A low cost mobile mapping system (LCMMS) for field data acquisition: a potential use to validate aerial/satellite building damage assessment

Among the major natural disasters that occurred in 2010, the Haiti earthquake was a real turning point concerning the availability, dissemination and licensing of a huge quantity of geospatial data. In a few days several map products based on the analysis of remotely sensed data-sets were delivered to users. This demonstrated the need for reliable methods to validate the increasing variety of open source data and remote sensing-derived products for crisis management, with the aim to correctly spatially reference and interconnect these data with other global digital archives. As far as building damage assessment is concerned, the need for accurate field data to overcome the limitations of both vertical and oblique view satellite and aerial images was evident. To cope with the aforementioned need, a newly developed Low-Cost Mobile Mapping System (LCMMS) was deployed in Port-au-Prince (Haiti) and tested during a five-day survey in FebruaryMarch 2010. The system allows for acquisition of movies and single georeferenced frames by means of a transportable device easily installable (or adaptable) to every type of vehicle. It is composed of four webcams with a total field of view of about 180 degrees and one Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, with the main aim to rapidly cover large areas for effective usage in emergency situations. The main technical features of the LCMMS, the operational use in the field (and related issues) and a potential approach to be adopted for the validation of satellite/aerial building damage assessments are thoroughly described in the articl

Семейные фермы в Республике Молдова: социальный амортизатор или экономический двигатель? Оценка на основе опроса

After obtaining independence from the USSR in 1991, the Republic of Moldova carried out an insider privatization of the land belonging to former Soviet collective farms. As a result, almost 900,000 small family farms emerged, the majority of whom are still active today. Although they play an important socioeconomic role, policy makers neglect them as a residual, shrinking phenomenon. By adopting the theoretical perspective of peasant economics, this dissertation aims at assessing the health status of these farms over ten years after the land reform, and their evolution over time. Data from an original mixed quantitative and qualitative survey carried out on a sample of 126 farms in spring 2015, and the databases of the Household Budget Survey for the period 2006-2013 are used. The main drivers of farmers’ livelihood choices are identified by means of a 31-item Likert scale, and a comprehensive picture of the typical family farm is drawn. Farms are then grouped according to land size, level of commercialization and location, and their evolution over time is analyzed by means of Markov transition chains and multinomial logistic regressions. A focus on production strategies follows. Finally, the impact of agriculture on poverty levels and the implications of alternative livelihood choices are assessed by means of counterfactual incomes and life levels calculated through propensity score matching. It emerges that families were allocated land plots without the tools for working them. Therefore, they adopt low-input, labour-intensive production strategies and are mainly subsistence-oriented. Farm income, although small, plays a key role in relieving vulnerable people from poverty, so that land is a fundamental social buffer. Moreover, home food production is important for social and self-appraisal. For these reasons, an agricultural development strategy based on farm intensification rather than growth and on leasing rather than sale of land is proposed.Dopo l’indipendenza dall’URSS (1991), la Moldavia ha privatizzato le terre delle fattorie collettive distribuendo voucher ai lavoratori. Questo processo ha generato circa 900.000 piccole aziende familiari, in maggioranza ancora attive. Benché rivestano un’importante funzione socioeconomica, queste sono trattate