Application of a comprehensive methodology for the evaluation of social innovations in rural communities

open4noThis project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under Grant Agreement No. 677622 (H2020 SIMRA–Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas–Project).Despite the growing interest in social innovation (SI) in agriculture, the literature lacks validated tools for evaluating such initiatives. This paper provides an empirical application of the evaluation approach developed within the H2020 SIMRA project to a pilot experience conducted in a rural area of Southern Italy. The value added by this case study is the application of the five types of criteria used by the OECD for the evaluation of development programs, which are commonly referred to as REEIS: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability. This experiment demonstrates the adequacy of the evaluation framework in identifying strengths and weaknesses of the initiative, according to a multifaceted perspective. The overall evaluation proves that most indicators fall under the high (48%) and medium categories (36%), and only few indicators are low (16%). The usefulness of the evaluation results is manifold. First, this evaluation highlights relevant arguments to support the communication strategy addressed at civil society, therefore reinforcing the civic engagement of the initiative, which is the distinctive feature of SI. Second, it supports project managers in addressing interventions to face emerging weaknesses. Finally, the evaluation provides factual evidence to policy makers to perform cost-effective analysis of rural development policies.openBaselice A.; Prosperi M.; Marini Govigli V.; Lopolito A.Baselice A.; Prosperi M.; Marini Govigli V.; Lopolito A

Social innovation for developing sustainable solutions in a fisheries sector

In this paper, we explore how social innovation can provide a range of ecosystem services to local people while supporting public policies and private sector initiatives in delivering successful and innovative food distribution channels. In the Mediterranean basin, the status of commercial fish stocks is critical. In this sense, small-scale, lowimpact fishing is a way to sustainably utilise socially innovative practices in the use of natural assets and to provide support to rural livelihoods while having minimal impacts on the marine environment. We use an innovative evaluation method, based on the integration of qualitative information with quantitative indicators, to assess social innovation initiatives and their impacts. The use of the methodology is demonstrated on the example of the project A Box of Sea, Greece. The results obtained show that this social initiative provides a novel food consumption and distribution model aiming at making low impact fishing more economically viable, and therefore achieving a triple sustainability for the sector (environmental, social, and economic). We identify third sector social innovation schemes as key tools to develop novel distribution systems supporting local communities (providing employment, fostering new networks and collaborations across fishers), while improving governance practices of the current fishing sector by creating a fairer market that protects the marine environment. Our findings provide a foundation upon which future evaluations of similar projects can build and compare. Such comparisons are crucial in determining patterns related to the innovation transfer processes

Carlina acaulis and Trachyspermum ammi essential oils formulated in protein baits are highly toxic and reduce aggressiveness in the medfly, Ceratitis capitata

Essential oil (EO)-based botanical insecticides are considered a promising option for Integrated Pest Management (IPM). However, the sublethal effects of EO-based insecticides are understudied. No information is available on the potential effects of EO exposure on insect aggressive traits. In this study, the toxicity of two EOs with documented efficacy on insect vectors and agricultural pests, and which were obtained from the roots of silver thistle (Carlina acaulis L., Asteraceae) and seeds (i.e. schizocarps) of ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague, Apiaceae), was evaluated against adults of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (medfly), a cosmopolitan frugivorous pest. Both EOs were formulated in a mucilaginous solution containing sucrose and hydrolyzed proteins, suitable for “attract and kill” tests. After testing the EO ingestion toxicity on medflies, lethal concentrations LC10, and LC30 were calculated. Behavioral tests were carried out to assess the effect of EO feeding on the medfly aggressive traits. Both EOs formulated in protein baits showed promising insecticidal activity on medflies. Lethal concentrations 50 (LC50) of C. acaulis and T. ammi EOs were 1094 ppm and 3963 ppm, respectively. Medflies fed on protein baits treated with EO LC10 and LC30 showed a significant reduction in the overall abundance of aggressive interactions at the population level, as well as shorter aggression duration over control flies. Concerning aggression scores, no differences were found between treated and control flies. This study underlines the promising potential of C. acaulis and T. ammi EOs for the development of eco-friendly formulations to be used in medfly “attract and kill” approaches. It also outlined how exploiting food sources contaminated by low EO concentrations can strongly impact medfly aggressiveness, which is of key importance for the successful reproduction of this important fruit pest

Quantifying the conservation value of Sacred Natural Sites

Many have asserted that Sacred Natural Sites (SNS) play an important role in nature protection but few have assessed their conservation effectiveness for different taxa. We studied sacred groves in Epirus, NW Greece, where a large number of such SNS have been identified. Based on historical, ethnographic and ecological criteria, we selected eight of these groves and matching control sites and in them we studied fungi, lichens, herbaceous plants, woody plants, nematodes, insects, bats and passerine birds. Our results reveal that the contribution of SNS to species conservation is nuanced by taxon, vegetation type and management history. We found that the sacred groves have a small conservation advantage over the corresponding control sites. More specifically, there are more distinct sets of organisms amongst sacred groves than amongst control sites, and overall biodiversity, diversity per taxonomic group, and numbers of species from the European SCI list (Species of Community Interest) are all marginally higher in them. Conservationists regard the often small size of SNS as a factor limiting their conservation value. The sizes of SNS around the globe vary greatly, from a few square meters to millions of hectares. Given that those surveyed by us (ranging from 5 to 116 ha) are at the lower end of this spectrum, the small conservation advantage that we testified becomes important. Our results provide clear evidence that even small-size SNS have considerable conservation relevance; they would contribute most to species conservation if incorporated in networks

