifying and comparing multi-scale patterns of abundance and distribution of two habitat-forming species (Sabellaria alveolata and S. spinulosa) and their associated fauna along 190 km of coast on the Italian side of the Sicily Channel. While the abundance of the two sabellariids and the total number of associated t…

L'analisi delle aziende floricole in Campania, Puglia e Sicilia attraverso la RICA

Agri-Food Markets towards Sustainable Patterns

In recent decades, the confluence of different global and domestic drivers has led to progressive and unpredictable changes in the functioning and structure of agri-food markets worldwide. Given the unsustainability of the current agri-food production, processing, distribution and consumption patterns, and the inadequate governance of the whole food system, the transition to sustainable agriculture and food systems has become crucial to effectively manage a global agri-food market able in supporting expected population growth and ensuring universal access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for all. Based on a critical review of the existing international literature, the paper seeks to…

E' boom per il grano duro ma i prezzi calano

Economic analysis and energy valorisation of by-products of the wine supply chain: the case of the 'Mamertino wine PDO'

The paper reports the analysis of biomass derived from maintenance of a vineyard, to assess its potential as an alternative energy source, instead of the usual disposal of the wine supply chain’s residuals. The site studied is within the province of Messina, Sicily, in the area of Mamertino wine PDO, a wine of superior quality. The analysis suggests that use of this kind of biomass may allow a fossil fuel such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to be replaced by a wine wood chip biomass boiler, thus meeting economic and environmental criteria by reason of recycling for sustainability.

Sustainable tourism in the rural areas of a Southern Italian region

In the last few years, a significant interest has been observed about all the possible ways rural tourism is carried out, but especially concerning agritourism, which represents the main specific application. Rural tourism is a form of sustainable tourism since its pillar is constituted by both valorisation and conservation of the environmental and territorial situation where economic activity is carried out in tune with identity and culture of local communities. From the official statistical data, it brings out the fact that this economic activity, widely spread in the Italian territory, may provide a significant financial support both to agricultural firms and to the whole economic sector…

Lo scenario economico in Italia

Un’applicazione del metodo delle preferenze visive per la valutazione non-monetaria del paesaggio forestale in un’area del Parco delle Madonie

Growth of citrus production among the Euro-Mediterranean countries: political implications and empirical findings

The agricultural matter has always played an important role in holding back the Euro-Mediterranean integration process due to the strong complementarity of the agricultures of the coastal countries which share excellent products including citrus fruits. The main goal of this paper is to understand the growth dynamics of the citriculture in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Through the application of the dynamic formulation of the Shift and Share Analysis it has been possible to analyse the trend of the amount of harvested citrus production, in physical and economic terms, in the last fifteen years, and above all which components, structural and competitive, have mainly influenc…

Good, safe and fair: Quality perception and consumer demand of Locally produced beef in Southern Italy

The increasing concern amongst consumers regarding the safety and quality of the beef that they buy is the result of food scares that have characterized the beef market in the last two decades. These scares, together with environmental and ethical concerns, caused consumers to reflect upon the quality of the beef they eat. The aim of this paper is to identify which quality characteristics influence the incidence of local beef consumption on the total consumption of beef. It is assumed in this study that such choice is a response to a process of quality evaluation, which occurs combining specific quality attributes and socially constructed food quality criteria strictly linked to a socially …

The appropriate legal and administrative measures: The Florence Charters and legislation governing the identification, listing and protection of historic gardens in Palermo, Sicily

40 years ago, the ICOMOS-IFLA and Italian Florence Charters canonized historic gardens as cultural heritage. However, neither document has legal force, so they are only influential if voluntarily accepted and translated into legal or administrative measures. This paper uses the city of Palermo, (Sicily) to compare the policy recommendations made in the Florence Charters to the international, Italian, regional and municipal policy that effectively governs historic gardens. Because of its autonomous privileges, Sicily governs its heritage differently than the rest of Italy, and in many ways this independence exacerbates problems in historic garden conservation and management. The Covid-19 pan…