dalle istituzioni come un fenomeno residuale e in esaurimento. Adottando il punto di vista della peasant economy, questa tesi si ripropone di valutarne lo stato di salute a distanza di oltre dieci anni dalla riforma agraria. A tal fine, vengono utilizzati i dati raccolti dall’autore attraverso un’indagine realizzata nella primavera 2015 su un campione di 126 famiglie e le banche dati dell’Indagine sui Redditi delle Famiglie per il 2006-2013. In primo luogo, si identificano le motivazioni degli agricoltori e viene presentata una descrizione densa della tipica famiglia contadina. Successivamente, queste sono raggruppate secondo la terra posseduta, il livello di commercializzazione e la posizione geografica, e la loro evoluzione è analizzata usando matrici di transizione di Markov ed equazioni logistiche multinomiali. Segue un focus sulle strategie di produzione. Infine, l’impatto dell’agricoltura sulla povertà e le implicazioni di diverse strategie di sopravvivenza sono analizzati attraverso i redditi teorici calcolati con il propensity score matching. Emerge che le famiglie hanno ricevuto la terra ma non i mezzi per lavorarla, per cui sono costrette ad adottare tecniche di produzione ad alta intensità di lavoro e bassa intensità di capitale, e producono quasi esclusivamente per l’autoconsumo. Il reddito agricolo aiuta le famiglie vulnerabili a combattere la povertà, per cui la terra rappresenta uno strumento di welfare. Inoltre, la capacità di produrre cibo e la proprietà terriera sono motivo di autorealizzazione e generano considerazione sociale. Per questi motivi, si suggerisce una strategia di sviluppo agricolo che punti sull’intensificazione della produzione piuttosto che sulla concentrazione della proprietà e che agevoli l’affitto delle terre piuttosto che la loro vendita.После провозглашения в 1991 году независимости, Республика Молдова провела процесс приватизации земли принадлежащей бывшим советским колхозам. Таким образом, появились почти 900.000 небольших семейных ферм, из которых многие ещё функционируют. Несмотря на то, что эти фермы играют важную социально-экономическую роль, законодатели пренебрегают ими, так как видят в них устаревший феномен, который скоро исчезнет. Приняв точку зрения теории крестьянского хозяйства, эта диссертация посвящена оценке состояния здоровья семейных хозяйств, за десять лет после принятия земельной реформы, и их эволюции во времени. Были использованы данные, собранные с помощью опроса, проведённого автором весной 2015 на образце 126 семей и базы данных Обследования Бюджетов Домашних хозяйств на 2006-2013 годы. Прежде всего, была выявлена мотивация фермеров с помощью 31 – балльной шкале Лайкерта, а также была представлена всеобъемлющая картина типичной семейной фермы. Затем, фермы были сгруппированы в соответствии с размером земельного участка, уровнем коммерциализации и географическим расположением. Их эволюция анализирована с помощью Марковских переходных цепей и мультиноминальных логистических регрессий. Следует анализ сфокусированный на стратегиях производства. Также анализируется, с помощью теоретических доходов которые были выявлены с использованием методологий propensity score matching, влияние сельского хозяйства на уровень бедности и последствия различных стратегий выживания. Выясняется, что семьям были выделены земельные участки без инструментов для обрабатывания их, поэтому они вынуждены выбрать для себя методы производства которые включают в себя интенсивные трудовые показатели при маленьких затрат и производят почти исключительно для собственного потребления. Доходы от семейных ферм, даже если они маленькие, играют ключевую роль в освобождении уязвимых групп населения от бедности, таким образом, земля является основным социальным амортизатором. Кроме того, производство домашних продуктов и владение землёй являются причиной для самореализации и порождает социальную позитивную оценку. По этим причинам, предлагается стратегия развития сельского хозяйство которое обратит внимание больше на интенсификации производства чем на увеличения размера земельных участков в собственности и на способствования арендования земли, а не на её продажу

