Production and reuse of waste in rural area with high density of greenhouse

Agricultural activities cause the production of considerable amounts of waste sometimes dangerous that must be properly handled to avoid negative impacts on rural areas and on agroecosystems. The estimation of qualitative and quantitative characteristics of agricultural waste products and the capacity of rural land of transposing organic matter deriving from the processes of composting, is a key point for the planning and management of the waste integrated cycle. The aims of this study are the evaluation of the quantities of various types of agricultural waste on territorial scale, the amount of compost that can be used in rural areas affected by different cultures and the effectiveness of community composter in the treatment of vegetable agricultural waste for the production of green composted soil. These assessments were carried out in an area of study characterized by a high spatial density of greenhouses. The methodological procedure used is based on the use of agricultural waste production coefficients and maximum application rates of compost for cultivation. The results show the role and potential of the agricultural areas in the waste cycle from production to the potential reuse of recovered material

The health risk of the agricultural production in potentially contaminated sites: an environmental-health risk analysis

Rural areas are often interested by pollution phenomena generated by agricultural activities with a high use of pesticides and/or by anthropic activities, such as industrial plants or illegal waste disposal sites, which may cause even long-range contamination. The risk for human health from the pollutants present in the environment can be quantitatively evaluated by the environmental health risk analysis set out in the Italian Legislative Decree no. 152/2006 (Italian Regulation, 2006). This analysis is the best technical-normative tool to estimate the health risks linked to the pollutants present in the environment but it does not consider the specificity of agricultural soils or the contamination of agricultural products. This study aims to provide this missing technical-normative data by identifying and applying a suitable methodology to evaluate the health risk caused by the ingestion of agricultural products grown in contaminated soils. The risk analysis was applied to two contaminated areas in southern Italy using an innovative methodology based on widely accepted parameters for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) soil-plant bio-transfer factor in the case of horticultural crops. In addition, some concentration limits of PAHs in agricultural soils are proposed that may be of help to the competent authorities (health agencies, local authorities) in delineating the areas requiring strict health surveillance of the food products cultivated

Contamination of the Environmental Matrices in Agricultural Areas Produced by Industrial Discharges: The Case Study of the Land of the City of Statte (Taranto, Southern Italy)

The diffusion of pollutants in the atmosphere, agricultural soil, irrigation water, crops and food chain can produce potential environmental health risk. The aims of this study are the environmental risk assessment for the aquifers and the estimation of pollutants concentration in the forage for evaluating the risk for human health. The risk analysis was applied in the rural territory of Statte (Taranto, Italy) using an innovative methodology based on the integration of models for estimation of pollutant leaching in the groundwater and for the evaluation of bio-transfer of pollutant in the plant. The model results are in accordance with the experimental values and therefore the proposed methodology allows the evaluation and management of environmental health risks in agricultural areas interested by pollution phenomena generated by industrial plants

The role of agroforestry areas of the province of Bari in the absortion of carbon dioxide

Agroforestry areas have a significant and recognized productive, socio – economic, environmental and landscape role. An important ecological function performed by these areas is the net absorption of considerable quantities of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The scientific knowledge of the CO2 assimilation capacity of agroforestry ecosystems in a territory, is a useful and innovative means to support territorial planning. In the interests of environmental sustainability, emissions from human activities carried out in a specific local context, must be adapted by the simultaneous capacity of CO2 sequestration. For the protection of environmental quality, the choice of land use should therefore optimize the circuit of interaction between emissions and absorption. This work takes into account the agroforestry areas of the Province of Bari to estimate the potential capacity to absorb CO2 and compare it, with the current emission levels

characteristics and distribution of trulli constructions in the area of the site of community importance murgia of trulli

The agro-forestry territory in the Region of Apulia, southern Italy, is characterised by a widespread and diversified presence of dry stone constructions, including trulli, rural buildings with a characteristic a conical shape. The trulli are mainly to be found in the central and eastern part of the region, called Murgia of Trulli. Trulli are perfectly integrated with the agro-environment specificity of the area, creating a unique landscape and establishing themselves as a testimony of tradition and rural culture. In fact, in this area, from the 17th until the mid-20th century, the trulli accompanied the development of agricultural activities. According to the number of cones they had, they were used as temporary shelters, places of support for primary production, or comfortable houses for the rural population. In recent decades, for several social and economic reasons, this heritage of rural buildings has been affected by abandonment and degradation phenomena. Interventions aimed at recovery and re-use have not always respected the origin of the buildings, their design characteristics or the landscape in which they had been built. In order to reduce the impact that this situation has had on environmental and territorial quality it is, therefore, necessary to develop initiatives to protect and valorise the trulli while respecting the identity of place, the architectural elements, and the agricultural and environmental characteristics of the territory. For this purpose, we need to analyse and characterise the heritage of the existing trulli and its relationship with the local reality. The present paper analyses the typology and distribution of the trulli located on the site of community importance Murgia of Trulli, a protected area with high environmental value in the central-eastern area of the Region of Apulia. Specifically, we analysed the relationship between the trulli buildings and the agro-environment context to acquire a basic interpretative knowledge in order to define strategies for recovery and re-use

