Tourists’ Preferences for Alpine Pastures Maintenance

Traditional extensive agriculture is the main factor of landscape management in the mountains: a large part of the Alps is modelled by agriculture. Interpreted as a multifunctional activity, including landscape modelling and maintenance, agriculture generates the conditions under which mountain pasture landscape is an economic resource potentially exploitable by tourism. The aim of this work is to draw the profiles of tourists of mountain pastures and to estimate their Willingness to Pay (WTP)for landscape pastures resilience. The innovation of this work lies in the use of a multivariate approach using Contingent Valuation Method (CVM), Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA). The analysis obtained three clusters that identify different tourists’ profiles. The main result is the existence of a positive WTP for the permanence of pasture systems with an agricultural management. Policy guidelines have been proposed to institutions owning pastures and huts to manage these assets

Integrating remote sensing and census information for land securing in Nord Kivu, DRC.

Land disputes are considered both key sources and perpetuating factors of conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Existing literature demonstrates that remote sensing (RS) is a useful tool for systematically monitor the spatial-temporal land use/land cover dynamics in many regions of the world. For this reason, in this paper we propose a methodology for the integration of different sources of information, namely satellite imagery and census information, in order to set up a Spatial Decision Support System aimed at Multi-Criteria Evaluation of potential pilot sites for agricultural development and refugees resettlement

Land use change and agriculture role in managing green spaces: a methodology for land use change analyses

Land consumption is currently one of the major problems affecting green spaces, natural or agricultural. This issue is very important both for agricultural system functionality and, consequently, for its permanence. This paper proposes an analyzing tool of land use changes to support planning policies, in order to highlight the major determinants of land use that affect the permanence of agricultural activity. The case studies are Lodi, Milan and Monza Brianza Provinces, in Lombardy Region. One of the most important results are that exogenous variables, like population density or real estate value of residential buildings, are the most influencing agricultural land loss.Land consumption is currently one of the major problems affecting green spaces, natural or agricultural. This issue is very important both for agricultural system functionality and, consequently, for its permanence. This paper proposes an analyzing tool of land use changes to support planning policies, in order to highlight the major determinants of land use that affect the permanence of agricultural activity. The case studies are Lodi, Milan and Monza Brianza Provinces, in Lombardy Region. One of the most important results are that exogenous variables, like population density or real estate value of residential buildings, are the most influencing agricultural land loss

Prospects for improving gravity-fed surface irrigation systems in Mediterranean European contexts

Traditionally, most irrigation practices in Southern Europe have been based on gravity-fed surface irrigation systems. Currently, these systems remain a relevant typology in the European Union (EU) member states of the Mediterranean areas, where it is often the only sustainable method for farmers due to the small size of agricultural holdings, their reduced capacity and readiness to invest and the low ratio between yield profits and irrigation costs. In the last several years, in response to European and national directives, surface irrigation has garnered increasing attention at the political and bureaucratic levels due to frequent criticisms of its postulated low efficiency and high water wastage. However, these systems commonly provide a number of ecosystem services and nature-based solutions that increase the positive externalities in different rural socio-ecological contexts and often have the potential to extend these services and provide solutions that are compatible with economical sustainability. This study aims to discuss the prospects for new practices and for the rehabilitation and modernization of the gravity-fed surface irrigation systems in EU Mediterranean areas to enhance water efficiency, thus gaining both economic advantages and environmental benefits. The difficulties, stimuli for improvements and peculiarities of the irrigation water management of four rural environments located in Italy, Spain and Portugal were analyzed and compared to the current state of the gravity-fed surface irrigation systems with hypothetical future improvements achievable by innovative technologies and practices. In these different case studies, the current gravity-fed surface irrigation systems have an obsolete regulatory structure; water-use efficiency is not a driving criterion for the management of the conveyance and distribution canal network, and farmers are not yet adequately encouraged to adopt more efficient gravity-fed irrigation practices. A continuous knowledge exchange is thus necessary for the interaction of all irrigation water managers and farmers to improve their eco-efficiency and to preserve and promote their cultural heritage across the entire water supply and delivery chains. We argue that the best way forward will require precisely targeted rehabilitation measures of gravity-fed surface irrigation systems based on the integrated use of decision support services, gate automation, remote and feedback controls and real-time flow optimization

Understanding the molecular determinants driving the immunological specificity of the protective pilus 2a backbone protein of Group B Streptococcus

The pilus 2a backbone protein (BP-2a) is one of the most structurally and functionally characterized components of a potential vaccine formulation against Group B Streptococcus. It is characterized by six main immunologically distinct allelic variants, each inducing variant-specific protection. To investigate the molecular determinants driving the variant immunogenic specificity of BP-2a, in terms of single residue contributions, we generated six monoclonal antibodies against a specific protein variant based on their capability to recognize the polymerized pili structure on the bacterial surface. Three mAbs were also able to induce complement-dependent opsonophagocytosis killing of live GBS and target the same linear epitope present in the structurally defined and immunodominant domain D3 of the protein. Molecular docking between the modelled scFv antibody sequences and the BP-2a crystal structure revealed the potential role at the binding interface of some non-conserved antigen residues. Mutagenesis analysis confirmed the necessity of a perfect balance between charges, size and polarity at the binding interface to obtain specific binding of mAbs to the protein antigen for a neutralizing response

Agricultural Land Consumption in Developed Countries

The amount of agricultural land available in developed countries is decreasing by a degree which may profoundly affect in the long term the food security. This paper reports a quantitative investigation of the factors that contribute to this decrease, by analysing 30 countries during the period 1995-2009. The panel data analysis suggests that a variety of phenomena are associated with the decline in agricultural land: a high level of gross domestic product, an increase in the size of urban areas and transport networks, and an increase in agricultural productivity. This last factor is linked to the abandonment of the least productive plots of land and to its conversion to forest. In contrast, an higher quality of institutions is associated with a reduction in the rate of cropland loss. This suggests that a qualitative growth in institutional quality determines a greater attention to agricultural land as a resource for the supply of food products and environmental services