Soy Expansion, Environment, and Human Development: An Analysis across Brazilian Municipalities

In the last decades, Brazil has become one of the largest soybean producers and exporters in the world. Although dedicated policies have been implemented since the 1960s, the recent rapid transition towards an agricultural system largely based on soy has had a strong impact on the country’s socio-economic structure—not only in terms of land and labour markets but also on its diverse ecosystems. According to the extant literature, soy has had a beneficial impact on local human development, measured by the human development index (HDI) of the municipalities. However, there is a lack of empirical studies assessing the impact of soy expansion on the single dimensions of the HDI (longevity, education, and income) to disentangle the indirect effects of socio-environmental change while controlling for other local dynamics. To fill this gap, we applied econometric methods to a novel dataset combining municipal-level data on soy production with socio-economic and environmental data for the period 1991–2010. Our findings confirm the positive relation between soy expansion and the HDI at local level, but this relation differs between different HDI dimensions. The marginal benefits of soy expansion are increasing for the income dimension but decreasing for education and longevity. On the other hand, changes in soy productivity (a proxy for agricultural intensification) have a more complex impact on the HDI and its dimensions, but in general its marginal benefits are decreasing over time. Further research could expand the time series once more up-to-date information becomes available.Peer reviewe

Model integration. Integrated socio-economic model on food waste

The model architecture described in this deliverable provides the framework through which data and simulations from the data on food waste at a consumer level and at a retail level can be integrated into simulation models. This report highlights the technical approaches followed to achieve model integration. This report highlights the technical approaches followed to achieve model integration. An integrated whole-of-system modelling approach will be developed as a part of the REFRESH project to allow the development of a decision-relevant, and dynamic policy support tool, by which a road map to the reduction of European food waste by 50% by 2030 can be developed. The vital first step (highlighted in this report) is to develop the structures to allow model integration between different model types: Agent-Based Models and Bayesian Networks. These structures were developed and tested to ensure that the model types can be integrated. The architecture described in this deliverable provides the framework through which data and simulations from the data on food waste at a consumer level and at a retail level can be integrated into simulation models. Since a sizable share of the food waste is generated either at the consumer level or at the interaction between consumers and retailers, we address the modelling effort with two integrated ABM-BN models. The first model reproduces the dynamic evolution of food waste choices of consumers as consequence of social interactions. The second focuses instead on the conditions for the successful diffusion and adoption of innovations to reduce food waste at the retailer level. The systemic modelling approach proposed will allow the development of selected simulation scenarios at the consumer and retail level, facilitating decision making in the face of uncertainty. These integrated setups are first iterations of working integrated models, aimed at validating technically the setups as well as the integration process itself. As they are, there are certainly factors that are likely to be important in determining food waste, which are not yet included in the models. However, the latter are flexible and can accommodate further details, and variables. Their construction is purposefully flexible in terms of components of decisions. The integration with Bayesian Networks ensure that Agent-Based models will learn from data originated from the other refresh WPs and will evolve, allowing the introduction of new variables and factors that will lead to the improvement of the different simulation scenarios. The REFRESH project implements a behavioural economics approach in order to identify and measure the most important socio-economic conditions and potential policy interventions driving businesses’ and consumers’ choices in the generation of food waste. More specifically, this work aims to provide new information on consumer and business behaviour by measuring the effects of major tangible factors of food waste, by identifying hidden and emerging profiles of consumer’ and business’ behaviours affecting food waste, and by allowing the detection of intangible food waste drivers. Such an objective is achieved through the development and the testing of Agent-Based Models (ABMs) and Bayesian networks (BNs)

From social interactions to private environmental behaviours: The case of consumer food waste

Consumer food waste, like many environmental behaviours, takes place in private, and is not directly subject to social monitoring. Nevertheless, social interactions can affect private opinions and behaviours. This paper builds an agent-based model of interactions between consumers heterogeneous in their sociability, their initial opinions and behaviours related to food waste, and their willingness to consider different opinions, in order to assess how social interactions can affect private behaviours. Compared to existing models of opinion dynamics, we innovate by including a range of “cognitive dissonance” between stated opinions and actual behaviours that consumers are willing to accept before changing one of the two. We calibrate the model using questionnaire data on household food waste in Italy. We find that a limited degree of mixing between different socio-demographic groups, namely adult and young consumers, is enough to trigger change, but a certain openness of mind is required from more wasteful individuals. Equally, a small group of environmentally committed consumers can attract a sizeable share of the population towards low-waste behaviours if they show a certain variability of opinions and are willing to compromise with individuals in their close neighbourhood in terms of opinions. These findings can help design effective interventions to promote pro-environmental behaviours, taking advantage of the beneficial network effects while anticipating negative externalities

The use of systems models to identify food waste drivers

In developed countries, the largest share of food waste is produced at household level. Most studies on consumers’ food waste use models that identify covariates as significant when in fact they may not be, particularly where these models use many variables. Here, relying on EU-level Eurobarometer data from 2013, we use alternative analytical methods that avoid these problems (Bayesian Networks) to identify the impact of household characteristics and other variables on self-assessed food waste. Our analysis confirms that the country, the age of the respondent, the status (student/non-student), and a belief that the family wastes too much are related to the level of self-assessed food waste. But we found no evidence that waste behaviours differ between people living in urban and rural areas, and little support of a difference between genders. Households from lower-income EU countries (e.g. Portugal, Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Latvia), as well as students and young adults tend to report higher levels of food waste. Hence, the adoption of an EU strategy based on the concept of subsidiarity, and of country-level policy measures targeting different age groups is suggested. Furthermore, our analysis shows that policy makers need to be wary of relying on analysis based on large datasets that do not control for false-positives, particularly when sample sizes are small

Caracterização volátil e sensorial de vinhos brancos de três castas potuguesas minoritárias