Sanitary risk analysis for farm workers exposed to environmental pollutants

In Italy, a large number of agricultural areas are contaminated by organic and inorganic polluting substances. In such areas, the agricultural operators come into contact with the environmental contaminants through inhalation and dermic contact with dusts and vapour, and this exposure can potentially alter the biological equilibrium with consequent poisonings and/or work-related illness. The aim of this paper is to apply a methodological procedure for the numerical evaluation of the health risk for agricultural employees operating in open fields or inside greenhouses located in areas contaminated with organic pollutants. This procedure is in response to the lack of calculation models concerning these types of environment and agricultural activities. As a case study, this methodology has been applied to an agricultural area of southern Italy characterised by the presence of pollutants. The results underline that in this area there is a smaller concentration of pollutants in open field cultivations than inside greenhouses owing to a phenomenon of dispersion into the atmosphere. This numeric analysis will later be verified by measurements carried out in situ in order to evaluate the real situation on the ground

Heart failure with preserved systolic function: prevalence and clinical features in a cohort of patients admitted to internal medicine units. The study PRESYF-HF Tuscany.

Background. There is uncertainty about the prevalence and clinical characteristics of heart failure (HF) patients with preserved systolic function (PRESYF). Aim. To analyze the prevalence and clinical characteristics of patients with PRESYF in an unselected cohort of subjects consecutively hospitalized for HF. Methods. The study cohort included 338 patients consecutively admitted for HF at 24 Internal Medicine units homogeneously settled in Tuscany area (Italy). We did not have any criteria for exclusion. All patients had an echocardiographic measure of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) within 72 hours from hospital admission. Patients with LVEF > 50% were considered to have PRESYF. Results. The patients with PRESYF were 112 (33,1%), those with depressed systolic function (DESYF) 226 (66,9%). In the group PRESYF were prevalent female sex, hypertensive etiology, and elevated BMI. The distribution for classes of age shows a great frequency of PRESYF in the elderly. Conclusion. About one third of patients admitted for HF have a PRESYF. They are different compared to those with DESYF. A correct identification of this form of HF may be important in clinical practice for more targeted therapeutic options and for prognostic implications

Evaluation of carrying capacity and territorial environmental sustainability

Land use has a great impact on environmental quality, use of resources, state of ecosystems and socio-economic development. Land use can be considered sustainable if the environmental pressures of human activities do not exceed the ecological carrying capacity. A scientific knowledge of the capability of ecosystems to provide resources and absorb waste is a useful and innovative means of supporting territorial planning. This study examines the area of the Province of Bari to estimate the ecosystems’ carrying capacity, and compare it with the current environmental pressures exerted by human activities. The adapted methodology identified the environmentally sustainable level for one province

Characteristics and distribution of trulli constructions in the area of the site of community importance Murgia of Trulli

The agro-forestry territory in the Region of Apulia, southern Italy, is characterised by a widespread and diversified presence of dry stone constructions, including trulli, rural buildings with a characteristic a conical shape. The trulli are mainly to be found in the central and eastern part of the region, called Murgia of Trulli. Trulli are perfectly integrated with the agro-environment specificity of the area, creating a unique landscape and establishing themselves as a testimony of tradition and rural culture. In fact, in this area, from the 17th until the mid-20th century, the trulli accompanied the development of agricultural activities. According to the number of cones they had, they were used as temporary shelters, places of support for primary production, or comfortable houses for the rural population. In recent decades, for several social and economic reasons, this heritage of rural buildings has been affected by abandonment and degradation phenomena. Interventions aimed at recovery and re-use have not always respected the origin of the buildings, their design characteristics or the landscape in which they had been built. In order to reduce the impact that this situation has had on environmental and territorial quality it is, therefore, necessary to develop initiatives to protect and valorise the trulli while respecting the identity of place, the architectural elements, and the agricultural and environmental characteristics of the territory. For this purpose, we need to analyse and characterise the heritage of the existing trulli and its relationship with the local reality. The present paper analyses the typology and distribution of the trulli located on the site of community importance Murgia of Trulli, a protected area with high environmental value in the central-eastern area of the Region of Apulia. Specifically, we analysed the relationship between the trulli buildings and the agro-environment context to acquire a basic interpretative knowledge in order to define strategies for recovery and re-use

Re-Use of Agricultural Biomass for Nurseries Using Proximity Composting

The purpose of this study is to provide a proximity composting plant at a nursery. The disposal of pruning is an economic burden for farms. This paper shows that the reuse of pruning for composting and producing substrates for the nursery is an efficient procedure to reduce the environmental load and obtain quality ornamental plants. After a spatial analysis on the availability of pruning in a sample area, we have arranged, at a research partner’s nursery, a plant for proximity composting. Using the collected data, a life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis was prepared for the compost and substrates. Agronomic tests, whose results will be published later, were conducted on four Mediterranean ornamental species. A comparison between the agronomic and environmental results shows that proximity composting is a convenient practice that significantly reduces the environmental load of substrates