The Dualistic Model of European Agriculture - a Theoretical Framework for the Endogenous Development

The European model of agriculture refers to a multifunctional and virtuous model of agriculture that is progressively substituting the productivist model of agriculture, that, in the recent past, has been supported by agricultural community policies. However, the European model of agriculture comprises heterogeneous realities and economic actors characterised by different local conducts. Schematizing this model, we can distinguish two agriculture typologies: modernised agriculture and traditional agriculture. In this article, we will develop a theoretical framework which encompasses the different patterns of endogenous development in both agriculture typologies. Through this article, we aim to create the theoretical basis necessary to undertake the study of the dualistic model of European agriculture.endogenous rural development, european model of agriculture, traditional agriculture, modern agriculture, multifunctionality

Reswitching of Techniques in the Modern Agriculture: a Theoretical Background

The industrialization of the agricultural sector has resolved, at least in Europe, United States and Japan, the thousand year-old problem of the lack of food. Unfortunately, during the last years the environmental limits of such an agriculture clearly exploded. Through our contribution we define the concepts of traditional and modernized styles of farming. We also hypothesize three future scenarios for modernized agriculture. We shall study in particular the “return of techniques” scenario that foresees the conversion to sustainability through the return of traditional techniques. In order to analyze this scenario, we shall introduce the Sraffian framework of the “reswitching of techniques” from the neo-ricardian theory (Sraffa 1960). Sraffa, within the “reswitching” framework, pointed out that a low-capital-intensive technique may be competitive both at a relatively low and high rate of profit. Finally, we shall show that, at least theoretically, it is possible that traditional agricultural techniques could be convenient in a context of both low and high profit level.styles of farming, modern agriculture, traditional agriculture, reswitching of techniques

Application of statistical filtering for optical detection of tool wear

The application of automated tool condition monitoring systems is very important for unmanned machining systems. Tool wear monitoring is a key factor for optimization of the cutting processes. Basically, tool wear monitoring systems can be subdivided into two classes: direct and indirect. Currently direct tool wear monitoring systems are most frequently based on machine vision by camera. Several approaches have been studied for tool wear detection by means of tool images, and an innovative statistical filter proved to be very efficient for worn area detection. A new approach has been implemented and tested in order to develop an automatic system for tool wear measurement. This new approach is described in this paper and the main topics related to tool wear monitoring using wear images have been discussed

Efecto de la aplicación de tecnologías emergentes en vegetales

En la actualidad se aplican diversos tratamientos ecoamigables en hortalizas para extender su vida útil. Se estudiará el efecto de la radiación por microondas (MO) y películas comestibles (PC), y sus combinaciones, sobre la calidad poscosecha de Zapallo Aneo. Los parámetros a analizar serán: pérdida de peso fresco, composición de fenólicos, carotenoides y capacidad antioxidante, entre otros.Área: Ciencias Agrícolas, Producción y Salud Animal

Endogenous approach to rural development: theoretical roots and doctrinal developments

The modernization of agriculture has a well-established theoretical basis from Capitalist, Marxist and Keynesian approaches. These approaches have different bases of departure: market mechanisms and state planning. But these different approaches require an identical exogenous path of development for rural areas based on 'modern' processes of specialization, concentration and integration. Instead, the endogenous approach to rural development did not initially have a solid theoretical basis. It was created by the action of different actors in marginal areas. Lowe (2006) identified four endogenous sources of resistance to exogenous processes which we have integrated by adding two exogenous sources. The first theoretical background of the phenomena of endogenous development of rural areas was due to the school of rural sociology of Wageningen which produced the so-called paradigm of endogenous rural development. The paradigm essentially study traditional typologies of agriculture excluded from the modernization processes. Ploeg (2006) has studied endogenous rural development at the light of the concept of 'local styles of farming'. According to the paradigm, the exogenous resources have to be 'deconstructed' and 'reconstructed' in conformity of 'local styles'. Processes of deconstruction and reconstruction will be discussed in our work critically showing two examples. Finally, following the definition of “strong” and “weak” sustainable development , we shall create a new definition of rural endogenous development.Endogenous Approach to Rural development, Modernized agriculture, traditional agriculture, neo-endogenous development, De-growth economics