This work focused on the characterization of the volatile compounds and sensory profile of white wines produced from three minority grapevine varieties of Portugal namely ‘Malvasia’ (Colares), ‘Verdelho’ and ‘Galego Dourado’. The characterization took place using sensory and gas chromatography analysis. Furthermore, the data obtained were analysed through the use of multivariate analysis, which made it possible to evaluate the similarities and dissimilarities between the varieties. The results obtained show a differentiation of the wines produced from each grapevine variety but above all a differentiation of the two vintages was verified. The results obtained, both from a sensory and a chemical point of view, show an interesting oenological potential of these varieties, but still require further studies, in order to evaluate the influence of climatic effects on the profile of volatile compounds and also on the sensory profileEste trabalho centrou-se na caracterização sensorial e da composição volátil de vinhos brancos produzidos a partir de três castas minoritárias, designadamente ‘Malvasia’ (Colares), ‘Verdelho’ e ‘Galego Dourado’. A caracterização ocorreu por meio de análise sensorial e por cromatografia gás líquido de alta resolução, e os resultados obtidos foram analisados através de análise multivariada, que permitiu avaliar as semelhanças e as diferenças entre as castas. Os resultados obtidos mostram uma diferenciação dos vinhos produzidos a partir de cada casta, mas acima de tudo uma diferenciação das duas colheitas. Os resultados obtidos, tanto do ponto de vista sensorial como na composição química, mostram um potencial enológico interessante destas castas, embora sejam necessários mais estudos para avaliar a influência dos efeitos climáticos no perfil de compostos voláteis e também no perfil sensorialinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Food waste reduction in supply chains through innovations: a review

Purpose – Agri-food supply chains are facing a number of challenges, which cause inefficiencies resulting in the waste of natural and economic resources, and in negative environmental and social impacts. Food waste (FW) is a result of such inefficiencies and supply chain actors search for economically viable innovations to prevent and reduce it. This study aims to analyse the drivers and the barriers that affect the decision of supply chain operators to adopt innovations (technological – TI, organisational – OI and marketing – MI) to reduce FW. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis was carried out using a four-step approach that included: a literature review to identify factors affecting the decision to adopt innovations; analysis of FW drivers and reduction possibilities along agri-food supply chains through innovations; mapping the results of Steps 1 and 2 and deriving conclusions regarding the factors affecting the adoption of innovations to reduce and prevent FWFindings Results show that different types of innovations have a high potential in reducing and preventing FW along the supply chain; however, they still must be economically feasible to be adopted by decision makers in the food supply chain. TI, OI and MI are often interrelated and can trigger each other. When it comes to a combination of different types of innovation to reduce and prevent FW, a good example of combining TI, OI and MI may be observed in the retail sector in Europe. Here, innovative smartphone apps (TI) to promote the sale of products nearing their expiration dates (OI in terms of organising the sales differently and MI in terms of marketing it differently) were developed and adopted via different retailing channels, leading to the creation of a new business model. Practical implications This study analyses the drivers of FW generation together with the factors affecting the decision to adopt innovations to reduce it and provides solutions to supply chain operators to prevent and reduce FW through different types of innovations. Originality/value Literature has not systematically addressed innovations aiming at the reduction of FW yet. This paper provides a comprehensive literature review of the determinants of innovation adoption and offers a novel view on the problem of FW reduction by means of innovation, by linking factors affecting the decision to innovate with FW drivers. Supply chain, Food waste, Technological innovation, Organisational innovation, Marketing innovationpublishedVersio

Political debates and agricultural policies : Discourse coalitions behind the creation of Brazil's Pronaf

The literature on rural development focuses on the socio-economic effects of agricultural support policies; the process of policy design, however, is devoted less attention. Identifying policy coalitions may help provide clarity on the motivations behind a given agricultural support system. Using Discourse Network Analysis, this paper studies the debates preceding the approval of the National Program for Strengthening Family Agriculture (Pronaf) in Brazil in the Nineties. This represented a relevant overturn of the preceding policy framework. Two coalitions that opposed each other have been identified: while large farm business associations favoured measures to enhance productivity, movements comprising of family farmers aimed at introducing credit instruments for small producers. The strong pressure from social movements was key to the adoption of Pronaf. However, findings suggest that the Workers' Party, which found itself in a less conflicting position, played a brokerage role in the negotiation of the final policy package.Peer reviewe