Promoting dairy products through the web: The case of Pecorino Siciliano PDO during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study analyses the digital marketing tools that companies producing Pecorino Siciliano with a protected designation of origin (PDO) are implementing on the web through their corporate website and their brand page on Facebook. It aims to verify whether companies are adapting (or not) to new trends in web marketing and e-commerce. The quality of corporate websites was assessed during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of usability and amount of activity on Facebook brand pages by Pecorino Siciliano PDO-producing companies. Analysed data show that the companies producing Pecorino Siciliano PDO fell short in developing their web-marketing tools, demonstrating their poor adaptation to the new d…

Stima della disponibilità a pagare per la salvaguardia di un'area protetta siciliana dagli incendi boschivi

Forest fires are a major concern in the Mediterranean regions and decision-makers devote large financial resources of the overall public forestry expenditure to their management. The research aims to provide an empirical contribution to the knowledge about the economic benefits deriving from fire protection of forest ecosystems. A case study is presented where we measured the TEV of reducing fire hazards to a cork-oak forest localised in a Sicilian protected area, using a dichotomous choice question in a Contingent Valuation Study. The magnitudes of the annual aggregate WTP estimates obtained range from € 32,745 to € 42,953, corrispondent to € 712 and € 934 per hectare, in order to protect …

Aspetti strutturali e commerciali dei mercati floricoli siciliani

Il vivaismo ornamentale biologico in Sicilia: il caso delle piante aromatiche

La competitivitŕ del comparto florovivaistico del Mezzogiorno d'Italia sul mercato internazionale

The international competitiveness of flowers and ornamental plant sector of the Italian "Mezzogiorno" area - In the last few years the Italian flower and ornamental plant sector has been characterized by a significant dynamicity, becoming one of the most important sectors of the Italian agricultural system. In terms of competitiveness, however, the above sector has faced several market crises due to the globalization process which has brought about an increasing supply of flower and ornamentals in the world market. In a national context, Mezzogiorno is an important area in terms of production source for flowers and ornamental plants, in relation to both extremely favourable climatic conditi…

Il quadro normativo sul florovivaismo

Development and management of winemaking sustainability: an explorative survey in Sicily

Sustainability is reshaping the global wine industry. This paper provides a fact-finding contribution to the knowledge on how the Sicilian winegrowing sector is facing the challenge of the new scenario of sustainable productions. To reach this goal we carried out an explorative analysis of those Sicilian wineries involved in 2 important sustainability programs in the Italian wine sector, Magis and SOStain, aimed at improve the implementation of sustainable viticulture and wine production. The results of our research concerning 5 wineries in Sicily reveal that adopting sustainable productive methods has lead in general to good technical and financial results by improving their business effic…

Web site quality: an empirical study of the flower and plant firms in the Convergence objective Regions in Italy

In the last few years the growing diffusion of ICTs has been playing a crucial role in the developmental process of the economic, social and cultural fabric, by deeply affecting organization size of firms. The present research, which is set in the framework of “Business to Consumer” relationships, plans to analyze web marketing strategies adopted by flowers and ornamentals firms of Italian Convergence Regions. In particular, the study aims to analyze the websites factors that are able to draw the consumers’ attention and to influence their decisions, as well as the number of attributes which determine as a whole the “quality” of a website. The knowledge of these aspects is extremely useful …

La coltivazione del grano duro in Sicilia

Strategie di web-marketing: concreta opportunità per le aziende florovivaistiche delle regioni del Mezzogiorno d'Italia

The willingness to pay of Sicilian consumers for a wine obtained with sustainable production method: An estimate through an ordered probit sample-selection model

The growing presence of Sicilian sustainable wine has pushed the research group to investigate and analyse the consumers' behaviour and their potential willingness to pay a premium price for the wine obtained through sustainable production processes. The analysis of the consumer's behaviour towards the wine made with sustainable production methods is carried out in order to provide potentially useful indications to Italian and in particular Sicilian wine enterprises regarding the production and marketing strategies to undertake in a future perspective. This study shows the result of an empirical investigation on the consumption of sustainable wine in Sicily. Through the Ordered (demographic…

Consumers of flowers and ornamental plants: an eploratory survey in the Italian «Mezzogiorno» regions

