Strategie di conservazione della biodiversità animale zootecnica in aree montane

WP 17/14; Domestic animal genetic resources (DAnGR) include all animal species and breeds that have been domesticated and selected during the past 10000-12000 years to provide a range of products and functions. Unfortunately, a large number of farm breeds have been lost and many more are at risk of loss. To disappear, replaced by few high-yielding and specialized animals, are local breeds. They are adapted to the local environmental and disease stresses, they need low external inputs and are able to give many different products (i.e. milk-meat-wool) and services. In few words, they are sustainable and multipurpose. Mountains are rich in local breeds that are resistant to inclement conditions of the surrounding environment, plastic enough to contribute to the self-sufficient economy of mountain communities, and preserved in genetic purity because of the geographic isolation. The research compares the strategies adopted in mountain areas for the conservation of three different sheep breeds facing extinction. Throughout deep-interviews to various actors (breeders, representatives of breeders' associations, SME, public officials, policy makers and researchers), the analysis reveals that in all case-studies the program of conservation is linked to a wider process of local development. The research highlights the factors of success or failure, it analyses the role of the different actors involved in the conservation program and the relationships among them. It describes the characteristics of those partnerships between public and private that have some prospects in the medium-long ter

A collective land tenure system with popular shareholding and sustainable agriculture

WP 21/14; The Italian land structure displays some features which make access to land difficult for many farmers, in particular young people who have not received land by intergenerational transmission and who want to engage in alternative and sustainable agriculture. In Europe, innovative experiences facilitate the leasing of land for agricultural use, promote multifunctional agriculture, organic farming and short chain and, indirectly, counteract soil consumption and loss. These are forms of collective shareholding: the companies, which have small investors as their shareholders, own the land and lease it to farmers with long-term contracts. Similar solutions are in the planning phase in Italy, but they struggle to take off because of generally unfavourable structural and regulatory conditions. This article presents a preliminary overview of these experiences, highlighting risks and opportunities related to their different characteristic

Real Option Theory and Application to the Fishery Industry. A survey of the literature

WP 08/14; This paper would be a review of the literature of the main and innovative methodologies of evaluation of real investments: the real option approach (ROA). In particular, the aim of this work is to define an optimal methodology and to select the main drivers that permit to make a more accurate evaluation of the investments in the fishery market. ROA methodology comes from the need to overtake the traditional theory of the net present value (NPV) and from the need for the management of a fishery enterprise to adapt to the future market conditions and to the competitive behavior in the changes of the fishery techniques. ROA was born from the theory of Dixit & Pyndick (1994) that started to use the models of the financial option theories in order to evaluate investments in other sectors like oil, energy, ICT, manufacturing. From a theoretical point of view, indeed, real investments are characterized by “irreversibility” and “possibility of delay” since a manager can defer, expand, abandon an initial project in different years of its own operational life. In this context, despite of the financial option models ROA has a real investment as underlying asset. If the enterprise decides to invest in a real investment it means that the enterprise exercises an option and this decision is irreversible. In the context of the Ritmare project, we would use the same methodological approach by using the evaluation of the investments in the fishery market. Our first step is to provide a review of the main papers that focus on ROA in the fishery with some empirical applications. Finally, we also try to underline the main drivers or variables of the literature that permits to use the ROA and to present a possible scheme of work to apply to the fishery market, by using data at regional or municipal leve

Il ruolo delle Politiche di formazione nel settore agricolo e forestale. Il caso Piemontese

WP 20/13; Training plays a strategic role in improving the competitiveness and the productivity of the agricultural sector. Its role is widely recognized by the European Union that encourages it through the Rural Development Program, financing training courses for agricultural and forest operators. The present working paper reports the results of a research carried out in Piedmont Region to evaluate the public agriculture training system. It explores the quality of training courses and the coherence with the training needs expressed by farmers and forest workers. In addition, it tries to reflect about public fund flows, suggesting policy implications for future actions. The methodology includes both qualitative and quantitative analysis and it is characterized by an exhaustive field research. The main results show a high satisfaction among participants, a good coherence between training offer and training needs, but also some weak points related to the management of the training system and the relationships among the several actors involve

Participatory research for sustainable agriculture: the case of the Italian agroecological rice network

Since the Green Revolution, worldwide agriculture has been characterized by a typical top – down approach. The degree of autonomy, creativity, and responsibility of farmers has been limited by the continuous external inputs of chemicals, machinery, advice, subsidies and knowledge. The issue of sustainability has brought complexity and uncertainty to this mainly linear process of innovation, steering agriculture toward alternative models. Agroecology represents an innovative paradigm of agriculture in which external inputs are minimized, and the assets of the farm are greatly valued. Agroecological production relies on the farmers ’ direct management of resources and on their active engagement in the agricultural knowledge and innovation system. This paper focuses on the experience of a group of farmers, scientists, public officials, and managers of private companies who are experimenting with agroecology in rice production in one of the most intensively farmed, profitable and environmentally sensitive areas of Italy. The partnership regularly comes together to discuss agricultural techniques and results, needs, and paths of innovation; in addition, it stimulates and takes part in research projects, following a participatory process based on co-learning and mutual responsibility. By using ethnographic methods such as direct observations and in-depth interviews, our work may contribute to understanding the role of participatory research in sustainable agriculture and what makes for good participation

The impact of Rural Development Program on the economic performances of agro-food industry: the results of a counterfactual analysis in Piedmont, Italy

