THE EFFECTS OF CAP REFORM ON THE PERIURBAN AGRICULTURAL AREA IN THE PLAIN OF THE CITY OF ASSISI (CENTRAL ITALY)

In periurban areas agriculture can assume a multifunctional role that includes landscape conservation, sustainable resource management, biodiversity conservation, leisure activities, and can also maintain adequate conditions in densely populated areas for a safe and habitable environment. This study investigates the effects of the introduction of single farm payment on the periurban agricultural area in the plain of the City of Assisi, an area with a strong landscape value. A survey was carried out to determine: changes in production, changes on farm incomes, structural adjustments, the level of multifunctionality of periurban agriculture. Moreover, a survey of 355 residents was made to assess their willingness to pay for some positive externalities of the agriculture in this area. The results suggest the low-impact of reform on farms and the existence of a significant demand for environmental and social functions of the periurban agriculture of this region.Periurban Agriculture, Cap Reform, Economic Valuation, Contingent Valuation, Assisi, Agricultural and Food Policy, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, Q10, Q18,

Business models in urban farming: A comparative analysis of case studies from Spain, Italy and Germany

The “Urban Agriculture Europe” EU COST-Action (2012–2016) has shown that the complexity of urban agriculture (UA) is hardly compressible into classic business management models and has proposed new management models, such as the Business Model Canvas (BMC). Business models of UA have to be different from rural ones. In particular, factors such as differentiation and diversification, but also low cost-oriented specialisation, are characteristic and necessary business models for UA to stay profitable in the long term under challenging city conditions. This paper aims to highlight how farm enterprises have to adjust to urban conditions by stepping into appropriate business models aiming to stay competitive and profitable, and how the BMC is useful to analyse their organisation and performance, both economically and socially. The paper offers an inter-regional analysis of UA enterprises located in Spain, Italy, and Germany, which are further subdivided into: local food, leisure, educational, social, therapeutic, agri-environmental, cultural heritage and experimental farms. The analysis demonstrates that UA is differentially adjusted to specific urban conditions and that the BMC is useful for analysing urban farming. Heterogeneous local food farms and the integration of local and organic food production in social farming business models are most frequent in our case studies

THE EFFECTS OF CAP REFORM ON THE PERIURBAN AGRICULTURAL AREA IN THE PLAIN OF THE CITY OF ASSISI (CENTRAL ITALY)

In periurban areas agriculture can assume a multifunctional role that includes landscape conservation, sustainable resource management, biodiversity conservation, leisure activities, and can also maintain adequate conditions in densely populated areas for a safe and habitable environment. This study investigates the effects of the introduction of single farm payment on the periurban agricultural area in the plain of the City of Assisi, an area with a strong landscape value. A survey was carried out to determine: changes in production, changes on farm incomes, structural adjustments, the level of multifunctionality of periurban agriculture. Moreover, a survey of 355 residents was made to assess their willingness to pay for some positive externalities of the agriculture in this area. The results suggest the low-impact of reform on farms and the existence of a significant demand for environmental and social functions of the periurban agriculture of this region

Evaluation des services écosystémiques fournis par les sols de micro-fermes urbaines : Méthodologie et retours d'expériences