This paper aims to provide further knowledge of purchase and consumption behaviours with regard to flowers and ornamental plants in the regions of Italian «Mezzogiorno», as an acknowledgement of the centrality of final demand in the chain process. The knowledge of consumption process is fundamental either to the firm – in order to improve commercial strategies – or to competition authorities – with the purpose of implementing more effective policies. From the analysis carried out it emerges that flowers and ornamental plants consumption in the «Mezzogiorno» regions is characterised by a high penetration index and – just with regard to some commodities – by a low purchase frequency. Purchase…

Andamento dei valori fondiari in Italia ed in Sicilia

The present study has two aims, to provide a further contribute to the literature on land market, and to highlight the possible relationships between some macroeconomic factors affecting the land values trend in Italy and in Sicily. The data obtainable from the available information sources in the field were collected and processed. More in detail, in the first part of the paper a reference scenario is described through the presentation of the general features of agricultural land market, relying upon the specific scientific literature. Hereinafter, some time series at national and Sicilian level were built by using average agricultural land values, inflation rates and agricultural value ad…

An integrated analysis of land market in an inland area of Sicily

In this study a land market analysis of the 22,000 hectares covered by Corleone town area for the 2007-2012 period was carried out. Data on 372 sales agreements concerning agricultural and building land were directly collected from notaries' offices. Over 50% of land sales concerned land areas below 0.50 hectares, whereas just 1% of the overall land sold was larger than 10 hectares. Nearly 75% of sample observations were represented by land sales smaller than 1 hectare. The average land area per purchase was just over 1 hectare. The overall money exchanged in the whole period amounted to nearly 6 million euro, with an average price per sale equal to 16,339.45 (sic), and an average unitary p…

Conclusioni

Microbreweries, brewpubs and beerfirms in the Sicilian craft beer industry

Purpose This paper aims to illustrate the organisational and managing models characterising the craft beer producers in Sicily (Southern Italy) and the main issues of the provision of raw materials. Design/methodology/approach A direct survey involving the overall population of 41 craft breweries operating in Sicily in 2016 was carried out. Then 29 questionnaires were collected for exploratory analysis. A hierarchical cluster analysis was also performed out to group companies by similar structural, productive and economic features. Findings The findings of the survey showed a Sicilian craft beer industry characterised by a substantial dependence on the import of malts hops and yeasts and t…

Urban landscape evolution as a consequence of an invasive pest: The case of a small sicilian town

The Red Palm Weevil (RPW), after its accidental introduction in Italy in 2005, determined a progressive disruption of Canary palms mostly in the central and southern regions. As it is difficult to undertake the management of this pest, the possibility of substituting the killed/symptomatic palms with other ornamental trees has been recently discussed. In this context, understanding the citizens' needs about green areas can improve the management of public parks and urban greening. Involving citizens on the natural resource management using public participation processes is crucial. The case study of a small town of Sicily (Italy) was treated and the spread of this pest was monitored. Moreov…

La pesca marittima in Sicilia: analisi economica dello sforzo della pesca a strascico nelle marinerie di Mazara del Vallo, Porto Empedocle e Sciacca

An exploratory analysis of website quality in the agrifood sector: The case of extra virgin olive oil

Besides verifying the current consistency on the Internet of websites set up by Sicilian (Southern Italy) EVO oil firms, this paper aims to verify their e-service quality by evaluating which main quality features, as derived from the literature, they have. To process the data, descriptive statistics were used, which allowed detection of the presence/absence of the variables examined. The study found 280 websites with some qualitative gaps. Findings highlight that EVO oil firms do not exploit the potentialities of the web adequately. They often use the Internet as a communication and promotion tool, but only to a lesser degree for e-commerce. The results may be useful to both agrifood manage…

The recreational value of botanic garden events: A case study of the Zagara plant fair in Palermo, Italy

Botanic gardens are defined by their mission to maintain living plant collections for scientific research, conservation, display and education. This mission represents the potential ecosystem services that botanic gardens aim to produce, with display and education specifically regarding recreational ecosystem services (RES). Visitors must directly experience botanic gardens to transform these potential RES into real benefits, yet the public may not be interested in studying plants during their leisure time. Thus, botanic gardens turn to events to attract visitors. The objective of this study is to estimate the RES benefits created by a botanic garden event and profile the visitors that it b…

Aspetti economici del vivaismo agrumicolo ornamentale siciliano

L'evoluzione dell'intervento strutturale comunitario in agricoltura

Screening of durum wheat landraces (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum) for the malting suitability

