Gender Differences in Pro-social Behaviour: The Case of Fair-trade Food Consumers

Objective of this paper is to analyse the presence of gender differences in the purchase motivations of Fair Trade (FT) food products sold in the Italian World Shops (WS). At this end, a questionnaire has been distributed to a sample of consumers in four Italian regions. A bivariate ordered probit analysis has been performed in order to identify the determinants of the two main ethical motivations in the purchase: worker guarantees and solidarity. The variables used as determinants are individual and municipal characteristics. Among individual characteristics, gender is significant; among the municipal characteristics, the rate of female job market participation is also significant. These results give evidence of a gender gap in the preferences for public goods.ethical consumerism, gender preferences, fair trade, Consumer/Household Economics, Labor and Human Capital, D12, I31, L31, Z13,

Toward an evaluation model for transnational cooperation activities in rural areas: a case study within an EU LEADER project

Cooperation activities between Local Action Groups (LAGs) have been introduced into EU LEADER (Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l’Économie Rurale) initiative to provide rural areas the opportunity to exchange experiences and best practices, as well as to realize common activities by pooling human and financial resources. The main purposes are to overcome isolation and add value to local development strategies. The benefits of cooperation are widely recognized but, undeniably, it can be also a difficult and time-consuming process. For this reason, evaluation is a necessary tool to measure the success of cooperation and to help actors address their strategies for the future. In this paper, an evaluation methodology is proposed and applied to an EU LEADER+ case study, the ‘Integrated Project for Rural Tourism: Environment and Qualified Hospitality’, a transnational cooperation experience led by LAG Aspromar, based in the province of Reggio Calabria, Southern Italy. Quantitative and qualitative data have been collected through the integration of three typical methods of social research: two techniques based on surveys, namely interviews with privileged actors, and a semi-structured questionnaire, and a technique based on non-survey data and the study of documents. Results can be useful to highlight pros and cons of the management of a cooperation project and to stimulate projects’ leaders on activating improvement processes

Toward an evaluation model for transnational cooperation activities in rural areas: a case study within an EU LEADER project

Abstract Cooperation activities between Local Action Groups (LAGs) have been introduced into EU LEADER (Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l'Économie Rurale) initiative to provide rural areas the opportunity to exchange experiences and best practices, as well as to realize common activities by pooling human and financial resources. The main purposes are to overcome isolation and add value to local development strategies. The benefits of cooperation are widely recognized but, undeniably, it can be also a difficult and time-consuming process. For this reason, evaluation is a necessary tool to measure the success of cooperation and to help actors address their strategies for the future. In this paper, an evaluation methodology is proposed and applied to an EU LEADER+ case study, the 'Integrated Project for Rural Tourism: Environment and Qualified Hospitality', a transnational cooperation experience led by LAG Aspromar, based in the province of Reggio Calabria, Southern Italy. Quantitative and qualitative data have been collected through the integration of three typical methods of social research: two techniques based on surveys, namely interviews with privileged actors, and a semi-structured questionnaire, and a technique based on non-survey data and the study of documents. Results can be useful to highlight pros and cons of the management of a cooperation project and to stimulate projects' leaders on activating improvement processes

A systematic and critical review of life cycle approaches to assess circular economy pathways in the agri-food sector

This study provides a literature review of life cycle approaches used to assess circular economy (CE) pathways in the agri-food sector. The scope of this review is to understand how and how much the LC-based analysis is useful to evaluate if CE strategies are more sustainable than linear/traditional economic models in agri-food production systems. To carry out the systematic and critical literature review the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) protocol was employed. The literature search was performed employing scientific databases (Scopus and Web of Science). The results highlight that 52 case studies out of 84 (62% of the total) use stand-alone life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the benefits/impacts of circular economy strategies. Only eight studies (9.5%) deal with the life cycle costing (LCC) approach combined with other analyses, while no paper deals with the social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) methodology. We argue that experts in life cycle methodologies must strive to adopt some key elements to ensure that the results obtained fit perfectly with the measurements of circularity and that these can even be largely based on a common basis

profitability analysis of small scale beekeeping firms by using life cycle costing lcc methodology

