Combining Multifunctionality and Ecosystem Services into a Win-Win Solution. The Case Study of the Serchio River Basin (Tuscany—Italy)

Post-war development—characterized by intensive processes of urbanization, concentration of agriculture on the most fertile lands, and abandonment of mountainous and marginal areas—brought about negative environmental and socio-economic consequences. They have been particularly severe in terms of increase of hydrogeological risk, which is high in most Italian regions. Over time, there has been an increasing awareness of the multiple functions played by agriculture in terms of provision of Ecosystem Services (ES), which contribute fundamentally to human well-being. In particular, some ES provided by farmers may help to reduce the hydrogeological risk of territories prone to landslides and floods. In this framework, the paper presents as a case study the project “Farmers as Custodians of a Territory.” This project was implemented in the Serchio River basin, Tuscany (Italy), and combines a multifunctional farm strategy of diversification with the provision of Ecosystem Services related to the hydraulic and hydrogeological protection of the river-basin territory. Although this case study should be read within the framework of the theories of agricultural multifunctionality and ES provision, it nevertheless took a very pragmatic and innovative approach, which differentiates it from most of the case studies given in the literature. Results of our analysis show that, by involving farmers as custodians of the territory, it is possible to reach a “win-win” solution characterized, on the one hand, by better services for the community at a lower cost for the Land Reclamation Consortia involved with hydrogeological risk prevention, thus improving the effectiveness and efficiency of ES provision; and on the other hand, by improving the economic situation and survival chances of local farms

Explaining the determinants of on-farm diversification: The case Study of Tuscany Region.

The on-farm diversification toward multifunctional activities is perceived as central in the CAP policy reform and in Horizon 2020 strategies, because it strengthen territorial and social cohesion of the rural areas. While relations between farm-household diversification and rural economies are central into the process of multifunctionality and provision of public goods through agricultural activities, on-farm diversification activities could represent a relevant share of farm income. Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology literatures have developed models to explain the determinants of on-farm diversification. In this paper the determinants and the motivations to onfarm diversification toward activities different from crops and animal production are investigated The paper applies a count model to explain the amount of on-farm diversification alternatives that are applied in Tuscany farms. Results confirm that location to main touristic areas and closeness to urban markets are strong determinants of on-farm diversification. Results highlight also, a positive contribution of agricultural policies (both first pillar and second pillar policies) in determining diffusion of on-farm diversification activities

A DSS model for the governance of sustainable rural landscape: A first application to the cultural landscape of Orcia Valley (Tuscany, Italy)

There is a growing interest on landscape and landscape policy and planning, especially since the adoption of the European Landscape Convention in 2000. This latter defines landscape as "an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors". In the case of rural landscape, this means that an appropriate governance model should not only involve local stakeholders in a participative approach, but also take into account natural characteristics, cultural aspects of the past and present, and socio-economic aspects, since agriculture is the main driver of change for rural landscapes. Farm strategies are influenced by internal and by external factors, these latter being related to market conditions and to constraints and opportunities given by policies. Market globalization and Agricultural policies are consequently having a strong impact on landscape, that public institutions try to neutralise setting rules about landscape conservation. Thus, due to its specific features, landscape is impacted both by several sectorial and territorial policies which have none or very low coordination among them. Indeed, Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has often shown a negative influence on landscape, also in the case of Agri-Environmental Schemes (AES) intended to promote landscape. In this framework, the aim of this paper is to present a comprehensive model for the governance of rural landscape and a first simplified application to a cultural landscape. This model is based on the integration of a geographical multi-criteria analysis, an advanced GIS-based geo-processing tools, and participatory techniques aiming to understand and foresee local stakeholders' behaviours through focus-groups and dedicated interviews. The identification of future landscape scenarios is based on the integration of past evolution (historical analysis), landscape sensitivity (territorial analysis) and farmers' adaptation to market and policy changes (farm analysis). A simplified version of the model was tailored and tested in the municipality of Castiglione d'Orcia of the Siena province in Tuscany, Italy, one of the UNESCO cultural landscapes, but is the Authors' opinion that its approach