Abstract Durum (T. turgidum subsp. durum) wheat production worldwide is substantially less than that of common wheat (Triticum aestivum) mainly due to the relatively limited end-users. In order to evaluate malting and brewing suitability, sixteen old durum wheat landraces were malted at micro scale. Results show malt quality parameters in the range 78.2–85.9% for the extract, 72.9–80.9% for the fermentability, 3–5 EBC units for the colour, 0.49–0.79% dm for water-extractable arabinoxylans and 0.043–0.059% dm for the β-glucans. Regarding wort viscosity (1.53–1.92 mPa s), we found negative correlation with endo-1,4-β-D-xylanase, positive correlation with endo-β-glucanases and soluble proteins…

Il ruolo dell'agricoltura nel contesto socio-economico del territorio di Ustica

La competitività del comparto florovivaistico del Mezzogiorno d'Italia sul mercato internazionale

Summary The international competitiveness of flowers and ornamental plant sector of the Italian “Mezzogiorno” area In the last few years the Italian flower and ornamental plant sector has been characterized by a significant dynamicity, becoming one of the most important sectors of the Italian agricultural system. In terms of competitiveness, however, the above sector has faced several market crises due to the globalization process which has brought about an increasing supply of flower and ornamentals in the world market. In a national context, Mezzogiorno is an important area in terms of production source for flowers and ornamental plants, in relation to both extremely favourable climatic c…

L'evoluzione del mercato fondiario in Sicilia

THE MAIN EFFECTS OF GREEN HARVESTING ON THE SICILIAN WINE COOPERATIVES

In Sicily in the 2010-2012 period green harvesting is the most successful of the 9 measures provided by the Italian National Support Programme (NSP) for wine. Its main goal is to contribute to restoring the balance between supply and demand by destructing or removing grape bunches in their immature stage in order to prevent market crises. The paper firstly presents the main results of a "three-year" application of Green Harvesting measure to the Sicilian wine sector. Firstly the implementation of Green Harvesting Measure was examined at EU, national and regional level through the analysis of the available statistical data; at a later stage its effects on the Sicilian wine sector were invest…

EVOLUZIONE E PROSPETTIVE DEL CATASTO TERRENI IN ITALIA

The role of information and communication technologies and logistics organization in the economic performance of Sicilian fruit and vegetable enterprises

Through a direct survey conducted on a sample of firms operating in the Sicilian fruit and vegetable sector, the present study provides an empirical evidence on the degree of diffusion of ICTs as well as on relationships with the regional distribution system. To pursue this goal, a multiple regression analysis model was implemented to identify which factors affect more the economic results of fruit and vegetable enterprises. The main results of the analysis indicate that firms using specific software for accounting, warehousing, payment and sales orders and contracts, are more likely to obtain higher economic performances under the “coeteris paribus” condition, as well as firms which are eq…

Every great wine starts in grapevine nursery. Tendencies and perspectives of Sicilian grapevine nurseries

Grapevine nursery production, strictly-regulated by EU norms, represents the important first step in the wine production process, because it’s able to strongly influence both the quali-quantitative performance of farm investments and the type and the quality of wines, with consequences on profitability. The latest reform of the Common Market Organisation (CMO) for wine took effect on August the 1st 2008 and introduced, among many initiatives oriented towards enhancing the competitiveness of the wine sector, a new voluntary three-year grubbing-up scheme from the 2008/2009 season, achieving a balanced wine market, reducing surplus production and providing an alternative for uncompetitive prod…

Le imprese florovivaistiche in Sicilia: analisi di alcuni casi studio

A Mediterranean record of Eulalia ornata (Annelida: Phyllodocidae) corroborating its fidelity link with the Sabellaria alveolata-reef habitat

Among marine habitats Sabellaria alveolata -reefs deserve protection since they provide important ecosystem services and positive effects on biodiversity. Several marine species are listed among the S. alveolata -reef associated fauna, but characteristic species were seldom reported. Eulalia ornata (Annelida, Phyllodocidae) might represent an exception, since it appears common/abundant in S. alveolata -reefs of the Eastern Atlantic. The most evident geographical mismatch in the distributions of E. ornata and these biogenic reefs occurs in the Mediterranean Sea, where S. alveolata -reefs are commonly found, but E. ornata was never recorded, whilst E. viridis , a non-Mediterranean species, wa…

