Application of a Model for Evaluating the Environmental Sustainability of Cultures in Hill and Mountain Areas: The Case of Berries and Fruit Chestnuts in Northern Italy

This study proposes to evaluate the environmental sustainability of certain productive processes, which may be of interest for the enhancement, and economic development of specific hill and mountain areas of northern Italy. In order to make a comprehensive appraisal of the impact of the various activities in each geographical context, we adopted a methodology based on AHP multicriteria analysis. In particular, this method was applied to the cultivation of berries and fruit chestnut, also with reference to alternative cultures already consolidated in the areas under investigatio

FUNCTIONAL FOODS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: AN OVERVIEW OF THE SECTOR'S MAIN ISSUES

In Europe the demand of functional foods varies remarkably from country to country, on the basis of the alimentary traditions, the enforced legislation and the different cultural heritage that people have acquired. The opportunities of expansion on the market seem to be quite favorable and the interest of the consumers is rather high. But the diffusion of these products in the community area is slowed down by some obstacles. One of main ones is the lack of an official law-recognized definition for these references, necessary in order to clearly assign these products to the food sector rather than to the pharmaceutical one. In a such situation, we note that nowadays it is impossible to carry out a complete survey of this world, due to the lack of homogeneous and trustworthy statistical data and to the confused definition of the sector. In fact, every country adopts his own national legislation and includes in this class different products. The variable meaning assumed by the term "functional food" in the EU member states, can also hinder the free trade even within the EU boundaries. In fact, pursuing the safeguard of human health, each partner can block the admission of a product, even if it comes from an other EU member country. This lack of clarity at the production phase is reflected in a difficult control at the consumption phase. The disinformation of the trade operators and, consequently, of the consumers can involve some risks for these last ones due to not only to the deficiency of benefits, using functional foods, but also possible damages to the health. Ambiguous definition and gaps of knowledge about the composition and the effects of these products, in fact, can interfere with an aware choice of purchase and an organized development of the sector

The labour factor in agriculture: comparison, analysis and actions introduced in some EU countries to boost competitiveness in the primary sector

A correct approach to labour research must consider the different levels of governance: regional, national and supranational (e.g., EU). The central themes for discussion, the order of priority and relevant decisions made arise first and foremost in worldwide contexts such as WTO and ILO (International Labour Organization) conferences, the United Nations, the Kyoto Conference, etc. If political decision making is done at a world level, it follows that the scope of studies and responses should be broader than just local-scale. Of course, there are governance responsibilities at every level, but actions must be coherent with an overall decision-making network. On the basis of the above considerations, we decided to perform a comparative analysis between three EU partners: Germany, Spain and Italy. This was not a random selection: we chose Germany since we consider it still to be a leading country within the European economy, and innovative in certain of the employment policy instruments that it has adopted. The comparison with Spain, on the other hand, is logical from an agricultural point of view, given that it is Italy’s main competitor in the sector (especially for fruit). To sum up, the main objectives of this enquiry were:  to outline and compare the main characteristics of the agricultural workforce in the three European partner countries studied (numbers, average wages, regulations, …), without losing sight of each country’s specific productive setting, within which the workforce and the legislators operate;  to closely examine the evolving course of policies for the fixed-term workforce (especially in the agricultural sector) developed and applied in the three countries, and dominant trends in social and political ideas in this regard;  finally, based on the information gathered and examined in the above two points, to try to outline the possible future evolution of the management of the fixed-term labour factor in the agricultural sector on the world market, so as to propose some possible strategic approaches to the matter, with particular attention to the Italian situation, with the aim of improving the competitive capacity of farm businesses