A Spatial Analysis to evaluate the Farm's structure and the Geography of Rural Areas: The case study of Mugello Area

In order to promote rural development public agricultural policies need to constantly adapt to the continuous change of socio-economic conditions of rural areas, related to both farm and territorial dynamics. Hence beyond the zoning provided by the European Commission and developed by Member States [art. 11 Reg. Ce 1698/2005], policy makers should take into account geography, farms characteristics and farmers attitude to acquire a deeper knowledge of these rural areas. This paper aims at supporting the design of proper agricultural policies focusing on the case-study of Mugello territory, a rural area located in the North of Tuscany, which includes both: intermediate rural areas and areas with development problems. This purpose is firstly pursued by generating a geo-referenced database able to develop a deeper analysis on the existing interactions between socio - economic attributes of farms, land use and agricultural policies. The study combined several sources of data: the 2010 Italian Agriculture Census, the Tuscany Regional Agency for Payments in Agriculture (ARTEA) database, and cover land data from the database Corine Land Cover (CLC-06), as updated to 2007 by LaMMA (Laboratory for Environment Monitoring and Modeling). The resulting sample is composed by 821 farms operating in the Mugello area which are split in four different farm styles according to their level of multifunctionality and enterpreunership capacity. Results show that Mugello territory is characterized by an internal differentiation, that determines the prevalence of different farm structure according to the sub-areas characteristics. Especially analyzing the distribution of payments related to area with development problems we note that there are still margins of improvement

A spatial analysis of terrain features and farming styles in a disadvantaged area of Tuscany (Mugello): implications for the evaluation and the design of CAP payments

In recent times there has been a growing awareness of the role of agriculture in providing public goods and services, in particular in less favoured areas. However, since agriculture is an economic activity, its permanence implies that it should be able to generate a satisfactory income for farmers. Where this is not possible, due to natural constraints or adverse economic and market conditions, in order to maintain an adequate use of farmland it is necessary to provide public aid to farmers. In this framework, the design of proper interventions aimed to promote rural development in less favoured areas should be based on a deep knowledge at the farm and territorial level. As regards the territorial level, the RDP zoning [art. 11 Reg. Ce 1698/2005] developed by Member States on the base of the guidelines provided by the European Commission is very often not sufficient to adequately define the territorial characteristics of rural areas. The use of GIS techniques may help to handle this issue by providing a better and more detailed knowledge at the territorial level. Farm level is important insofar as aid effectiveness is usually strongly depending on the type of farm that is receiving it. Thus, a careful selection of beneficiaries could determine a more effective and efficient distribution of resources. This paper aims to provide a spatial analysis of natural constraints and types of farming style in Mugello area and to analyse their relations with CAP aid distribution. Both Single Payment Scheme (SPS) and Rural Development Programme (RDP) payments have been taken into account. The paper combines a GIS analysis of terrain features with the theoretical approach of farming styles. For this purpose, the study integrates several sources of data: the 2010 Italian Agriculture Census, the Tuscany Regional Agency for Payments in Agriculture (ARTEA) database, and land cover data from the database Corine Land Cover (CLC-06), as updated to 2007 by LAMMA (Laboratory for Environment Monitoring and Modelling). A geo-referenced database including socioeconomic attributes of farms, land use, and terrain characteristics has been generated in order to merge information at territorial and farm level. The results of this integrated analysis confirm that Mugello is a very heterogeneous area as regards terrain characteristics despite the fact that it is totally included in less favoured areas. On the other side, farm strategies and economic results seem to be related to entrepreneurial characteristics as much as to natural constraints. The analysis of Pillar I payments and RDP payments for farms located in this mountainous area shows a very complex situation where the strategies implemented by farmers of the strongest farming styles may successfully counteract natural constraints. Besides, in the Authors' opinion, the analyses performed highlight the importance of spatial analysis as a tool for evaluating how public resources are distributed on a territory, thus providing also useful information on the way this distribution could be improved, e.g. for ensuring a higher level of environmental services