In ripresa le superfici a grano duro

Le imprese florovivaistiche siciliane e le relazioni con il mercato

Lo studio si propone di analizzare la relazione tra i costi di transazione e le strategie adottate dalla imprese che operano nel comparto florovivaistico, con particolare riferimento alle diverse tipologie di canale di commercializzazione adottato.I risultati mostrano che la costituzione di consorzi di tutela o di associazioni di produttori florovivaistici potrebbe conferire agli imprenditori maggiore potere contrattuale e sostegno durante le diverse fasi del processo produttivo.

The quality of websites and their impact on economic performance: The case of nurseries and gardening companies in the Italian 'Mezzogiorno' regions

The aim of this paper is to examine the quality of websites and the entrepreneurial perception of the importance of the website to improve the business performance in nurseries and gardening companies adopting web-marketing strategies. On this purpose, the paper firstly analyses which structural features enable a potential website to be labelled as 'good'; the awareness of these aspects is pivotal to define effective web-marketing solutions. Secondly, it examines whether the plant nursery entrepreneurs perceive the company website as a tool of additional sales able to increase the firm turnover. The results show that the websites are well framed and with a well-groomed design, but lacking i…

Formati di domanda nella valutazione contingente

Il mercato florovivaistico nella città di Palermo

Survey on the innovation in the Sicilian grapevine nurseries

This paper deals with quality innovation in the grapevine nursery sector. The vegetative propagation of grapevines, scarcely considered by economic research, is the first step in the wine production chain as it influences both the type and the quality of wines as well as the quality and quantity of the performance of farm investments.This paper gives the results of a study carried out through a structural analysis of both national and regional grapevine nurseries and then through a direct survey of the largest Sicilian nurseries. The survey covers the main structural and productive issues as well as the commercial aspects of eight Sicilian grapevine nurseries and their innovative investment…

Methodological approaches to the valuation of forest ecosystem services: An overview of recent international research trends

Forests represent the most important source of ecosystem services (ES) on a global level both for the production of goods and for the provision of services and externalities, nevertheless scientific research in the economic field is lacking. Currently the number of documents relating to ES is 16 673, of which only 1 379 concern the forestry sector. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of scientific research trends in the field of economic evaluation of forest ecosystem services (FES). To this end, an on-line bibliographic survey was carried out on the main scientific search engines, which made it possible to quantify the works and at the same time to detect the main evaluation me…

Gli interventi paesaggistico-ambientali nella politica agricola comunitaria

The land values trend in Sicily (1992-2010)

The present study aims to analyse the land market trend with particular reference to the main typologies of crop in Sicily (1992-2010). More specifically, after examining the trend in agricultural land average prices, both in current and constant terms, the dynamic formulation of Shift and Share Analysis (DSSA) was carried out, in order to check the growth gap between the average prices in the Sicilian provinces and the correspondent regional ones over the period, and trying to identify its causes also on the basis of the relationship between land values and the agro-food markets dynamics in the investigated period. The analysis of average land values shows a positive trend in current terms…

The contribution of geographical certification programs to farm income and rural economies: The case of Pecorino Siciliano PDO

This study attempts to measure the capacity of the EU geographical certification scheme to positively influence the price of certified products and the incomes of their producers. A comparison of the economic results of two cheese-producing dairy farm enterprises with different business strategies and locations within the Sicilian hinterlands is performed in order to determine the transformation value of each dairy’s sheep milk into pecorino cheese (with and without the Protected Designation of Origin, or PDO, certification) and the related joint products (ricotta). The economic convenience of the total transformation of sheep milk into Pecorino Siciliano PDO and ricotta is also appraised. …

Conventions of Quality in Consumer Preference toward Local Honey in Southern Italy

During the last few decades consumer demand for local foods has increased around the world, particularly in the USA and Europe. Such consumer trend also contributes to redefine a new alternative geography of food; in which local foods are perceived to be of better quality and safer. Moreover, consumers frame local food quality not only in terms of general attributes, such as taste and price, but also in terms of more subjective attributes closely linked to social and environmental aspects of products. These attributes are recognised by consumers as a range of socially constructed food quality criteria, which play an important role in the creation of information about quality and consumer de…

