Search results for "Farms"
showing 10 items of 37 documents
Agribusiness
2019
The objective of this entry is to provide noneconomists with an analytical tool with which to understand various aspects of contemporary agriculture and food and fiber systems. The first part of the entry will provide an overview of the concept of agribusiness from its conception to current times. It will then present the main challenges facing the agribusiness system in the arena of recent global competition by illustrating key critical aspects, which are related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Particular reference will be made to SDG2 which focuses explicitly on food by seeking to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable…
The ATLAS Data Acquisition and High Level Trigger system
2016
Journal of Instrumentation 11(06), P06008 (2016). doi:10.1088/1748-0221/11/06/P06008
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF PROCESS INNOVATIONS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF OLIVE FARMS
2014
Within a business enterprise, process innovations l ead to reduced production costs and to increased profit margins. In this study, we shall examine an olive farm that operates in a perfectly competitive market that has introduced a process innovation so as to contain labour costs and therefore production costs. So, the paper aimed at comparing economic co mpetitiveness of an olive farm that introduced mechanical olive pickers (process innovation) for h arvest respect to manual harvest. In the case under scrutiny, for the same price, the reduced productio n cost determined a shift from a situation of being at a loss to one of profit for the business. Economic analysis showed that introducti…
Surveillance and control of African Swine Fever in free‐ranging pigs in Sardinia
2019
SUMMARY African swine fever (ASF) is a notifiable infectious disease, caused by the ASF virus (ASFV), which is a DNA virus belonging to the family Asfarviridae, genus Asfivirus. This disease has gained importance in the last decade after its spread in several countries in Eastern and Central Europe, and more recently, in China. Despite the efforts made to eradicate it, ASF is still present on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia (Italy) and has been since 1978. ASF risk factors on the island have been analysed in previous studies; the role of free‐ranging pigs in virus persistence has been suggested, but has not been fully elucidated. The most recent eradication plan provides more stringent…
Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in extensively farmed wild boars (Sus scrofa) in Denmark
2019
Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite of worldwide importance. In this study, we estimated T. gondii seroprevalence in extensively farmed wild boars in Denmark, where little is known about T. gondii in animal hosts. Our study focused on wild boars because they are considered good indicator species for the presence of T. gondii, and wild boar meat is used for human consumption. Serum samples from 101 wild boars collected in 2016-2018 from five different locations from the continental part of Denmark, Jutland, were screened for anti-T. gondii antibodies. The samples were analysed using a commercial indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Samples from 28 (27.7%) of the 101 wild …
Growth and sustainability of agricultural systems: the case of Sicilian wine-growing farms
2016
International audience; The Sicilian wine-growing sector is characterised by the presence on the one hand of many small enterprises that limit their activity to the first stage of the supply chain (field production) and on the other of few enterprises that adopt a strategy of total vertical integration, from the production to the sale of wine. The first group of enterprises operates in a competitive market and in many cases with marginal revenues that are lower than marginal costs, leading entrepreneurs to abandon the activity of grape production. The second group operates in an oligopolistic market and it is able to compete in an international market. Findings reveal that competitive advan…
Real cover crops contribution to soil organic carbon sequestration in sloping vineyard
2019
Abstract The research focused on the evaluation of the effect of soil erosion processes on SOC sequestration rate after 5 years of cover crop soil management in Mediterranean vineyards (Sicily, Italy). Two paired sites, one in a sloping area and another one in a contiguous flat area, were chosen. The vineyard soils of the two plots of each paired site were managed with conventional soil tillage (CT) and Vicia faba cover crop (CC) the preceding 5 years. SOC was measured in three points along the slope (top, middle and foot parts) and in the flat area. Results showed that in the slope area the highest SOC content was found in CC management, with an average value of 9.52 ± 0.34 g kg−1, whereas…
ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF AQUACULTURE INVESTMENTS UNDER CONDITIONS OF RISK AND UNCERTAINTY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA
2014
This study aims to analyze, from a technical and ec onomic point of view, the choice between alternative investments in aquaculture under condit ions of risk and uncertainty. In particular, a comparative analysis has been conducted between an inshore and an offshore farm producing European sea bass in the Mediterranean Sea. The app lied model refers to the theory of subjective probability, assigning a different probability to e xpected incomes during the investment period. Resul ts show an economic convenience of inshore with respect to offshore farming.
Explorative study of multifunctional agriculture in a Sicilian inland area
2016
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…
Multimycotoxin Determination in Tunisian Farm Animal Feed
2019
Mycotoxins presence was evaluated in animal feed marketed in Tunisia for the first time ever. A QuEChERS method was performed to analyze the natural copresence of 22 mycotoxins (enniatins, beauvericin, ochratoxin A, aflatoxins, alternariol monomethyl ether, alternariol, tentoxin, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol, 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol, nivalenol, neosolaniol, diacetoxyscirpenol, T-2 toxin, and HT-2 toxin) in 122 Tunisian marketed feed samples, intended for poultry (n = 43), cattle (n = 35), rabbit (n = 12), sheep (n = 16), and horse (n = 16). Analytes detection and quantification were done using both liquid chromatography and gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass sp…