THE IMPACT OF II PILLAR ON THE MULTIFUNCTIONALITY IN ITALIAN FARMS: ANALYSIS ON THE FARM HOLIDAYS

This analysis has examined the relationships between the European funds for rural development and the multifunctionality during a short time, comparing two different situations before and after the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform. The main problem was to find a variable able to describe the multifunctionality; the agritourism, in particular, number of farm holidays farms, has been the dependant variable useful to value the rural multifunctionality and the impact of the increase of II pillar fund. The Principal Component Analysis and the model of Ordinary Least Square have confirmed the positive impact of European Agricultural funds in the rural development and in the increase of active farm holidays farms.agritourism, farm holidays farms, Italian agritourism, II pillar, certified quality food., Agricultural and Food Policy, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, C01, Q18.,

The Evolution of Italian Farms and the Role of Subsidies Paid by the European Union for Rural Development

In Italy, there has been a significant emigration from the countryside towards urban areas with negative downsides on rural communities which have suffered of socio-economic marginalization and negative effects on the environment. The Common Agricultural Policy has been a pivotal tool able to reduce the marginalization in rural territories financing farmers able to promote the multifunctionality and the production of positive externalities. By using a quantitative approach on Farm Accounting Data Network time series on Italian farmers, it has been possible to access the role of subsidies allocated by the European Union on the rural development. The results have pointed out a positive role of financial supports and subsidies allocated by the Common Agricultural Policy to guarantee an adequate level of farm income. In the next period 2014-2020, the national and local authorities should take into account to put into action the Rural Development Programme aimed to implement the socio-economic growth in the Italian countryside specifically towards farms located in less favoured areas

Technical and economic efficiency analysis on Italian smallholder family farms using Farm Accountancy Data Network dataset

More than 90 per cent of Italian farms have a usable agricultural area of less than 9 ha, even if over time there has been a growth of the average agricultural area per farm as a consequence of rural out-migration. This paper compares, using a nonparametric model, the technical efficiency of smallholder family (diretto coltivatrice), co-operative and limited company farms during the period 2000-2011. The diretto coltivatrice farms and the co-operative farms had higher levels of scale efficiency than the limited company farms, with a scale efficiency value equal to 100 per cent in ten years out of twelve. The average technical efficiency of diretto coltivatrice farms was higher than those of co-operative and limited company farms. The second part of the quantitative analysis used the self-organising maps (SOM) proposed by Kohonen. The SOMs indicated that the size of the agricultural area has a direct impact on the technical efficiency of farms and on their level of income

An analysis of technical efficiency in Icelandic dairy and sheep farms

Usable agricultural land in Iceland is predominantly represented by permanent grasslands and pasture used for livestock grazing, while the cultivation of arable crops such as cereals and potatoes has a very modest incidence on the total agricultural surface area. The main purpose of this research, therefore, was to assess the technical efficiency of dairy and sheep farming across Iceland’s regions using annual census data for the years 2008 and 2017. The assessment of the technical efficiency of farms – one that is able to analyse multi-input/output production functions – has been estimated through the use of the non-parametric approach of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The research findings have highlighted the need for farmers to reduce certain inputs such as labour costs and general productive overheads, as well as to address their efforts to extensive forms of livestock farming, notably sheep rearing, which is able to take advantage of the abundant and rich grasslands. In general, sheep farms have been found to be technically more efficient than dairy, while farms located in the capital region have been shown to have lower levels of technical efficiency overall

A long-term analysis of the common agricultural policy financial subsidies towards Italian farms

In Italy since 2000 there has been a significant decrease of farms and a notable increase of the usable agricultural areas. In order to reduce the socioeconomic marginalization in rural territories the European Union has supported financially the rural development in a pattern of pluriactivity and productive diversification in farms. The core purpose of this research was to assess by a multiple regression model the impact of financial subsidies allocated by the Common Agricultural Policy on the farmer net income since 2004 to 2016 in Italian farms belonging to the Farm Accountancy Data Network. Findings have pointed out a direct impact of financial supports disbursed by the European Union; by contrast, no impacts have had payments disbursed by the second pillar. Drawing the conclusions, it is fundamental to increase the financial supports of the Common Agricultural Policy aimed at implementing the land capital endowment which is the one of the main bottlenecks in Italian farms