IL FLOROVIVAISMO IN SICILIA

Application of a model for the evaluation of the “Visitor Satisfaction” in a nature reserve of South Italy

The protected natural area represents an important resource because from it sustainable and long-lasting social and economic development processes can start. In fact, the conservation of biodiversity can help create economic values by using natural capital which, if properly valorised, can help the momentum of local sustainable development and create diffuse welfare in terms of employment and income. To such a purpose, the evaluation both of the demand by those who enjoy the services of a protected area and of the level of satisfaction that visitors draw from their experience becomes a priority. The present study aims at investigating the behaviour and the preferences of the visitors to a p…

Analysis of the interventions aimed to help land property reorganization in the rural territory of Sicily over the 2001-2009 period

Italian farming system has always been characterized by structural problems such as the small size of farms and the land property fragmentation. In order to remedy this pathological situation, ISMEA was commissioned to act as an intermediary between sellers and buyers and as an underwriter of compliance of the rules provided for by in force law. The objective of the present study is to analyse the effects of regulatory interventions aimed to help land property reorganization in Sicily - State Aid System no. 110/2001 and Community Tools - in order to reconstruct a general framework and to understand the actual extent and the respective effectiveness of these actions. On the whole 190 purchas…

Lo scenario economico dell'agricoltura siciliana

Strategie d'impresa e qualità nel comparto degli oli extra - vergini di oliva molisani

Recent approaches about food quality have stressed the social processes by which “quality conventions” prevailing on the market are achieved. The present work investigates these conventions on the supply side, focusing on the “styles” characterizing the management of a group of firms. More specifically, the research analyzes a group of oil-press plants localized in Molise, an Italian region the name of which is also the “brand-name” of a PDO recently registered by EU. In the first part the essay outlines the scenario of both olive oil market and local context. In the second section the paper shows the results of a direct survey. Applying factorial analysis to the data collected in the surve…

Lo scenario dell'agrumicoltura siciliana

Prezzi in ripresa per il grano duro italiano

Lo scenario mondiale ed europeo del florovivaismo

THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE ITALIAN FLOWER AND ORNAMENTAL PLANT SECTOR

Italian flowers and ornamental plants sector has been playing a remarkable role within the agricultural sector both in productive and employment terms. As regards the competitiveness, over the last few years, Italy has been confronted with a growing flowers supply at world level and with recurring market crises, sharpened also by an inadequate Common Market Organization which has not issued an adequate legislation giving financial guarantees to the sector operators. Nevertheless, the empirical analysis carried out on the Italian competitiveness in the flowers and plant sector has shown, in the comparison between 1994-1995 and 2004-2005, an apparent improvement of the comparative advantage t…

The competitive development of flowers and ornamentals firms through the use of web-marketing strategies: a survey in the convergence objective regions in Italy

The growth of ICT, and in particular the integrated use of internet within firm marketing strategies, has brought about deep changes at both sector and firm level. Firm processes have been drastically modified in their communication and promotional aspects. In particular, firmcustomer relationships are changing and therefore internet represents a preferential means, not only for transferring the firm image in the global communication, but above all in order to build a dialogue and a continuous interaction which contribute to consumers’ fidelization. This empirical research proposal is to be considered in the framework of “Business to Consumer” relationships and is addressed to the flowers a…

The competitive development of flowers and ornamental firms through the use of web-marketing strategies: a survey in the convergence objective regions in Italy

Cooperation in Rural Areas as a Local System Development Opportunity

The development of rural areas requires the adoption of technology innovation and market approach strategies without departing from the specific features of local production systems, such as agricultural practices and the wealth of knowledge of operators. It is even better the exploitation of these resources to characterize the competitive positioning of territorial systems. In this framework, the cooperative Rinascita, which works in an internal rural area of Sicily region (Southern Italy), represents an attempt to maintain agricultural activities, traditions and rural culture as well as to promote and contribute to the development of the area by giving value to and promoting, a typical lo…

Le imprese florovivaistiche in Campania e Puglia: analisi di alcuni casi studio

Considerazioni finali e prospettive di sviluppo del comparto florovivaistico del Mezzogiorno

L'Amministrazione del Catasto italiano. Il processo di decentramento delle funzioni catastali.

