Agrochemical Contamination and Ageing Effects on Greenhouse Plastic Film for Recycling

Plastic films used for crop protection have reached notable consumption all over Europe, as well as in the rest of the world. This phenomenon however poses a serious environmental problem connected with the impact on the sustainability of agricultural production and relevant plastic footprint. Mechanical recycling of agricultural plastics is a common technique, but limited by many factors, as the loss of mechanical properties of plastic film. This phenomenon, due to its ageing after being exposed to natural weather conditions, plays a crucial role, especially when aggravated by contamination with agrochemicals ordinarily used for crop health and pest management. This article reports the result of some laboratory tests on agricultural plastic film, artificially aged for different periods and contaminated with two different agrochemicals (anti-aphid or fungicide). These results show that the impact of agrochemicals on plastic film is considerable, since it worsens the ageing process of the plastic film, conducting a more rapid reduction in its mechanical properties—mostly, a faster reduction in the elongation at break below 50% of the corresponding value of the virgin plastic film. This phenomenon, other than reducing the working life of the plastic film, gives it a low potential for being transformed into a closed-loop recycled material when entering the recycling stage. The increase in the value of the detected Carbonyl Index (CI) confirms the tendency of the material to degrade rapidly when in contact with agrochemicals, hence indicating that it may be impossible to mechanically recycle it

The implementation of a GIS as an effective tool for the valorization of typical food products from marginal areas.

The economy of marginal areas is frequently compromised by the inadequacy of the transport system, lack of co-operation between farms, and insufficient distribution of their typical products, whose valorization may be an important factor for exploiting rural tourism. In those areas, the problem that more frequently arises is the difficulty in planning land development, due to the lacking or poor knowledge and classification of every information, together with the inadequate capability to get new information and to simultaneously analyze several different data. In this paper, a GIS method has been employed for an application in land use planning with reference to an internal area of Basilicata Region (Southern Italy), well known for its typical food products (sheep and goat cheese). This GIS has been implemented, so as to match information of geographical level (terrain height, gradient, slope orientation, soil utilization, structures and infra-structures, etc.) with pasture characteristics (pasture aromatic herbs, grass percent coverage, nutritional values, etc.). It has revealed a very useful tool, allowing to individuate new areas that may be devoted to pasture, with the best characteristic and highest potential performance, able to contribute for an increase of quantity and a standardization of quality in production of “Pecorino” cheese

Photogrammetric survey of vernacular farm buildings for preserving the cultural heritage of rural landscapes

Farm buildings play a central role on the sustainability of the rural environment. Conceived to host biological productions, the farm building constitutes indeed an unparalleled example in the wide epistemological constructions sector. Due to specific human interactions with the indoor and outdoor built environment, it raises architectural and technical issues different from other buildings. The role that these buildings have historically played is strictly connected indeed with the surrounding context, due to the need of the farmer to live in close contact with agricultural land and animal husbandry. Human activities have then strongly influenced the rural environment and the visual perception of its landscape. The increasing sensitivity about the concept of sustainable development of the built environment is currently stimulating the valorisation of farm buildings. In the present article, an analysis of some specific typologies of vernacular farm buildings more representative of the Basilicata region (Italy), has been performed through photogrammetric analysis. The final results showed that a simple close-range photogrammetry survey - tailored to the needs of the agro-industrial buildings sector, which does not require expensive or sophisticated equipment - enables to catalogue this important built heritage, paving the way to its recovery for public recreation and landscape protection

Implementing a landscape information modelling (LIM) tool for planning leisure facilities and landscape protection.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is growing in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry. With the new strategy to mandate BIM, there is a need to identify its importance in architectural landscape design. It has the potential to challenge some of the limitations of designing, constructing and managing the built environment. Using BIM tools and applications, landscape analysis can be explored, developed and documented for design, planning and organization as well. This application, known as Landscape Information Modelling (LIM), may store object information such as: irrigation pipelines; areas allocated to specific plants; list of different plants involved in landscape projects; etc. Annotations used in landscape drawings would be accompanied by information attached to it. In this paper, a first application of LIM aimed to landscape protection has been implemented, so as to help in planning leisure facilities. Indeed, with many details involved, it can also be used to store data for landscape architects, who would easily develop and organize detailed information. Hence, with the ability for simulation and visualization, they should be able to produce detailed plans, walk-through animations and renderings for presentation, while exploring the scope and nature of work and making informed decision at early design stages

Agrochemical contamination and ageing effects on greenhouse plastic film for recycling

Polymers are employed in agriculture in several applications, the most efficient and fruitful of which is the protection of cultivations through the use of cover placed over plants while they are growing, providing protection from climatic factors, while at the same time increasing yield and/or extending the cropping season. Plastic films used for covering greenhouses, low and medium tunnel and for soil mulching have reached very notable consumptions all over Europe as well as the rest of the World, posing an important environmental problem connected with the impact that plastic material has on the sustainability of the agricultural production, whose environmental footprint may be deteriorated. Recycling agricultural plastics is a common technique, but it has not yet solved the problem of their re-use in the framework of a circular economy, since many factors are still anyway limiting the mechanical recycling of agricultural plastic materials. Among these limiting factors, the loss of mechanical properties of plastic film, due to its ageing after being exposed to direct solar radiation plays a crucial role, mostly if aggravated by the contamination with agrochemicals ordinarily used for crop health and pest management. In the present paper, the results of some laboratory tests on agricultural plastic film artificially aged for different periods contaminated with two different agrochemicals, are reported. These results have showed that the impact of agrochemicals on the plastic film is considerable already in the use-phase, so when entering the recycling stage, the material carries a low potential for being transformed into a closed-loop recycled material. The results in terms of Carbonyl Index (CI) have confirmed the tendency of the material to degrade rapidly when in contact with anti-aphid or fungicide contaminants. The samples sprayed with agrochemicals experience a considerable increase in CI values after 4 weeks of ageing, which makes impossible the mechanical recycling of this material

New curricula and teaching programmes on sustainable agriculture: the “SAGRI” Project.