Increasingly, beekeeping sector attracts attention due to its potentialities linked to several aspects: Environmental benefits, commercial value and of promotion of rural development. Indeed, among the small-scale agro-food chains, beekeeping plays a significant role, especially in rural context, where the diversification of farms activities can be provide a relevant integration of income. However, frequently, apicultural activities are characterized by several weaknesses ascribable to the fragmented production, difficulty of marketing actions and lack of training of operators. These problems are particularly present in Calabria region in South Italy where, anyway, thanks to several suitable climatic conditions, high quality standards of honey are obtained. So, in order to achieve the efficiency of firms and to improve the business beekeeping production it is necessary to arrange a production system that takes into account the real availability of material resources. The economic behavior of beekeepers and their investment choices are fundamental to accomplish a successful business that, more and more today, needs to high productivity of labor and adequate equipment, guaranteed by optimization of production factors. This paper has a two-fold purpose: Firstly, it aims to conduct an economic analysis of beekeeping activities, as significant small-scale agri-food chain in southern Italy, by analyzing the production, processing and packaging of honey in farm realities of Calabrian region. The second objective of this paper is to evaluate the profitability of investments realized in beekeeping firms. For this purpose, a joint use of Life Cycle Costing (LCC) methodology and economic indicators was applied in order to analyze in detail cash outflows linked to each phase of honey production system (planning, management and disposal) and to identify key elements that can improve the farm management. Results showed the economic viability of the investment and a suitable level of profitability. Furthermore, the analysis carried out confirms these methodologies as useful tools to support investment choices and to improve economic performances of management strategies of agro-food producers

Cannabis-Based Oral Formulations for Medical Purposes: Preparation, Quality and Stability

Current legislation in Italy provides that medical Cannabis may be administered orally or by inhalation. One of the fundamental criteria for the administration of oral formulations is that they deliver a known consistent quantity of the active ingredients to ensure uniform therapies leading to the optimisation of the risks/benefits. In 2018, our group developed an improved Cannabis oil extraction technique. The objective of the present work was to carry out a stability study for the oil extracts obtained by this method. Furthermore, in order to facilitate the consumption of the prescribed medical Cannabis therapy by patients, a standard procedure was defined for the preparation of a single-dose preparation for oral use (hard capsules) containing the oil extract; thereafter, the quality and stability were evaluated. The hard capsules loaded with the oil extract were analysed and found to be uniform in content. The encapsulation process did not alter the quantity of the active molecule present in the oil. The stability tests yielded excellent results. Since the capsule dosage form is easily transported and administered, has pleasant organoleptic properties and is stable at room temperature for extended periods of time, this would facilitate the adherence to therapy by patients in treatment

Neuroticism and Conscientiousness Moderate the Effect of Oral Medication Beliefs on Adherence of People with Mental Illness during the Pandemic

Background. After the declaration of the pandemic status in several countries, the continuity of face-to-face visits in psychiatric facilities has been delayed or even interrupted to reduce viral spread. Little is known about the personality factors associated with medication beliefs and adherence amongst individuals with mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief report describes a preliminary naturalistic longitudinal study that explored whether the Big Five personality traits prospectively moderate the effects of medication beliefs on changes in adherence during the pandemic for a group of outpatients with psychosis or bipolar disorder. Methods. Thirteen outpatients undergoing routine face-to-face follow-up assessments during the pandemic were included (41 observations overall) and completed the Revised Italian Version of the Ten-Item Personality Inventory, the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire, the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8-item and the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Results. Participants had stronger concerns about their psychiatric medications rather than beliefs about their necessity, and adherence to medications was generally low. Participants who had more necessity beliefs than concerns had better adherence to medications. People scoring higher in Conscientiousness and Neuroticism traits and more concerned about the medication side effects had poorer adherence. Conclusions. These preliminary data suggest the importance of a careful assessment of the adherence to medications amongst people with psychosis/bipolar disorder during the pandemic. Interventions aimed to improve adherence might focus on patients' medication beliefs and their Conscientiousness and Neuroticism personality traits