The present study aims to reconstruct the decentralization process of the cadastral functions to town municipalities to date and to trace out the future prospects of cadastral management in Italy. Besides organizational structure, functions and informative patrimony of the Land Agency, the national regulatory framework and the operational steps of decentralization were here investigated. In the meantime, after over ten years from its start, cadastral decentralization has partially lost its original importance in physical terms, either to citizens or to public institutions, due to the strong speed-up given by the National Land Agency to the use of Internet and data communications, which allo…

Lo scenario economico dell'ortofrutticoltura in Sicilia. Un'indagine empirica sulle strategie organizzative e gestionali delle imprese

The fruit and vegetable industry has registered many transformations in recent years. Some of its determinants are the intensification of opening markets, the emergence of large-scale retail trade in distribution system, both domestic and international, the changes in agricultural policy. The horticultural sector has a great economic importance in Sicily, contributing significantly to the value added of the agro-food sector. The present study, funded by the Regional Department of Infrastructure, Transport and Mobility, arise from the recognition of this importance. It aims to outline the economic framework of the sector through the analysis of official statistics and an empirical investigat…

‘Green’ Wine through a Responsible and Efficient Production: A Case Study of a Sustainable Sicilian Wine Producer

Abstract Sustainability is progressively gaining importance in the winegrowing sector. Implementing this concept implies environmental soundness, social equity and economic feasibility. A proliferation of initiatives to develop the sustainable production of wine started officially in Italy since the year 2010. The objective of this paper is to illustrate the reshaping of Sicilian winegrowing according to the ‘Triple bottom line’ approach to sustainability. By analyzing the case-study of the Tasca d’Almerita firm, pilot farm of various national projects in wine-sustainability, we found that adopting sustainable operative, organizational and competitive strategies has lead to a well-managed a…

CAN COOPETITION BE A WINNING STRATEGY FOR SMALL FRUITS PRODUCTION COMPANIES IN SICILY?

In the last few years the agriculture sector has shown a significant slowdown due to economic crisis. On the one hand, the reduction in the purchasing power of households has determined a decrease in the demand for food and agricultural products, on the other hand, there has been a reduction in the income of the farmers. This has inevitably led to implement business strategies to counter the exponential reduction in profitability required to survive in an increasingly competitive environment. The literature on corporate strategies is particularly large, however, the majority of authors identify competition and cooperation as "the driving forces" for economic and social progress (Hurta and H…

Il florovivaismo siciliano chiede trasporto strada-mare

The sicilian cooperative system of wine production: the strategic choices and performance analyses of a case study

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to verify whether, besides the traditional organisational models mainly implemented by wine-making cooperatives, more modern and hybrid organisational forms can be profitably applied within an increasingly competitive wine market. Design/methodology/approach The study outlined in this paper deployed a mixed method. Specifically, an archived analysis, a survey and a descriptive case study (including visits, interviews and documentary analysis) were the methodological techniques used in this study, which were “in series but integrated” between themselves. In this paper, the landscape of Sicilian wine cooperatives is described by collating and processing d…

EU income stabilization tool: potential impacts, financial sustainability and farmer’s risk aversion

AbstractThe Income Stabilization Tool, a risk management scheme introduced within the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2014–2020, could help European Union farmers manage the income risks they face. This study assesses the potential impact of implementing this tool through the maximum level of contribution to the fund which determines an indifference to participate in the fund and its financial sustainability. The study relies on an expected utility approach and assesses the variability of loss ratios over time using a sample of Italian hazelnut farms as a case study. The participation depends on the level of farmers' contributions and their degree of risk aversion. However, the CAP public …

Recenti sviluppi del mercato comunitario e italiano del biodiesel. Primi risultati di un'indagine esplorativa in Italia

This paper presents an updated picture on the market of biodiesel in the EU and in Italy outlined by official statistics and a direct survey carried out involving Italian processing companies. The highly uncertain sectorial policy with low incentives, and the strong competition from imports are among the main reasons contributing to a new Italian energy dependence in terms of vegetable oils and biodiesel, given of the increasing annual quotas scheduled for input in consumption ofbiofuels. The future prospects of the sector are highly dependent on both legislative supporting measures and the ability of companies to diversify the supply.

