Community Supported Agriculture in the urban fringe: empirical evidence for project potentiality in the metropolitan area of Naples (Italy)

Urbanisation of city-side areas effects on farm land use and organisation are analysed in this study with the objective of seeking the most effective way to implement a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) scheme. Specifically, we used a theoretical framework to describe and assess the relationships between urbanisation and changes in farm-styles in the city belt. Our analysis is based on a case study in the protected area of the Campi Flegrei Regional Park situated in the north-western part of the Neapolitan metropolitan area, which is a peri-urban rural area with severe environmental management problems. Our results from the empirical analysis allowed us to distinguish the farms of the area into three behavioural-social groups on the basis of specific features, in order to identify the best suited type of farm for the strategic implementation of the CSA. A market scenario was predicted for each of them without any intervention

Food safety and quality, strategic levers for European products in emerging markets: the case of China.

Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Triggering collective action for bio-energy supply chain through contract schemes

This paper discusses contractual features to manage and coordinate a hypothetical bio-energy supply chain. The present study focuses on farmers operating in two Regions of Italy, namely Sicily and Campania, somewhat representative of areas with high potential of investments in new bioenergy supply value chain. Farmers were asked to choose whether to participate or not in a collective investment regulated by contract schemes. Monetary trade-offs were then computed among contract attributes. A specific questionnaire was submitted to a sample of farmers selected on the basis of their potential capability of investments. A stated preference modelling approach was implemented so that farmers could make a choice between alternative contracts reporting varying attribute levels. If energy-producing companies are paying attention to biofuel production aiming at a diversification of their activities, results show that farmers' participation needs to be managed through contracts that take care of investment length, warranty on investment return, and risk management

Drivers of fish choice: an exploratory analysis in Mediterranean countries

Fish is an important source of healthy proteins and an important economic sector in Mediterranean countries. Despite the wealth of knowledge acquired in Western countries, a gap has been found in studies in developing countries, as in the Mediterranean southern shore. Therefore, we aimed to investigate consumers’ perceptions of finfish attributes, with qualitative tools as focus groups, given the exploratory nature of the research. The focus groups have been held in Italy, Lebanon, Spain, and Tunisia; in each country, one was held in seaside areas and one in inland areas, in order to control for the availability of fish that shapes consumers’ evaluations and expectations. The focus groups have been analysed through content and semantic analyses. Results of the study yielded main themes recurring in the discussions that have been categorized along such dimensions: (1) definition of fish products; (2) context; (3) search attributes; (4) experience attributes; and (5) credence attributes. Among attributes, the ones mostly guiding consumers’ choices seem to be freshness and fish species, which are used as proxies for quality and sensory attributes. Most of the respondents preferred delicate white fish, while some exceptions were found in Tunisian respondents preferring blue fish and they also were the only ones who were not looking for convenient and already cleaned products. Trust also represented a critical element in guiding the decisions of consumers: with a lack of trust, consumers deviate from preferring local products, as noticeable especially in Lebanese respondents’ opinions. Credence attributes such as animal welfare and sustainability received a minor attention from all the respondents

The Role of Sensory Profile in the Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Consumers Choice

sensory profiles promoted by the Extra-virgin olive oil (EVO) is an important element of the Mediterranean diet and a valuable agricultural crop for Southern Europe countries in terms of both farm income and cultivated area. Moreover, given the increased popularity of the Mediterranean diet among consumers in US, Canada, Australia and large parts Asia, EVO consumption has grown almost worldwide.In Italy olive-oil production has switched from low yields and low-input cultivation to a capital intensive farming system involving innovations of both agricultural practices and processing techniques: sensory characteristics of the product were significantly improved, changing the traditional taste from “neutral odour and flavour” and well known organoleptic features, to new complex sensory profiles. This evolution is due to the developments that have taken place in the sensory analysis of olive oil and the use of trained panel responses as a means of monitoring and guidance in the production of quality oils.Currently, agricultural research and sensory panels managed not only to identify what aspects of taste and smell are indicators of quality of the oil but also the correlation of these with the production techniques. The situation today is that consumers can find on the market EVOs characterized by well-differentiated sensory profiles. On the consumption side, however, buyers seem still to prefer neutral flavour oils with little or no personality. This aspect deserves a central position in present research on EVOs because consumer preferences risk undermining all efforts to improve the quality of the product made from the production side. In the following work, the role of sensory components in the consumers preferences of EVOs will be explicitly evaluated through an Hedonic Price model. During October 2012, a sample of 68 EVOs available on the shelf of a Supermarket belonging to one of the largest big retailers operating in Italy were bought. The 68 different EVOOs were also evaluated by a panel of expert tasters to get a precise sensory profile for each of them. The results estimation of a simultaneous two equations model well highlighted the idiosyncrasy of the consumers’ preferences towards the trained experts

Testing consumers’ acceptance for an extra-virgin olive oil with a naturally increased content in polyphenols: The case of ultrasounds extraction

Innovation is fundamental for all agri-food companies to increase competitiveness. Being extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) a traditional food product (TFP), the main obstacle to innovation is its traditional nature. This study evaluated consumers’ acceptance for an EVOO with a naturally increased content of poliphenols, as it has been extracted through ultrasounds. This product has been compared with a set of emerging innovations that may be introduced in the next future. To this end, a choice experiment was carried out bent on the estimation of a Latent Class Model (LCM). A nationally-representative sample of EVOO consumers were involved in a web-based interview. The LCM analysis highlighted three segments of consumers: (1) innovative; (2) traditionalist; (3) cautious. Results showed that there is cluster of consumers willing to accept this innovation, therefore its introduction on the market appears to be possibly successful

Testing consumers' acceptance for an extra-virgin olive oil with a naturally increased content in polyphenols: The case of ultrasounds extraction

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Short-term post release mortality of skates (family Rajidae) discarded in a western North Atlantic commercial otter trawl fishery

a b s t r a c t Due to market and regulatory factors, Rajidae skates are routinely discarded by commercial otter trawlers in the western North Atlantic. Accounting for post-release mortality is therefore essential to total fishing mortality estimates, stock status and management of this group of fishes. However, despite a presumed species-specific range in tolerance, few studies have investigated the short-term post-release mortality among skates indigenous to the western North Atlantic following capture by mobile fishing gears, and never in the Gulf of Maine. This study addresses this shortfall for the prohibited thorny skate, Amblyraja radiate and smooth skate, Malacoraja senta, and the targeted winter skate, Leucoraja ocellata, and little skate, Leucoraja erinacea. Of 1288 skates evaluated, negligible immediate mortality was observed at the time of capture, even in relation to the largest catches and/or most prolonged tows. However, injury frequency was moderate, with highest levels in the smooth (60%) and thorny (52%) skates. Aside from the smooth skate (59%), 72 h mortality rates were low overall (19% across all species when accounting tow durations indicative of the fishery), with the winter skate (8%) exhibiting the lowest levels. Logistic regression modeling revealed tow duration as the most universal predictor of condition and 72 h mortality, while catch biomass, sex, temperature changes, and animal size also held influence in certain species. Although in general the studied species appear more resilient to trawl capture and handling than previously estimated, interspecific differences must be accounted for when managing this group