International audienceUrban micro-farms are rapidly developping driven by NGOs and supported by citizen and local politics. This new object of research wasdefined in two different contexts: urban and peri-urban/rural environments (Daniel 2019; Morel et al. 2017). In urban environments micro-farmare small scale farms (less than 1.5EFT per ha), involving often volunteers and generating a diversity of activities. The different functionsexpected from them (food provisioning, teaching support, social and cultural activity, water retention, valorization of wastes and landscape...)are directly linked to a diversity of ecosystem services that they can deliver. Nevertheless, only a few studies focus on micro-farms and donot allow a sufficient understanding of the ecosystem services that they can deliver. In parallel, the involvement of farmers in the evaluation ofecosystem services seems to be a great opportunity, if not a necessary condition. Based on this observation, the research project SEMOIRS(2018 – 2020), funded by ADEME, aims to evaluate ecosystem services delivered by urban micro-farms. The aim of this article is to presentand discuss the methodology of the project. Seven micro-farms were studied during two years: 4 were located at the soil level and 3 at rooftoplevel [see table 1]. Five ecosystem services were studied: food production (quantity and quality), biodiversity supporting (flora, fauna, andmicroorganisms), regulation (water catchment and quality, local climate regulation, use of urban waste and carbon storage) as well as socialand cultural services. A set of indicators was set up [see table 3] based on three types of data : (i) participative measurements achieved bythe farmers themselves, (ii) field measurements (including a questionnaire for micro-farm users) performed by researchers and (iii) externaldata, based on laboratory measurements, data bases, literature etc. The study has shown that all of the seven soils of micro-farms are dee-ply disrupted, from removed topsoil to isolatic Technosol (IUSS Working Group WRB, 2014). The methodology used raised key questionsregarding ecosystem services evaluation. (i) First, there is a trade-off to be dealt within the participative approach, between the targetedprecision of data needed on the one hand and the time spent by stakeholders for the measurement on the other hand. Despite these limits,the participative approach allows for a better understanding of the ecosystem services drivers by the farmers as well as collecting data notaccessible otherwise. (ii) Second, the choice of references to which we compare the ecosystem services delivered by urban micro-farmsis crucial. In the project, three reference were considered: professional vegetables farms, other urban agriculture forms and other type ofurban green spaces. We identified a serious lack of reference data on the considered ecosystem services that limits the comparison and thediscussion. (iii) Finally, our work raised the question of the scale at which to study different ecosystem services, as the different ecosystemservices operate at different spatial scales. Four scale were used here: soil, farm, neighborhood and the territory (here, the city; see figure 3).Encompassing different scales raises however the questions of a common study scale and that of the methodology needed to change fromone scale to another. However, despite those limits and perspectives the proposed methodology, relying partly on a participatory approach,appears promising to evaluate the ecosystem services provided by urban micro-farmsObjet récent de recherche, les micro-fermes urbaines sont aujourd'hui en plein essor, portées par un mouvement associatif, citoyen, entrepreneurial et politique relativement important. Ces fermes sont définies par leurs petites surfaces (moins d'1,5 ha paractif), l'implication de bénévoles et une diversité d'activités. Différentes fonctions sont ainsi associées à ces lieux (éducatives, productions alimentaires, loisirs etc.), faisant de ces micro-fermes urbaines des nouveaux types d'espaces végétalisés en ville susceptibles de fournir de multiples services écosystémiques. Néanmoins, le manque de connaissances actuelles sur le sujet ne permet pas d'appréhender dans le détail l'importance des services rendus. Par ailleurs, l'implication des parties prenantes dans une telle évaluation parait être un enjeu essentiel afin de comprendre les déterminants et facteurs d'influence de ces fermes ; les porteurs de projet étant eux-mêmes, par exemple, créateurs de savoirs et de pratiques agronomiques originales en s'adaptant aux contraintes du milieu urbain. L'objectif de cet article est de décrire et de discuter une méthodologie d'étude des services écosystémiques rendus par les micro-fermes urbaines, mise en oeuvre dans le cadre du projet SEMOIRS (Evaluation des Services Ecosystémiques rendus par les MicrO-fermes urbaInes et leurs Sols ; 2018 –2020) financé par l'ADEME. Au sein de ce projet, 7 micro-fermes et leurs sols à Paris et en petite couronne ont été étudiés durant deux ans. Ces fermes situées en toiture (3) et de plain-pied (4) sont illustratives de la diversité de cette forme d'agriculture urbaine. Des indicateurs ont été identifiés et sélectionnés pour étudier les différents services : (i) service d'approvisionnement alimentaire (rendement et qualité de la production), (ii) des services de régulation (rétention d'eau, qualité de l'eau de percolation, recyclage de résidus urbains, stockage de carbone dans le sol, fourniture de nutriments), (iii) service de support de biodiversité et (iv) des services culturels (impact sur l'apprentissage, le bien-être, l'esthétique) et paysagers. Trois types de méthodes ont été mobilisés pour acquérir les données : (1) participatives, (2) relevés, observations et enquêtes de terrain ainsi que (3) des mesures dites externes (en laboratoire ou à partir de bases de données). Après avoir présenté les indicateurs et méthodes utilisés par service, l'article discute de cette méthodologie et des perspectives pour l'étude de projets en milieu urbain. Cette approche participative couplée à une démarche d'acquisition de données « externes » paraît pertinente et génératrice de savoirs tant sur les services rendus que sur leurs facteurs d'influence