Search results for "Rural"

Consumer Preference Heterogeneity Evaluation in Fruit and Vegetable Purchasing Decisions Using the Best–Worst Approach

2019

This study assesses consumer preferences during fruit and vegetable (FV) sales, considering the sociodemographic variables of individuals together with their choice of point of purchase. A choice experiment was conducted in two metropolitan areas in Northwest Italy. A total of 1170 consumers were interviewed at different FV purchase points (mass retail chains and open-air markets) using a paper questionnaire. The relative importance assigned by consumers to 12 fruit and vegetable product attributes, including both intrinsic and extrinsic quality cues, was assessed by using the best&ndash

Economic assessment of sicilian loquat orchards

2015

The majority of Italian production of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) derives from the Palermo province, along the northern Sicilian coast. However, this area is characterized by family orchards, traditional cultural techniques, and inadequate commercial organization. These appear to affect negatively the production costs and reduce the farmers’ income, decreasing the competitiveness of Sicilian loquat orchards. This study evaluates the economic viability of Sicilian loquat orchards by means of cost-benefit analysis (CBA). In particular, for the investment assessment some financial indicators have been calculated such as net present value (NPV), discounted payback time (DPBT), and internal r…

Impact of human disturbance and beliefs on the tree agama Acanthocercus atricollis atricollis in a South African communal settlement

2009

We investigated the effects of human disturbance and attitudes on the density of the tree agama Acanthocercus atricollis atricollis in a densely populated rural settlement in South Africa. In this environment agamas live on trees that are harvested for firewood or maintained for fruit production. We conducted visual encounter surveys of A. a. atricollis and interviewed local households to establish whether human attitudes and actions could affect tree agama populations. Although local residents viewed tree agamas negatively (50% of interviewees claimed to have killed an agama) and acted to exclude them from their environment, tree agama density in villages was higher than that of adjacent c…

Alternative Ways of Energy Supply in Rural Areas

2019

Optimization of thermal energy and electricity production processes using renewable energy source (RES) is extremely important for agricultural horticultural, and production farms. The article is devoted to the search for the best available techniques to the optimize the process of obtaining heat energy from RES to meet the energy needs in Polish agriculture. The food industry is particularly energy-intensive and as a result, when introducing various innovative technological processes, strong emphasis is placed on rational energy consumption and minimizing its losses, as well as on the secondary use of waste heat. The direct result of using RES devices is also a reduction in greenhouse gas …

La piazza "mediterranea" nei borghi rurali in Sicilia

2019

L'articolo tratta dei borghi rurali costruiti in Sicilia alla fine degli anni '30 e subito dopo la guerra, e del ruolo della piazza in quanto carattere di mediterraneità dei complessi

Postfazione - Ci fu festa una notte nel bosco

2011

Road verges provide alternative habitats for some, but not all, meadow plants

2021

Questions Agricultural intensification has led to the decline of biodiverse meadows and other semi-natural grasslands. Road verges offer potential alternative habitats for meadow species, but they may not be suitable for all meadow species due to different soil properties, frequent disturbances, pollution or suboptimal management. Are the communities of vascular plants and bryophytes similar or dissimilar to those in mown or grazed meadows? What kind of species are associated with road verges, mown meadows or grazed meadows? How do the habitat types differ in their soil conditions and disturbance intensity? Location The study was conducted on 36 sites in Central Finland. Methods We compared…

DISCOVER POTENTIAL SEGMENTS OF WINE SHOPS BASING ON SALES STRATEGIES BY CLUSTER ANALYSIS

2015

The HORECA channel is a very important for promoting high-quality wines. In fact, through this distribution channel, consumers can experience wines before purchasing, taste them also with foods and receive additional information. Market segmentation is very crucial for businesses; therefore specific criteria must be applied for a successful segmentation. In this study wine shop segmentation was carried out by explorative hierarchical Cluster Analysis in order to discover potential segments of wine shops and wine bars based on their sales strategies. Moreover, wine shop(s) role in dissemination of information about quality wines was investigated. A census was carried out in a selected Italia…

Business-to-business service quality assessment in professional wine events: the case of Vinitaly

2014

Eco-efficiency assessment of olive farms in Andalusia

2012

Abstract Olive farming represents an important source of income and employment in the rural areas of Andalusia (Spain), which is the most important olive oil-producing region in the world. Unfortunately, it also exerts significant environmental pressures with regard to soil erosion, use of polluting inputs, excessive water consumption and biodiversity reduction. This paper uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques and pressure distance functions to contribute a farm-level assessment of the eco-efficiency of a sample of 292 Andalusian olive farmers. We distinguish between managerial eco-efficiency and program eco-efficiency, the latter being associated to the different natural conditio…