The influence of exposure of beef heifers to winter weather prepartum on concentrations of plasma energy yielding substrates, serum hormones and birth weight of calves

Call number: LD2668 .T4 ASI 1987 A524Master of ScienceAnimal Sciences and Industr

Advances in psychometrics: from Classical Test Theory to Item Response Theory

In the 20th century, development and evaluation of psychometric properties of tests was mainly based on the Classical Test Theory (CTT). Many tests are long and redundant, with measures influenced by the characteristics of the sample of the individuals being evaluated. Some of the limitations are a consequence of the use of the CTT. The Item Response Theory (IRT) has been proposed as a solution to some limitations of the CTT, improving the quality of assessment of the tests structure. In this paper we critically compare the characteristics of CTT and IRT methods in determining the psychometric properties of tests. We discuss the advantages and limitations of each method.No século XX, o desenvolvimento e avaliação das propriedades psicométricas dos testes se embasou principalmente na Teoria Clássica dos Testes (TCT). Muitos testes são longos e redundantes, com medidas influenciáveis pelas características da amostra dos indivíduos avaliados durante seu desenvolvimento, sendo algumas destas limitações consequências do uso da TCT. A Teoria de Resposta ao Item (TRI) surgiu como uma possível solução para algumas limitações da TCT, melhorando a qualidade da avaliação da estrutura dos testes. Neste texto comparamos criticamente as características da TCT e da TRI como métodos para avaliação das propriedades psicométricas dos testes. São discutidas as vantagens e limitações de cada método.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)UNIFESPSciEL

Consequences of Lockdown During COVID-19 Pandemic in Lifestyle and Emotional State of Children in Argentina

The implications of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown measurements and social isolation in children and their parents are still unknown. The aims of this study were to examine the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on emotional state, feelings and lifestyle of children and their parents, to explore the association between parental characteristics and child well-being and to examine whether the impact of lockdown depends on socio-economic status. Parents completed an online survey including data about socio-demographic information, parent and child feelings and lifestyle during lockdown. Logistic regression and correlation analysis were used to establish associations between variables. In total, 814 parents with children between 4 and 11 were included in the study. According to parents, 69.5% of the children showed changes in their emotional state, 55.3% altered their routine and 62.6% showed sleep disorders. Families with lower socio-economic status were more worried about health, shortage of food and household income (p < 0.01). Parent and children concern about food/essential items were highly associated [OR (CI 95%) 13.0 (6.81, 26.5), p < 0.01]. Adverse children’s emotional state was associated with parental feeling of loneliness (r = 0.35) and inversely associated with keeping a routine (r = −0.11). Sleep changes were inversely associated with keeping a routine and having a balcony/garden (r = −0.53 and −0.16). We conclude that lockdown affected emotional state and lifestyle of children and parents, which were strongly related. Routine and positive parental attitude supported children’s well-being. Economic issues were an important concern in families with lower socio-economic status. Our findings can help to promote child health during lockdown.Fil: Fasano, Maria Victoria. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital de Niños "Sor María Ludovica" de La Plata. Instituto de Desarrollo e Investigaciones Pediátricas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Cs.exactas. Centro de Matematica de la Plata.; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Padula, Marcela. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital de Niños "Sor María Ludovica" de La Plata. Instituto de Desarrollo e Investigaciones Pediátricas; ArgentinaFil: Azrak, María Ángeles. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital de Niños "Sor María Ludovica" de La Plata. Instituto de Desarrollo e Investigaciones Pediátricas; ArgentinaFil: Avico, Ana Julia. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital de Niños "Sor María Ludovica" de La Plata. Instituto de Desarrollo e Investigaciones Pediátricas; ArgentinaFil: Sala, Marisa. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital de Niños "Sor María Ludovica" de La Plata. Instituto de Desarrollo e Investigaciones Pediátricas; ArgentinaFil: Andreoli, Maria Florencia. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital de Niños "Sor María Ludovica" de La Plata. Instituto de Desarrollo e Investigaciones Pediátricas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentin