Food system resilience during COVID-19 pandemic: The case of roman solidarity purchasing groups

The restriction measures linked to the COVID-19 shock suddenly highlighted the vulnerability of most socioeconomic systems, including the food sector. In a context in which the limitation to the movement of people and goods has put the longer and more structured supply chains in serious difficulty, many experiences and initiatives have emerged as viable alternatives. The aim of the research was to understand if and how the Solidarity Purchasing Groups (SPG) of Rome have contributed to the resilience of the food system of the metropolitan city during the lockdown. The research was based on the results of a questionnaire administered to the SPGs of Rome during the first period of the pandemic (April-July 2020), enriched by some in-depth interviews carried out by the authors. What emerged was that, despite the limited extent in terms of products conveyed within the whole food system, the SPGs represented an important food supply channel during the lockdown period, for two main reasons: a greater flexibility and agility in moving and in handling goods and the possibility of remunerating local farms, contributing to the resilience of the local agri-food fabric. The analysis of the results confirms the strong vitality of such Food Movements in Rome and, at the same time, allows for the identification of a series of interventions that the institutions could adopt to favor the spread of a food environment more compatible with more sustainable and fairer forms of food production and distribution

Causal inference on the impact of nutrition policies using observational data

We discuss the state-of-the-art in the application of quasi-experimental methods to estimate the impact of nutrition policies based on observational data. This field of application is less mature compared to other settings, especially labour and health policy, as food economists have started to implement widely counterfactual methods only over the last decade. We review the underlying assumptions behind the most prominent methods, when they can be regarded as credible and if/when they can be tested. We especially focus on the problem of dealing with unobserved confounding factors, emphasizing recent evidence on the limitations of propensity score methods, and the hard task of convincing reviewers about the quality of instrumental variables. We discuss the application of Difference-in-Difference, with an emphasis on its potential in consumer panel data applications, and how results from Regression Discontinuity Design studies should be interpreted. Finally, we cover the estimation of counterfactual outcomes using structural methods and provide an overview of recent developments and current gaps

Consumers’ preferences for biodiversity in vineyards: A choice experiment on wine

In recent years consumers\u2019 concerns regarding the environmental impact of food production has significantly increased, also due to food sustainability, food safety and food security issues. A number of certification systems for environmental-friendly products have been created e.g. water-saving labels and fishery sustainable labels. Among various environmental issues, the protection of biodiversity has recently gained popularity both in public opinion and in scientific debate. This paper describes the results of a Choice Experiment on wine consumers to estimate their willingness to pay for biodiversity conservation practices in vineyards. The survey was conducted by direct interviews at a wine tasting event in an Italian winery located at Montefano (Marche). The results show that consumers are willing to pay a premium price for wine certification that takes into account biodiversity not only for medium-high price wines, but also for low-price wines. Finally, quality of wine and organic certification remain important attributes in wine purchasing choices related to expensive wines

Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) : determinants for consumer and farmer participation in Lombardy, Italy

Scaling up supply chains in the interest of cost-effectiveness has led to an increasing disconnection between producers and consumers in today\u2019s globalised food system. This paper assesses the agricultural and territorial drivers that influence the development of Alternative Food Networks (AFNs), where consumers and producers act together, by implementing an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression. The analysis was carried out at a municipal scale in Lombardy, in northern Italy. The territorial characteristics of the local areas were less important in explaining the level of consumer and producer participation in the alternative food networks, rather than the specific factors related to the agricultural sector

Prioritising CAP intervention needs: An improved cumulative voting approach

The process to define the 2023–2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is underway. The implementation model governing the process requires each EU Member State to design a National Strategic Plan to deliver operational actions exploiting the synergies under the two pillars of the policy. Each Plan must be built from an evidence-based needs assessment that undergoes rigorous prioritisation and planning to create comprehensive, integrated, and achievable interventions. In Italy, the success of this planning process requires all interested stakeholders to generate options for the regional authorities who plan, manage, and legislate agricultural activities. This research proposes a decision-making technique, based on the cumulative voting approach, that can be used effectively when multiple persons from different backgrounds and perspectives are engaged in problem-solving and needs prioritisation. The results indicate that the model can be applied both theoretically and practically to prioritise Strategic Plan needs that involve national and regional authorities. Validation of the model allows it to be used in the next consultative processes and for expansion to socioeconomic stakeholders

Rural development policies and land use change : the Lombardy case study

Since the second half of last century the land use change has become one of the most important problem linked to territorial policies and governance. In all the Europe farms plays an important role against the increasing urbanization in the urban but also in the rural areas. The Rural Development Program (RDP) is one of the most important tools to support agriculture, as it must support farms through direct funding concerning competitiveness, sustainability, diversification. The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the RDP measure for modernizing farms, their permanence on the territory and land consumption in a case study area, by the Propensity score matching technique. The analyse shows a link between agricultural land consumption and presence of the measure 121 of RDP

Le reti alimentari locali come chiave strategica per la resilienza urbana post COVID: riflessioni sul tema

La pandemia causata dal Covid-19 sta provocando una crisi sanitaria ed economica globale che si potrebbe configurare come un momento di svolta nel percorso di sviluppo a livello planetario. La crisi infatti ha reso maggiormente visibili alcune criticità riguardanti l’attuale sentiero di sviluppo sotto il profilo ambientale, sociale ed economico. Le città e il cibo sono stati al centro di questa crisi evidenziando allo stesso tempo problemi strutturali ma anche processi e pratiche – spesso spontanei – che possono configurarsi come strategie di resilienza