Carlina acaulis and Trachyspermum ammi essential oils formulated in protein baits are highly toxic and reduce aggressiveness in the medfly, Ceratitis capitata

Essential oil (EO)-based botanical insecticides are considered a promising option for Integrated Pest Management (IPM). However, the sublethal effects of EO-based insecticides are understudied. No information is available on the potential effects of EO exposure on insect aggressive traits. In this study, the toxicity of two EOs with documented efficacy on insect vectors and agricultural pests, and which were obtained from the roots of silver thistle (Carlina acaulis L., Asteraceae) and seeds (i.e. schizocarps) of ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague, Apiaceae), was evaluated against adults of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (medfly), a cosmopolitan frugivorous pest. Both EOs were formulated in a mucilaginous solution containing sucrose and hydrolyzed proteins, suitable for "attract and kill" tests. After testing the EO ingestion toxicity on medflies, lethal concentrations LC10, and LC30 were calculated. Behavioral tests were carried out to assess the effect of EO feeding on the medfly aggressive traits. Both EOs formulated in protein baits showed promising insecticidal activity on medflies. Lethal concentrations 50 (LC50) of C. acaulis and T. ammi EOs were 1094 ppm and 3963 ppm, respectively. Medflies fed on protein baits treated with EO LC10 and LC30 showed a significant reduction in the overall abundance of aggressive interactions at the population level, as well as shorter aggression duration over control flies. Concerning aggression scores, no differences were found between treated and control flies. This study underlines the promising potential of C. acaulis and T. ammi EOs for the development of eco-friendly formulations to be used in medfly “attract and kill” approaches. It also outlined how exploiting food sources contaminated by low EO concentrations can strongly impact medfly aggressiveness, which is of key importance for the successful reproduction of this important fruit pest

Exploring evolving spiritual values of forests in Europe and Asia: a transition hypothesis toward re-spiritualizing forests

The development of societies, including spiritual development, is closely connected to forests. The larger interrelations among changing societies, transforming forest landscapes, and evolving spiritual values related to forests have yet to be extensively considered. Addressing this research gap is important to avoid the neglect of spiritual values in forest policy and management. Our exploratory study investigates spiritual values of forests from European and Asian perspectives, assessing 13 countries. Based on expert knowledge from 18 interdisciplinary experts, we first define forest spiritual values (forest spirituality). We then elaborate on the idea that forest spirituality evolves as societies and landscapes change, and propose a transition hypothesis for forest spirituality. We identify indicators and drivers and portray four stages of such a transition using country-specific examples. We find that during a first stage (“nature is powerful”), forest spirituality is omnipresent through the abundance of sacred natural sites and practices of people who often directly depend on forests for their livelihoods. An alternative form of spirituality is observed in the second stage (“taming of nature”). Connected to increasing transformation of forest landscapes and intensifying land-use practices, “modern” religions guide human–nature interrelations. In a third stage (“rational management of nature”), forest spirituality is overshadowed by planned rational forest management transforming forests into commodities for the economy, often focusing on provisioning ecosystem services. During a fourth stage (“reconnecting with nature”), a revival of forest spirituality (re-spiritualization) can be observed due to factors such as urbanization and individualizing spirituality. Our core contribution is in showing the connections among changing forest perceptions, changing land-use governance and practices, and changing forest spirituality. Increasing the understanding of this relationship holds promise for supporting forest policy-making and management in addressing trade-offs between spiritual values and other aspects of forests

Can social innovation make a change in European and Mediterranean marginalized areas?:social innovation impact assessment in agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and rural development

Abstract Social innovation (SI) impacts are long-term changes that affect different dimensions of territorial capital (i.e., economy, society, environment, governance) for the territory in which SI occurs. Yet, systematic empirical evidence and theoretically sound assessments of the impacts of SI are scarce. This paper aims to fill the gap and assess the different aspects of SI’s impacts in European and Mediterranean areas that are characterized by marginalization processes. To assess the impacts of SI in marginalized areas, we use the evaluation framework developed within the Social Innovation in Marginalized Rural Areas (SIMRA) Horizon 2020 project and apply it to nine SI initiatives related to the fields of agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and rural development. Our findings show that SI produces cross-sectoral (societal, economic, environmental, and governmental) and multi-level impacts (on individuals, community, and society), which have improved the societal well-being, and contributed to the reduction of certain forms of marginality, mainly inside the territory in which SI occurred

Manual on Innovative Methods to Assess Social Innovation and its Impacts. Deliverable 4.3, Social Innovation in Marginalized Rural Areas Project (SIMRA)

Deliverable 4.3 is the final output of a very complex process which aimed at a progressive and incremental improvement of the set of methods, used in the SIMRA project, for evaluating Social Innovation in marginalized rural areas and its impacts. The process of developing and finalising the set of methods has involved almost all of the project partners and lasted approximately 20 calendar months. The process has enabled a detailed refinement of the set of methods, leading to this final output. This Deliverable is divided into 2 parts: PART I \u2013 MOVING FROM THE PRELIMINARY TO THE FINAL SET OF METHODS, provides an explanation of the process of revision based on feedback collected from their empirical applications and the principal changes made to the preliminary set to reach this final version. PART II \u2013 THE SIMRA MANUAL FOR THE EVALUATION OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN MARGINALIZED RURAL AREAS, consists of an empirically tested, practicable, and usable version of a comprehensive Manual. It guides evaluators and other interested users through the steps needed for carrying out in practice an evaluation of social innovation initiatives and their impacts in marginalised rural areas