Analysis of Staying Time in Italian Agritourism Using a Quantitative Methodology: The Case of Latium Region

The aim of this article was to investigate and assess, using a quantitative empirical methodology, which variables influence the staying time at agritourism facilities in the Latium region of Italy. Using quantitative methodology derived from the chemical process of absorption, this case study explores the ability of a farm to absorb tourist flows. Findings point out the incidence of agritourists on the total tourism flow and the number of rooms are two variables directly correlated to the staying time. Simultaneously, the model estimated the level of “laziness” of tourists as a function of their staying time in agritourist facilities, which correlates directly with the distance to famous tourist resorts

Medium Term Analysis of Technical and Allocative Efficiency in Romanian Farms Using FADN Dataset

The Farm Accountancy Data Network is an annual survey proposed by the European Union in order to estimate the impact of the Common Agricultural Policy on farmers. Lots of scholars have investigated the technical, economical and allocative efficiency using a non parametric approach such as the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in Romanian farms throughout the Farm Accountancy Data Network dataset pointing out poor levels of technical efficiency, which were lower than the average European value. The purpose of this study was to assess using DEA approach technical, economic and allocative efficiency in Romanian farms part of the FADN dataset over six year time from 2007 to 2012. Findings pointed out an increase of technical efficiency compared to previous studies, as a consequence of a significant turn over of a younger high skill and qualified farmers generation. Poor land capital, in terms of utilized agricultural areas, connected to an increase of new technologies, was the downside of Romanian farms and this implied that the National Rural Development Plan should  have taken into account financial subsides in order to implement agricultural areas scattered in Romanian rural space.

Rural Areas and Gross Domestic Product in Some Countries of the Mediterranean Sea Basin

The transition from an agricultural productivist to a post productivist model has implied a change about the function and role of rural areas, that have an active part in reducing, through the multifunctionality, the social and economic exclusion in the countryside. This paper studies by a quantitative approach in some countries of the basin of the Mediterranean Sea which variables have been pivotal to improve the agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and per capita GDP over 8 years. The study has pointed out as there are relentless discrepancies among rural and urban areas in terms of income and its distribution

Technical and economic efficiency analysis on Italian smallholder family farms using Farm Accountancy Data Network dataset

More than 90 per cent of Italian farms have a usable agricultural area of less than 9 ha, even if over time there has been a growth of the average agricultural area per farm as a consequence of rural out-migration. This paper compares, using a nonparametric model, the technical efficiency of smallholder family (diretto coltivatrice), co-operative and limited company farms during the period 2000-2011. The diretto coltivatrice farms and the co-operative farms had higher levels of scale efficiency than the limited company farms, with a scale efficiency value equal to 100 per cent in ten years out of twelve. The average technical efficiency of diretto coltivatrice farms was higher than those of co-operative and limited company farms. The second part of the quantitative analysis used the self-organising maps (SOM) proposed by Kohonen. The SOMs indicated that the size of the agricultural area has a direct impact on the technical efficiency of farms and on their level of income

Role of financial subsidies allocated by the Common Agricultural Policy towards Irish farms

In Ireland, the productive agrarian fabric is characterised by lots of farms predominately specialized in cereals, protein crops and dairy productions with a significant incidence of cows and sheep in zootechnic enterprises. Since 2004 to 2015 a quantitative research has been carried out on Irish farms belonging to the Farm Accountancy Data Network dataset with the purpose to assess the role and impact of financial subsidies allocated by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) towards farmer’s income and technical, economic and allocative efficiency as well. The methodology has used the multiple regression model and the Data Envelopment Analysis on a constant return to scale input oriented model. Economic crises have impacted to Irish farms corroborating the theoretical framework according to which decoupled payments allocated by the first pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy have had a more positive and significant impact on farmer’s income and their economic, allocative and cost efficiency than the financial subsidies disbursed by the second pillar of the CAP