A ricardian analysis of the impact of climate change on permanent crops in a mediterranean region

This is the first study which explores the impact of climate change in Sicily, a small Mediterranean region of Southern Europe. According to research, Mediterranean area has shown large climate shifts in the last century and it has been identified as one of the most prominent “Hot-Spots” in future climate change projections. Since agriculture is an economic activity which strongly depends on climate setting and is particularly responsive to climate changes, it is important to understand how such changes may affect agricultural profitability in the Mediterranean region. The aim of the present study is to assess the expected impact of climate change on permanent crops cultivated in Sicilian region (Southern Italy). By using data from Farm Accountancy Data Network and Ensembles climatic projections for 2021-2050 period, we showed that the impact of climate change is prominent in this region. However, crops respond to climatic variations in a different manner, highlighting that unlike the strong reduction in profitability of grapevine and citrus tree, the predicted average Net Revenue of olive tree is almost the same as in the reference period (1961-1990)

A systematic literature review of historic garden management and its economic aspects

Historic gardens are important parts of humanity’s built heritage within the designed landscape, providing many environmental, economic and socio‐cultural benefits. Management is a key part of their conservation, perhaps the most difficult because it is costly, must be continual, and requires a skilled workforce. This systematic review looks at the literature addressing historic garden management, with special attention regarding the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability. Academic studies on this subject come from many different disciplines, making it both stimulating and fragmented. It is now time to consolidate these interdisciplinary efforts into a clear vision, including a framework of key themes and research methods so as to better coordinate efforts and make the information and innovation generated more accessible to the garden managers “in the trenches”. With this aim, reviewed studies are classified according to 10 criteria: supply or demand orientation; management phase involved; primary sustainability processes addressed; geographic criteria; number of sites covered; policy documents referred to; kind of data collected; study methods employed; possibility of bias specifically regarding historic gardens; garden use. An analysis of these criteria shows that historic garden management literature focuses on describing the gardens themselves, with few studies interested in the people supporting them. Future research should follow recent policy documents’ lead and pay more attention to community value and involvement

The contribution of geographical certification programs to farm income and rural economies: The case of Pecorino Siciliano PDO

This study attempts to measure the capacity of the EU geographical certification scheme to positively influence the price of certified products and the incomes of their producers. A comparison of the economic results of two cheese-producing dairy farm enterprises with different business strategies and locations within the Sicilian hinterlands is performed in order to determine the transformation value of each dairy’s sheep milk into pecorino cheese (with and without the Protected Designation of Origin, or PDO, certification) and the related joint products (ricotta). The economic convenience of the total transformation of sheep milk into Pecorino Siciliano PDO and ricotta is also appraised. The results suggest that producing and commercializing Pecorino Siciliano PDO is a promising strategy for differentiating and promoting dairy farm products and improving the financial performance of producers, with foreseeable positive repercussions in the socioeconomically less favored rural areas where they are located

The Land Cadastre in Italy and some fiscal implications: a case study

The Land Cadastre, as an inventory of all relevant real estate in a territory, and most importantly, as a national tax system is, or at least should be, the protago-nist of fiscal, social and civil implications affecting the Italian context. According to unitary farmland incomes, the last revision dates back to 1978-1979, a period that no longer reflects the country’s current socioeconomic situation and does not consider the changes the land market has undergone over the years. Through the analysis of 183 purchases and sales of agricultural land in two districts in western Sicily, this research aims at verifying the adequacy or inadequacy of the current cadastral tariffs. Based on the prices surveyed and the cadastral farmland incomes, some indicators were constructed showing, on the one hand the absence of a strict correspondence between these two values and on the other hand the actual presence of fiscal ine-quality for all the crop qualities examined; and, consequently, the need for revising cadastral tariffs or for reforming tax system of Italian Cadastre by replacing tariffs with market values

The willingness to pay of Sicilian consumers for a wine obtained with sustainable production method: An estimate through an ordered probit sample-selection model

The growing presence of Sicilian sustainable wine has pushed the research group to investigate and analyse the consumers' behaviour and their potential willingness to pay a premium price for the wine obtained through sustainable production processes. The analysis of the consumer's behaviour towards the wine made with sustainable production methods is carried out in order to provide potentially useful indications to Italian and in particular Sicilian wine enterprises regarding the production and marketing strategies to undertake in a future perspective. This study shows the result of an empirical investigation on the consumption of sustainable wine in Sicily. Through the Ordered (demographic profile, preference and attitudes), which influence the consumers' choices regarding sustainable wine. The assessment, based on the submission of a questionnaire, has highlighted the willingness to pay a premium price on the part of the 546 consumers interviewed. The study points out that the knowledge of sustainable production methods significantly influences the decision to support a premium price for wine consumption. This attests to the fact that a more attentive and informed consumer is ready to pay more for products obtained according to the principles of environmental sustainability

Application of a model for the evaluation of the \u201cVisitor Satisfaction\u201d in a nature reserve of South Italy

