FROM THE CONCEPT OF MULTIFUNCTIONAL AGRICULTURE TO THE MEASURE OF MULTIFUNCTIONAL FARMING

The objective of this paper is to deeply analyze some of the theoretical and methodological implications linked to the definition, the characterization, the evaluation and the estimation of the economic results of a multifunction agricultural farm. A deep study of these aspects seems essential for two reasons. On one hand, society is pressing farms to enlarge the existing set of goods and services; on the other hand, sector policies offer to farms new opportunities, which regard the allocation of services linked to the different functions that agriculture is able to carry out. In these conditions, in order to make the entrepreneur able to decide which services to set in motion, considering the economical input that their activation could bring to the farm, it is fundamental to identify an analytic method that is capable to estimate and evaluate the economic results of a multifunction farm.Multifunctionality, Economic indicators, Rural development, Agribusiness, Labor and Human Capital, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Back to the Future? Understanding Change in Food Habits of Farmers' Market Customers

farmers' markets, food habits, Italy, Agribusiness, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Health Economics and Policy,

Farmers’ Markets, Producer and Consumer Behaviour: Analysis of Interactions with the Metrics of Sustainability

This paper provides insights of the Italian farmers' markets (FMs) experience. These short food chains can be conceptualized among the so-called "alternative agro-food networks", which reject the traditional food chains features - productivity, products standardization and industrial organization - to focus on other issues such as quality, local production and "naturality" of agro-food production.The main objective of the paper is to evaluate the sustainability of FMs, through the analysis of the demand and the supply side. The analysis is based on a survey administered in 13 Italian FMs, involving 158 farmers and 458 consumers. Data are used to evaluate consumers' demand for sustainability within FMs and sustainability indicators at the farm level. These indicators support a classification of the farms, aimed at analysing their motivation to participate in the markets and the extent to which they are able to meet consumers' demand.Results show that FMs might be able to favour the spreading of a more sustainable economy. However, farms should improve their business strategies in order to meet consumers' demand for sustainability. In this respect, agricultural policies at the European and local level can play a role, in order to enhance sustainable practices within the farms

Quantification and economic assessment of surplus bread in Italian small-scale bakeries: An explorative study

The generation of bread waste at suppliers and retailers is often linked to the production of surplus bread. This study reports the results of the first direct quantification and economic assessment of surplus bread conducted in Italy, involving a panel of 12 bakeries and their branches located in the Lazio region, which compiled a daily diary for 5 months. They are small-scale bakeries which reflect the typical structure of the Italian businesses in the bakery sector, producing fresh bread and selling it directly to consumers. The surplus bread measured during the study consists of 6,694 kg in total, with an average quantity of 4.83 kg/day per bakery. Studying the three main products (common bread, focaccia bread and bread rolls), the average rate of surplus is respectively 5.88 %, 3.99 % and 5.28 % of the production. The corresponding economic loss represents, on average, 5.44 % of the daily turnover. A set of factors seems to exert highest influence on the generation of surplus, as the range of production, location and number of customers. When surplus bread occurs, in 63 % of the cases it is managed on alternative routes to avoid disposal. Even if detected surplus bread does not necessarily become waste, it indeed represents a big loss for bakeries

Esperienze di filiera corta in contesti urbani. Alcuni casi studio

“Incrociando” le diverse forme di filiera corta con i criteri – ambientali, economici e sociali – in funzione dei quali è possibile analizzare le stesse emerge un insieme segnatamente poliedrico. Alla marcata eterogeneità dei singoli contesti territoriali presi in esame si accompagna un quadro molteplice di assetti economico produttivi, storici, sociali e agroambientali che legano la città al loro intorno agrario. Un contesto montano caratterizzato da un tessuto produttivo di piccole dimensioni come è il caso trentino, un ambito di pianura, quale quello salentino, a marcata vocazione agricola con elevata densità insediativa in un continuum urbano rurale di cui è difficile percepire i confini, all’area pisana in cui il ruolo delle istituzioni locali e delle spinte “dal basso” ricopre un’importanza chiave nell’orientare i processi di trasformazione delle relazioni tra produzione e consumo, fino alle città metropolitane di Torino e Roma in cui è maggiore la spinta innovativa dal lato dell’offerta e maggiore la variabilità delle funzioni e degli impatti. I tratti che accomunano queste esperienze sembrano essere due: a) il processo di riavvicinamento tra produzione e consumo, che passa dallo sviluppo di diverse forme di “filiera corta”; b) la decisa espansione del fenomeno filiera corta, non solo in termini quantitativi, con il moltiplicarsi di esperienze ed esperimenti caratterizzati da una marcata spinta innovativa. L’analisi preliminare degli scenari a livello locale fin qui discussa mette in luce la necessità di uno sforzo ulteriore di raccolta di informazioni e descrittivo e uno di carattere interpretativo finalizzato a misurare gli impatti in termini di sostenibilità ambientale, economica e sociale delle filiere corte per definire percorsi di regolamentazione e indirizzo sul piano politico e legislativo, finalizzati anche a declinarne i possibili livelli di pianificazione e gestione, tra la scala comunale, quella provinciale o regionale e il livello nazionale

Alternative food shoppers and the “quantity dilemma”: a study on the determinants of their purchases at alternative markets

Despite the increasing interest around alternative food networks and their huge growth in the last decades, they are still considered a complementary source of provision by most customers. Alternative food shoppers are faced with a "quantity dilemma", i.e., choosing how much food they want to buy through these channels. This decision affects the importance of alternative food networks in the market and the extent to which they may contribute to the improvement of the food systems' overall sustainability. Basing on a survey involving 1200 food shoppers interviewed at alternative markets in Italy, this paper studies the factors explaining the quantity of food that customers choose to buy there, with respect to the quantity they purchase through conventional channels. Results show that their motivations to buy at alternative markets are crucial to increase the share of food provisions attained through these channels, especially when quality and environmental motivations are concerned. Another key factor is the type of alternative market where consumers are used to shop at, with box schemes being more likely to represent a main source of food provision for their customers than farmers' markets and farm shops. A strong effect is played by customers' loyalty to alternative markets, showing that establishing a long-term relation with producers participating at alternative markets increases the probability of buying more food through these channels. These findings disclose a potential in terms of upscaling of alternative food networks, linked to the identification of the consumers segments that are more likely to use these channels as a main source of food provision, and to the types of business models that can more likely increase the quantity of food purchased