Organic farming for Syria: option or necessity?

The document stresses the need for an holistic approach to introduce and expand organic agriculture into Syria

Organic farming in Italy

History and situation of OF in Italy: The recent growth of organic sector in Italy can be considered a success story that deserves to be properly known and analysed. It is the result of several circumstances: the numerous food scandals which have afflicted Europe, the search for technical and economic alternatives by farmers, who have not yet decided to give up, the abundant flow of subsidies (direct and indirect ) which have been channelled into the entire organic food chain. Nevertheless, it also represents the outcome of the first steps made by few pioneers who since the early ‘50s had started to criticize the path into which the so called technological progress and the agricultural policies were leading Italian and European farming. These pioneers were old and new farmers, medical doctors, shop owners and traders, food processors and consumers, veterinarians and agronomists, with some rare scientists, all of whom for more than 30 years have been struggling to convince the surrounding people and the Institutions that another food system is possible

Market issues in organic meat and dairy markets

The paper is a meta study and analyses the existing data about production, sales, prices, willingness to pay about the two commodities

L'agricoltura biologica nei Paesi del Mediterraneo

This report updates and expands the information contained in the IFOAM publication on the status of OF in several Countries, from Croatia to Morocco. It has been produced as first step toward a more focused investigation based on the Delphi method, to be implemented from September 2005 to September 2006. For each country, there are qualitative and quantitative information concerning farms, productions, trade, local and foreign markets, advice and research, legislation, projects, etc

Participatory Guarantee System and Social Capital for Sustainable Development in Brazil: The Case Study of OPAC Orgânicos Sul de Minas

In recent years there has been a growing international interest in alternative certification strategies for organic products. Specifically, participatory guarantee systems (PGS) have proved to be particularly suitable not only to simplify bureaucratic procedures for small organic producers and reduce the cost of certification, but also to generate empowerment, social inclusion and mutual support among farmers. The purpose of this paper is to study the elements of social capital (SC) found in a PGS through the use of social network indicators using the Organizaçao Participativa de Acreditaçao e Certificaçao "Orgânicos Sul de Minas" (OPAC-OSM) as a case study. The research was carried out in the southern part of Minas Gerais, one of the states of the Brazilian Federation, where organic production represents a viable alternative for small and medium-sized farmers. In particular, a survey was carried out to capture the opinions of managers (presidents or directors) about their participation in the OPAC-OSM, and about the level of interaction and degree of trust between members. Relational skills, which are the basis of structural SC, were analyzed both at the level of individual units and at the level of the general network of the OPAC-OSM. An in-degree centrality score assigned to OPAC-OSM members was obtained from each network. These scores have been correlated with variables of the database that were chosen due to their relevance in assessing the level of social capital. According to the results, the factors that most reinforced the proof of SC among the OPAC-OSM members were the level of information and the degree of trust and collaboration networks, with special emphasis on female participation. From the analysis carried out, it is possible to conclude that PGS are powerful tools in the strengthening of SC far beyond the aspect of quality assurance, which remains the main objective of the OPAC

The Umbria agro-food system

Agryfood system in Umbria is very particular: the Region presents specifics characteristich about its rural territory and conseguently there are many unique and inimitable products. Moreover the agricultural and rural sectors significantly contribute to tehe local economy. This paper aims to summarize the macro data of rural economic context in Umbria

Fair trade coffee potential market in Italy: a roaster sector analysis

This paper analyses the Italian coffee market within the Fair Trade Movement - FTM. Coffee is one of the main commodities and the most important FTM product, but with a low Italian participation. This research aims at analyzing the Italian roasters, including their current behavior and their potential. All Italian roasting companies have been contacted, but only 54 out of 567 have responded. The results indicate a low level of knowledge about the FTM requirements. Consequently, the Italian companies are losing this opportunity to exploit this market segment. Italian roasters should acquire more information about the FTM and its potentials, as to enter more aggressively into FTM markets, combining with the consolidated fame of the Italian coffee

The Umbria agro-food system

Agryfood system in Umbria is very particular: the Region presents specifics characteristich about its rural territory and conseguently there are many unique and inimitable products. Moreover the agricultural and rural sectors significantly contribute to tehe local economy. This paper aims to summarize the macro data of rural economic context in Umbria

Total- and semi-bare noble metal nanoparticles@silica core@shell catalysts for hydrogen generation by formic acid decomposition

AbstractCatalysts are involved in a number of established and emerging chemical processes as well as in environmental remediation and energy conversion. Nanoparticles (NPs) can offer several advantages over some conventional catalysts, such as higher efficiency and selectivity. Nowadays, versatile and scalable nanocatalysts that combine activity and stability are still lacking. Here, we report a comprehensive investigation on the production and characterization of hybrid nano-architectures bringing a partial or total bare surface together with their catalytic efficiency evaluation on, as a proof-of-concept, the formic acid decomposition reaction. In this regard, formic acid (FA) is a convenient and safe hydrogen carrier with appealing features for mobile applications, fuel cells technologies, petrochemical processes and energetic applications. Thus, the design of robust catalysts for FA dehydrogenation is strongly demanded. Due to this, we produced and evaluated nano-architectures with various equilibrium between the size-increase of the active part and the barer catalytic surface. Overall, this work paves the way for the development of new approaches for green energy storage and safe delivery

Covid-19 and the role of smoking: the protocol of the multicentric prospective study COSMO-IT (COvid19 and SMOking in ITaly).

The emergency caused by Covid-19 pandemic raised interest in studying lifestyles and comorbidities as important determinants of poor Covid-19 prognosis. Data on tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity are still limited, while no data are available on the role of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTP). To clarify the role of tobacco smoking and other lifestyle habits on COVID-19 severity and progression, we designed a longitudinal observational study titled COvid19 and SMOking in ITaly (COSMO-IT). About 30 Italian hospitals in North, Centre and South of Italy joined the study. Its main aims are: 1) to quantify the role of tobacco smoking and smoking cessation on the severity and progression of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients; 2) to compare smoking prevalence and severity of the disease in relation to smoking in hospitalized COVID-19 patients versus patients treated at home; 3) to quantify the association between other lifestyle factors, such as e-cigarette and HTP use, alcohol and obesity and the risk of unfavourable COVID-19 outcomes. Socio-demographic, lifestyle and medical history information will be gathered for around 3000 hospitalized and 700-1000 home-isolated, laboratory-confirmed, COVID-19 patients. Given the current absence of a vaccine against SARS-COV-2 and the lack of a specific treatment for -COVID-19, prevention strategies are of extreme importance. This project, designed to highly contribute to the international scientific debate on the role of avoidable lifestyle habits on COVID-19 severity, will provide valuable epidemiological data in order to support important recommendations to prevent COVID-19 incidence, progression and mortality