In the European Union almost 50% of the territory is covered by farmland, which means that agriculture plays a key role in land management, having also a huge responsibility in the preservation of natural resources. In order to practice a sustainable agriculture, farmers and other agricultural operators must adopt correct and environmentally-friendly practices, using appropriate technology and complying with relevant regulations. Recent developments in science and technology are however still unfortunately unutilized in many situations even since - as a recent survey conducted for the European Commission revealed - only 17% of farmers has finished a basic or full training specifically focused on agriculture-related disciplines. In the present paper, the main results achieved so far by the European Project: “Skills Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture - SAGRI” are presented. SAGRI is a project financed by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission aimed to give a decisive answer to the request of better trained farmers, agricultural workers and extension staff, thanks to structuring specific courses aimed to increase their knowledge, competence and skills in the field of agro-environmental technology for sustainable agriculture. Through the institution of suitable concerted and standardized study curricula and relevant teaching programmes, the SAGRI Project is aimed to increase the technological level for agricultural operators, then promoting their employment as well

Planning through a GIS the potential recovery of rural buildings for the development of new forms of tourism hospitality

The results of the territorial analysis on an agricultural area located in the Province of Matera (Southern Italy) with significant historical and natural interest, (i.e., the “San Giuliano” protected area) are here reported. The study has been focused on the census of farm buildings and related rural infrastructures in this area, even though most of them are currently in a state of abandonment. Indeed, through their potential static and functional recovery - which appears technically feasible, given their intrinsic architectural and structural attributes – they would be re-considered, even owing to the progressively growing tourist vocation of this area, leaded by the attractive role that the City of Matera is currently playing. This analysis has been conducted through the implementation of a Geographical Information System (GIS), associated with detailed survey techniques and dendrochronology analysis of the existing wooden construction elements. Thus, it has been possible to conclude how an adequately supported process of analysis and planning of territory can reveal as a valid tool to be used in decision-making dynamics. This recovery and reuse process would be especially valuable, if conceived in a perspective of new fruition purposes, such as those leading to the achievement of an increased diffused tourist hospitality

Valorization of an old sheep trail as a new opportunity for sustainable public recreation: a case study in southern Italy.

Within the valorization process of rural landscape for public recreation, an increasing interest is currently registered on ancient sheep-tracks. Indeed, these paths constitute the historical infrastructure of the transhumance system, that covered all over Europe thousands of kilometers, forming the routes of shepherds, merchants, warriors and pilgrims. In Italy, these tracks - known as “tratturi“ - are landscape-bound, while the practice of transhumance has recently been included in the intangible UNESCO World Heritage. In addition to their cultural and scenic value, today some old sheep-tracks are being rediscovered as new rural hiking trails. However, they present some technical drawbacks, that make them barely usable by tourists for walking in the nature. Taking as a case study an old sheep-track connecting the two cities of Matera and Montescaglioso (Basilicata Region - Southern Italy), a GIS approach was applied, to evaluate the possibilities to use this path as an hiking trail, highlighting the difficulties to be solved for its valorization. The final results showed how, thanks to a GIS tool, it is possible to compare different types of data, from historical to modern ones, so relating the route with all elements of tourist interest, evaluating its potential for excursion purposes as well

A GIS-based approach to monitor and assess historical forest landscape evolution

In order to assess landscape dynamics, as well as the effectiveness of relevant management strategies, it is necessary to develop monitoring systems based on qualitative and quantitative tools for its conservation, valorisation and restoration. This approach is particularly important for historical rural landscapes having a recognized ecological and cultural value. To do this, it is first necessary to apply a chronological methodology since, by definition, landscapes result from an interaction of natural and anthropogenic factors over time. Thanks to the constant evolution of Geographic Information Systems and of different geodata available, the monitoring of historical landscapes is increasingly effective and inclusive. Using as a case study an historical forest landscape recognized at Italian level for its high value (Lucanian Apennines’s beech forest - Basilicata Region), a diachronic analysis was applied to evaluate its multi-temporal evolution. Starting from historical cartographies up to Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, a GIS-based approach was implemented to evaluate the spatial variations of forest cover in this landscape. The techniques applied have allowed to reconstruct the original structure of the beech forests, useful for a possible restoration in some areas, but also to monitor the processes in place by using vegetation indices derived from remote sensing

Integrating remote-sensed and historical geodata to assess interactions between rural buildings and agroforestry land

The rural built heritage constitutes a unique example, due to architectural and technical issues, which plays a central role in the formation of rural landscape. In this research, interactions between rural buildings and the surrounding land have been examined. Two case studies exemplifying some of typical dynamics of some internal mountain areas of Mediterranean region have been considered. These areas are located in Basilicata Region (Southern Italy) and suffer from land and rural buildings heritage abandonment, as well as from the concurrent disappearance of agroforestry systems with high ecological value. A multi-chronological geo-database incorporating different land cover datasets over a period of 62 years (1955–1988–2008–2017) has been implemented into a GIS to assess relationships between some rural buildings and the surrounding land have been then assessed. This has been achieved by integrating different types of remote-sensed geodata: historical aerial photos, digital orthophotos and satellite images. The analyses carried out have shown that the intensity of land abandonment can also be related to the type of rural building and prevalent agricultural activity. Moreover, thanks to this methodology, it has been possible to produce several spatial information useful to support public decisionmakers at different level