Quality Determinants and Effect of Therapeutic Properties in Honey Consumption. An Exploratory Study on Italian Consumers

Nowadays, more and more consumers show a growing interest in healthy food products that may help to maintain or improve human health, such as honey. Honey has always represented a fundamental component of traditional medicine in many world cultures. However, only thanks to several studies carried out in the last years, its use is considered as an alternative and complementary medicine, namely apitherapy. In this way, honey is recognized increasingly by consumers not only as a natural alternative to refined sugar but as healthy food, as shown by determining an increase of its consumption worldwide. This study aims to explore the consumers&rsquo

L’utilizzo della regressione multipla nelle indagini estimative condotte in mercati fondiari attivi: il caso studio di oliveti e vigneti in un territorio siciliano

The present study aims to provide a further contribution to the knowledge about the mechanism of price formation concerning olive orchards and vineyards in a land market of south-west Sicily. Firstly the main characteristics of a sample concerning 42 land properties recently sold in Partanna territory were surveyed and afterwards their relationships between the most relevant among them and the correspondent market prices (both total and unitary sales prices) were investigated through the Multiple Regression Analysis. Finally some propositive remarks were formulated in order to create and successively keep up to date a database of land market prices, necessary tool to improve the quality lev…

Le politiche paesaggistiche ed ambientali in Sicilia: una valutazione intermedia della Misura H del PSR 2000-2006

Le misure agroambientali e forestali previste dalla programmazione 2000-2006, ma anche le precedenti misure di accompagnamento, da un lato promuovono forme di conduzione dei terreni agricoli compatibili con la tutela e con il miglioramento dell’ambiente e del paesaggio, dall’altro incentivano l’impianto di aree boscate, rappresentando un intervento pubblico di forte impatto sul paesaggio. In tale contesto, il presente lavoro ha inteso esaminare preliminarmente il quadro normativo regionale, definendo i principali interventi messi in atto dalla regione Sicilia per tutelare e salvaguardare il paesaggio rurale. Successivamente, è stato ricostruito il processo di sviluppo della misura H del PSR…

Comparison between Willingness-to-Pay expressed by a panel of forestry experts and by a sample of non-expert respondents in a pilot survey conducted for a Contingent Valuation Study

This work deals with an empirical analysis aiming to check the possibility to substitute a panel of forestry experts for a sample of non-expert respondents in a pilot survey for a CVM study. This methodology in the case study has focussed on the estimate of the economic value associated with the reduction in wood fire risk in a protected area of southern Sicily. The experiment consisted in carrying out two surveys by means of the same questionnaire with an open-ended elicitation question for WTP’s. The first survey was addressed to a sample of 227 “non-expert” respondents, whereas in the second one 15 forest technicians working in Sicily were interviewed in their quality of experts in fores…

Behaviour of consumers of conventional and organic flowers and ornamental plants in Italy

The paper analyses preferences and motivations of Italian consumers of flowers and ornamental plants, both conventional and organic. The results helped to outline their profile. Purchases are still done in the traditional places (flower shops for cut flowers and plant nurseries for potted plants), however positive trend is found for potted plants purchases at large distribution chains. Some differences came out as to purchase motivations: cut flowers are mainly bought in special occasions whereas potted plants purchases are linked to personal use. The results confirm a positive relationship between the purchase of flowers and plants and the age of the interviewees, besides showing that wome…

La commercializzazione in Campania: analisi di alcuni casi studio

Use of microbial enzyme on brewing

Is Green Harvesting a Useful Instrument to solve Market Problems in the Wine Sector? Some Lessons from Sicily

The green harvesting (GH) policy measure has been introduced in Italy starting from the 2009/2010 wine season, with the goal of preventing market crises by reducing the yield of a given parcel to zero. In the 2010-2012 period, almost 85% of the national expenditure and about 81% of European Union (EU) expenditure for this measure have been showered on Sicily. This paper, after examining the application of GH in this Region, explores the motivations of 300 vine growers of Western Sicily for taking part, or refusing to do so, in the GH measure. The survey shows the contrasting nature of the opinions that the implementation of GH has caused among the interviewed sample. In fact, on the one han…