WP 22/14; The purpose of this research is to compare, by means of a counterfactual analysis, the economic performance of Piedmontese agro-food enterprises in 2005-2012, period characterized by the economic crisis, in relation to whether they received fundings during the last two programming periods. In particular, the main objective is to analyse the role played by the Rural Development Programme in the agro-food businesses in Piedmont and the effects of financing on the enterprises under investigation. The results provide insights and guidelines for policy makers as well as for researchers involved in the evaluation of public policies and they can be used to elaborate effective interventions and targeted action

Kolebanja nekih indeksa rasta gospodarskih iskorištavanog sredozemnog oslića

In this paper, some life‑history estimates concerning the females of the Mediterranean hake Merluccius merluccius (L., 1758), i.e. the parameters of the von Bertalanffy growth function (L∞, K, and t0), the maximum-ever lengths (Lmax-e), and the lengths at full maturity (Lmst) were gathered from the pertinent literature and used to derive 5 growth performance indexes (K, φ’, RL=Lmst/ L∞, t50% and ω). The original datasets (n= 70) and the corresponding growth performance indexes were organized and analyzed by various geographical units (GFCM’s geographical sub‑area, GSA; GFCM’s statistical division, GD; and biological province, BP). The parameter distribution resulted to be normal only for the growth performance indexes K and RL; a significant relationship correlation was detected between K and t50%, between φ’ and ω, and between K and ω. The examination of the available historical data showed a scattered and unbalanced geographical distribution by GSA (e.g. 13 of 20 GSAs had less than 5 datasets each), a variability which was higher intra‑GSA than inter‑GSAs (as evidenced by the box‑plots) and no clear geographical trend. GD and BP presented similar patterns, with significant geographical effects only in the RL. Present results suggest that, even if geographical effects are expected, they are obscured by the uncertainty of the original parameters, especially those related to the von Bertalanffy growth function (vBGF). Consequently, growth performance indexes should be used (and interpreted) with caution.U ovom radu, iznesene su neke procjene rasta koji se odnosi na ženke sredozemnog oslića (Merluccius merluccius L., 1758) tj. parametara rasta von Bertalanffy-eve jednadžbe rasta (L∞, K, i t0), maksimalna dužina ikad postignuta (Lmx-e), te dužina u punoj zrelosti (Lmst), a koji su prikupljeni iz literature i korišteni za dobivanje 5 različitih indeksa rasta (K, φ’, RL=Lmst/L∞, t50% i ω). Originalni setovi (n = 70) i odgovarajući indeksi rasta su organizirani / sistematizirani i analizirani prema različitim geografskim jedinicama (GFCM-a zemljopisno podpodručje, GSA, GFCM-a statistička podjela, GD, te biološka pokrajina, BP). Parametar raspodjele rezultirao je normalno samo za izvedbe rasta indeksa K i RL; značajna korelacija povezanosti je utvrđena između K i t50%,, između φ ‘i ω, te između K i ω. Pregled dostupnih povijesnih podataka pokazao je raspršenu i neujednačenu geografsku raspodjelu po GSA (npr. 13 preko 20 GSAs imali su manje od 5 skupova podataka svaki), više varijabilnosti unutar GSA od međudjelovanja GSAs (o čemu svjedoči okvir box-plotova) i nejasan geografski trend. GD i BP prikazuju slične obrasce, sa značajnim geografskim učincima samo u RL. Trenutni rezultati pokazuju da, čak i ako su geografski učinci očekivani, oni su prikriveni nesigurnošću izvornih parametara, posebno onih koje se odnose na rast prikazan von Bertalanffy-evom funkcijom (vBGF), pa stoga performanse rasta indeksa treba koristiti (i interpretirati) s oprezom

Examining Researchers’ Attitudes, Barriers, and Opportunities for Participatory Research: The Case of the Riso-Biosystems Project on Organic Rice

This paper reports on the conception and implementation of a participatory approach within an agricultural research project aimed at fostering the transition towards organic in the Italian rice district. We investigate the relationships among scientists and stakeholders, exploring researchers’ attitudes, barriers, and potential in relation to participatory research. We use participant observation, in-depth interviews, and systematic cataloguing of communication documents, from the beginning to two years into project implementation, for a total period of three years. The results of the analysis show that, despite a high level of authoritative commitment to participation, scientists reveal a scarcity of knowledge and skills, and poor attitudes that come from a negative perception of participatory research. They engage in various forms of collaboration with stakeholders, as long as decision-making remains essentially in their hands. With the deep analysis of a case study, the paper contributes to the ongoing discussion on the quality of participatory agricultural research, in particular, presenting evidence on the key role of researchers and their attitudes. The paper also contributes to the development of a culture of learning by doing, through honest monitoring and evaluation, and the capacity to learn from failure

Opportunities for and Limits to Cooperation between School and Families in Sustainable Public Food Procurement

This paper describes a research project, carried out in an Italian public school, to assess whether parents were willing to take part in food procurement decisions, as well as their ability to accurately predict what foods children would pick at school lunch and their propensity to support sustainable food choices made by the school. The methodology included a questionnaire, issued to 500 parents, and an in-depth study of 138 child/parent pairs. The study comprised: (i) presentation of an innovative recipe in the weekly menu of the school canteen; (ii) meal observations of children’s intake at school lunch during the week of the menu modification; (iii) collection of both parents’ and children’s reports on their choices of recipes from the modified weekly menu. The results are commented in light of two important changes that have recently affected Italian public school food procurement: the opening of school canteens to lunches brought from home and the measures adopted since 2020 to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Both events go in the direction of delegating to parents the multifaceted role of the school in the food arena. The article concludes that the results of the study should discourage this approach