L’inquadramento teorico del paradigma dello sviluppo rurale endogeno

The paradigm of the endogenous rural development tries to explain the capacity of rural communities, which are excluded by processes of modernization, and they way they support their own economic development by depending on resources, techniques and local know-how. The endogenous rural development has been studied so far mainly by sociologists but rarely by agricultural economists. In fact, a thorough doctrinal classification does not exist. The lack of interest by agricultural economics of such a developmental pattern can perhaps be attributed to a marginal approach by scientific economics which does not provide the most suitable tools in order to analyse the development of endogenous rural phenomena.rural endogenous development, endogenous growth

The impact of downside risk on risk-adjusted performance of mutual funds in the Euronext markets

Many performance measures, such as the classic Sharpe ratio have difficulty in evaluating the performance of mutual funds with skewed return distributions. Common causes for skewness are the use of options in the portfolio or superior market timing skills of the portfolio manager. In this article we examine to what extent downside risk and the upside potential ratio can be used to evaluate skewed return distributions. In order to accomplish this goal, we first show the relation between the risk preferences of the investor and the risk- adjusted performance measure. We conclude that it is difficult to interpret differences in the outcomes of risk-adjusted performance measures exclusively as differences in forecasting skills of portfolio managers. We illustrate this with an example of a simulation study of a protective put strategy. We show that the Sharpe ratio leads to incorrect conclusions in the case of protective put strategies. On the other hand, the upside potential ratio leads to correct conclusions. Finally, we apply downside risk and the upside potential ratio in the process of selecting a mutual fund from a sample of mutual funds in the Euronext stock markets. The rankings appear similar, which can be attributed to the absence of significant skewness in the sample. However, find that the remaining differences can be quite significant for individual fund managers, and that these differences can be attributed to skewness. Therefore, we prefer to use the UPR as an alternative to the Sharpe ratio, as it gives a more adequate evaluation of the use of options and forecasting skills.Downside risk, mutual funds, performance measurement, risk preference, asymmetric return distributions

The future of modernized agriculture and the return of traditional techniques

The industrialization of the agricultural sector has resolved, at least in Europe and in the United States, the thousand year-old problem of the lack of food. Unfortunately, during the last years the limits of such an agriculture clearly exploded. The modernized agriculture, in fact, produces negative externalities and it does not assure food safety. Through our contribution we hypothesize three future scenarios for modernized agriculture. We shall study in particular the one that foresees the conversion to sustainability through the return of traditional techniques. In order to analyze the problem, we shall introduce the Sraffian framework of the “re-switching of techniques”. Finally we shall build an original and new model of “reswitching” for the short period. The aim of our work is to show that, at least theoretically, it is possible that a traditional agricultural technique could be convenient in a context of both low and high profit level.Re-switching of techniques, modernized agriculture, sustainable development

Future scenarios of the modernized agriculture and a Sraffian framework for the “return of techniques” scenario

Rural areas in Europe are characterized by several agricultural models and paths. We can schematically divide them in two typologies of agriculture: the modernized and the traditional agriculture. The first typology is characterized by agricultural techniques of production pervaded by industrial (or modernized) elements and values. It is based on the most fertile soils of the European rural areas. The modernized agriculture has also reached elevated levels of productivity but it lacks in socio-environmental terms (i.e. biodiversity losses). The traditional agriculture, instead, has his base on the less favored areas and it is an unintentional keeper of traditional and virtuous techniques and elements (i.e. crop rotation and local genetic resources). It is such because it does not accept exogenous elements (i.e. mountainous agriculture where mechanization is applied with low efficiency/effectiveness) and it has therefore remained excluded from the processes of industrialization. The weak point of traditional agriculture, which has caused its decline, is the economic inefficiency. It is however an unknowing producer of positive externalities (i.e. safe food, local genetic resources, landscape). In our paper we try to assess the hypothesis of the return of traditional elements and techniques in the modernized agriculture. In order to analyze the problem, we shall introduce the theoretical framework of the “re-switching of techniques” from the neo-ricardian theory (Sraffa 1960). Sraffa, within the “re-switching” framework, pointed out that a low-capital-intensive technique may be competitive both at a relatively low and high rate of profit. Finally, after we have shown two examples of economic models of “re-switching of techniques”, we shall build an example of “re-switching” for the short period and an original example with multiple-switching points.Re-switching of techniques, modernized agriculture, traditional agriculture, sustainable development