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, including a framework of key themes and research methods so as to better coordinate efforts and make the information and innovation generated more accessible to the garden managers “in the trenches”. With this aim, reviewed studies are classified according to 10 criteria: supply or demand orientation; management phase involved; primary sustainability processes addressed; geographic criteria; number of sites covered; policy documents referred to; kind of data collected; study methods employed; possibility of bias specifically regarding historic gardens; garden use. An analysis of these criteria shows that historic garden management literature focuses on describing the gardens themselves, with few studies interested in the people supporting them. Future research should follow recent policy documents’ lead and pay more attention to community value and involvement

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 region (Southern Italy). By using data from Farm Accountancy Data Network and Ensembles climatic projections for 2021-2050 period, we showed that the impact of climate change is prominent in this region. However, crops respond to climatic variations in a different manner, highlighting that unlike the strong reduction in profitability of grapevine and citrus tree, the predicted average Net Revenue of olive tree is almost the same as in the reference period (1961-1990)

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. The results suggest that producing and commercializing Pecorino Siciliano PDO is a promising strategy for differentiating and promoting dairy farm products and improving the financial performance of producers, with foreseeable positive repercussions in the socioeconomically less favored rural areas where they are located

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. Moreover, the possibility of substituting the killed palms with other ornamentals was discussed by involving a sample of the population through a direct survey aimed at detecting the preferences in respect to certain tree species (as potential substitutes of the killed palms) listed in a questionnaire administered face-to-face. The citizen's samples showed great interest in the green areas (97%) and indicated a traditional Mediterranean plant as Nerium oleander as the preferred palm substitute candidate

Application of a model for the evaluation of the \u201cVisitor Satisfaction\u201d 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 protected natural area by means of the application of a \u201cVisitor Satisfaction\u201d model, in order to provide the managing institution and the local stakeholders with a method for the evaluation of the services offered, and in particular those services that directly concern the recreational function. The model has been implemented in the Riserva Naturale Orientata \u201cFoce del Fiume Belice e dune limitrofe\u201d, which is part of the provinces of Agrigento and Trapani in the Region of Sicilia (Sicily, South Italy). Our hope is that it can be extended to other protected areas

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 fair dimension of local productions. Consumers who habitually purchase local beef at the butcher shops were the focus of our empirical strategy. Data were collected by administering a face-to-face questionnaire to 160 consumers in Sicily (Southern Italy), right after their purchases at the butcher shops. The results of this study suggest some implications in defining locally produced beef quality, making more accurate strategies possible when supporting the spread of production and consumption of beef at the local level.La pr\ue9occupation croissante des consommateurs \ue0 l'\ue9gard de la salubrit\ue9 et de la qualit\ue9 de la viande bovine qu'ils ach\ue8tent est le r\ue9sultat des crises alimentaires qui ont caract\ue9ris\ue9 le march\ue9 de la viande bovine ces deux derni\ue8res d\ue9cennies. Ces craintes, s\u2019ajoutant aux pr\ue9occupations environnementales et \ue9thiques, ont amen\ue9 les consommateurs \ue0 r\ue9fl\ue9chir \ue0 la qualit\ue9 de la viande qu\u2019ils consomment. Le but de cet article est d'identifier les caract\ue9ristiques de qualit\ue9 qui influencent l'incidence de la consommation de viande bovine locale sur la consommation totale de viande bovine. Dans cette \ue9tude, nous avan\ue7ons qu\u2019un tel choix est une r\ue9ponse \ue0 un processus d'\ue9valuation de la qualit\ue9 qui combine attributs de qualit\ue9 sp\ue9cifiques et crit\ue8res de qualit\ue9 alimentaire construits socialement, strictement li\ue9s \ue0 une dimension socialement \ue9quitable des productions locales. Nous avons focalis\ue9 notre strat\ue9gie empirique sur les consommateurs ayant l\u2019habitude d\u2019acheter de la viande locale dans les boucheries. Les donn\ue9es ont \ue9t\ue9 collect\ue9es \ue0 l\u2019aide d\u2019un sondage direct aupr\ue8s de 160 consommateurs en Sicile (Sud de l'Italie), juste apr\ue8s leur achat dans les boucheries. Les r\ue9sultats de cette \ue9tude sugg\ue8rent certaines implications dans la d\ue9finition de la qualit\ue9 de la viande bovine produite localement, permettant d\u2019\ue9tablir des strat\ue9gies plus pr\ue9cises pour soutenir l\u2019expansion de la production et la consommation de viande bovine \ue0 l\u2019\ue9chelle locale

Urban consumers\u2019 attitudes and willingness to pay for functional foods in Iran: A case of dietary sugar

Growing concerns for the incidence of incurable diseases and high costs of health care have attracted consumers to functional foods in the world. These foods are characterized with health improvement, lower risk of disease incidence and less health hazards. The present work examined consumers' attitude and willingness to pay for dietary sugar in Rasht city, Iran. The studied sample included 125 citizens of Rasht in spring and summer of 2016 whose size was determined by Mitchell and Carson approach. Results of contingent valuation method on the basis of one-and-one-half-bound choice model revealed that the descriptive variable of bid had negative, statistically significant impact on the acceptance of bid by participants. In addition, the descriptive variables of respondent's age, educational level, family size, monthly income of the family, record of diabetes in family, healthy purchase attitude, and attitude towards the benefits of dietary sugar had positive, significant influence on bid acceptance. Participants expressed their willingness to pay 35.59% extra for dietary sugar as compared to conventional sugar

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 certifications, and they achieve the best economic performance, expressed in terms of overall turnover on the market. On the contrary, the better export performance is achieved by the largest group of wineries, which make the greatest effort in promotion and advertising activities and sell their products through intermediaries, while showing a low adoption of certifications. Our results have a number of theoretical and practical implications

Hydroxyapatite Whiskers Based Resin Composite versus Commercial Dental Composites: Mechanical and Biocompatibility Characterization

A systematic evaluation of mechanical and biocompatibility properties of different volume fractions of hydroxyapatite whiskers in comparison with three commercial dental composites filled with micro- and nanosilica particles was carried out. Six groups with different hydroxyapatite whiskers mass fractions were taken into account in order to be compared with the performances of silica particles based composites group. Flexural properties were evaluated via a universal testing machine (2.5 kN Zwick Line) with a 2 kN load-cell (sensitivity 0.001 N). The test was replicated 10 times for the seven experimental groups to better identify statically the significance of the mechanical performances data. MTT quantitative colorimetric assay was performed in order to evaluate the mitochondrial activity of living cells exposed to different resin composites. Data obtained show better interfacial interaction with filler/matrix until 20 wt% of hydroxyapatite whiskers partially replaced silica particles filler. After this threshold, the mechanical performances decrease dramatically due to both the hydroxyapatite agglomerates formation and the low degree of resin conversion. In addition, biocompatibility test showed less cytotoxic effect with the addition of 20 wt% of hydroxyapatite in comparison with higher rates

320pnab paclitaxel nab p in metastatic breast cancer mbc in elderly patients a real life setting nereide study

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