The protected natural area represents an important resource because from it sustainable and long-lasting social and economic development processes can start. In fact, the conservation of biodiversity can help create economic values by using natural capital which, if properly valorised, can help the momentum of local sustainable development and create diffuse welfare in terms of employment and income. To such a purpose, the evaluation both of the demand by those who enjoy the services of a protected area and of the level of satisfaction that visitors draw from their experience becomes a priority. The present study aims at investigating the behaviour and the preferences of the visitors to a protected natural area by means of the application of a \u201cVisitor Satisfaction\u201d model, in order to provide the managing institution and the local stakeholders with a method for the evaluation of the services offered, and in particular those services that directly concern the recreational function. The model has been implemented in the Riserva Naturale Orientata \u201cFoce del Fiume Belice e dune limitrofe\u201d, which is part of the provinces of Agrigento and Trapani in the Region of Sicilia (Sicily, South Italy). Our hope is that it can be extended to other protected areas

Behaviour of consumers of conventional and organic flowers and ornamental plants in Italy

The paper analyses preferences and motivations of Italian consumers of flowers and ornamental plants, both conventional and organic. The results helped to outline their profile. Purchases are still done in the traditional places (flower shops for cut flowers and plant nurseries for potted plants), however positive trend is found for potted plants purchases at large distribution chains. Some differences came out as to purchase motivations: cut flowers are mainly bought in special occasions whereas potted plants purchases are linked to personal use. The results confirm a positive relationship between the purchase of flowers and plants and the age of the interviewees, besides showing that women are interested on purchases. The information we obtained is relevant not only for the sector’s operators in order to define effective managerial strategies, but also for the policy maker to address new market and consumption policies

Associations between depression and specific childhood experiences of abuse and neglect: a meta-analysis

Background Research documents a strong relationship between childhood maltreatment and depression. However, only few studies have examined the specific effects of various types of childhood abuse/neglect on depression. This meta-analysis estimated the associations between depression and different types of childhood maltreatment (antipathy, neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and psychological abuse) assessed with the same measure, the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse (CECA) interview. Method A systematic search in scientific databases included use of CECA interview and strict clinical assessment for major depression as criteria. Our meta-analysis utilized Cohen's d and relied on a random-effects model. Results The literature search yielded 12 primary studies (reduced from 44), with a total of 4372 participants and 34 coefficients. Separate meta-analyses for each type of maltreatment revealed that psychological abuse and neglect were most strongly associated with the outcome of depression. Sexual abuse, although significant, was less strongly related. Furthermore, the effects of specific types of childhood maltreatment differed across adult and adolescent samples. Limitations Our strict criteria for selecting the primary studies resulted in a small numbers of available studies. It restricted the analyses for various potential moderators. Conclusion This meta-analysis addressed the differential effects of type of childhood maltreatment on major depression, partially explaining between-study variance. The findings clearly highlight the potential impact of the more “silent” types of childhood maltreatment (other than physical and sexual abuse) on the development of depression

How Organizational Resources and Managerial Features Affect Business Performance: An Analysis in the Greek Wine Industry

Despite the growing interest of the wine industry in quality and environmental certifications and the influence of these standards on positioning in international markets, scholarly research has paid proportionally limited attention to the link between winery export intensity and the adoption of internationally recognized standards. This study aims to analyze which factors make an organizational model performant, and to verify the impact of the adoption of third-party certifications on the export performance by using the resource-based view (RBV) theory as a theoretical lens. Findings show that younger wineries are more oriented towards the adoption of voluntary quality and environmental certifications, and they achieve the best economic performance, expressed in terms of overall turnover on the market. On the contrary, the better export performance is achieved by the largest group of wineries, which make the greatest effort in promotion and advertising activities and sell their products through intermediaries, while showing a low adoption of certifications. Our results have a number of theoretical and practical implications

Epidemiology of Toxoplasma and CMV serology and of GBS colonization in pregnancy and neonatal outcome in a Sicilian population

Background: Aim of our study is to analyze the immunological status in pregnancy for two main TORCH agents, Toxoplasma and Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and the results of group B streptococcus (GBS) screening, assessing the risk for congenital infection in a population from Palermo, Italy. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of all inborn live newborns who were born in our division during 2012, gathering information about the mother, the pregnancy and neonatal hospitalization at birth. Whenever data were available, we categorized the serologic status of the mothers for Toxoplasma and CMV. We also considered the results of rectal and vaginal swabs for GBS. We compared the results in Italian and immigrant mothers. The neonatal outcome was evaluated in all cases at risk. Results: Prevalence of anti-Toxo IgG antibodies was 17.97%, and was significantly higher in immigrant women (30% vs 16.4% in Italian women; p = 0.0008). Prevalence of anti-CMV IgG antibodies was 65.87%. Again, it was significantly higher in immigrant women (91.4% vs 62.5%, p = 3.31e-08). We compared those data with a previous study performed in our hospital in 2005-2006, and found that the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma and anti-CMV antibodies in our population has remained stable, both in the immigrant and in the local population. Seroconversion rates and neonatal infections were rare: no seroconversions were observed for Toxoplasma, 4 seroconversions for CMV. One neonatal Toxoplasma infection and two neonatal CMV infections were documented. In some cases with dubious patterns or probable persistence of IgM, we performed additional tests and follow-up. Vaginal and rectal swabs were positive for GBS in 7.98% of cases, with no significant difference between the Italian and the immigrant population. No GBS neonatal sepsis was documented. Conclusions: The prevalence of Toxoplasma IgG antibodies in pregnant women was low in our population, if compared with European countries and with other parts of Italy, and is significantly higher in immigrant women. The prevalence of CMV IgG antibodies was intermediate if compared to other countries, and it was higher in immigrant women. GBS positivity was low, and comparable in Italian and immigrant mothers. Neonatal infection was rare for all these agents