Evaluating the Improvement of Quality of Life in Rural Areas

The research starts from the necessity to create specific tools for evaluating the impacts of rural development policies on fragile areas. The study is motivated by the need for developing an appropriate evaluation method that leads to gather meaningful information for a broader understanding of the quality of life in rural areas, including the subjective well-being’s dimensions and its determinants and feeds the policy designs on this specific domain. The multidimensional nature of quality of life is a main challenge in terms of evaluation. Indeed, within the Rural Development Programmes 2007-2013, the enhancement of the quality of life in rural areas is one of the major strategic objectives to be addressed by a menu of measures. Selections of some current literature on the multidimensional nature of quality of life have been used as conceptual basis for analysing the extent to which the European evaluation framework for rural development programmes (EC 1999, 2006, 2010) - based on the intervention logic model, the use of economic indicators and evaluative questions - is able to capture the relevant dimensions of well-being rural people’s lives. A part of the research is based on the analysis of ex-post evaluations carried out in Italy. The evaluations are expected to assess the improvement of quality of life in rural areas as effect of programmes’ implementation. The paper provides two different experiences of quantification of quality of life in rural area: a synthetic measure of marginality as a proxy of quality of life indicators (in Piedmont) and a synthetic index of quality of life (in Emilia Romagna). The paper proposes a wider integrated evaluation approach to be used in the context of the evaluation of impacts of rural development programmes, that through the combined utilization of quantitative and qualitative indicators and additional evaluative questions, allows a more comprehensive assessment of quality of life in rural areas.evaluation, quality of life, marginality, qualitative indicators, Agricultural and Food Policy, O180,

Farm Advisory Services for the Agro-Food Supply Chain as a Foster of Innovation: The Case of Veneto Region

 The aim of this study is to analyze the potentiality of the extension services in agriculture, to mainstream innovation in terms of sectoral competitiveness, when integrated into the agro-food supply chain. In doing this, the case of Venetian agriculture will give empirical evidence to the assumptions of this study, serving the identification of key factors, related to the use of extension services integrated into the so-called Integrated Supply Chain Projects (ISCPs), which are emerging as influential for the performance of the agro-food chain. In principle, the extension services are integrated within the entire agricultural knowledge system, which encloses several activities such as research and experimentation, vocational training, advisory and information. In the context of the Rural Development Policy, the farm advisory services are implemented through the measures 114 "Using farm advisory services" and 124 "Cooperation for development of new products, process and technologies", included in the Rural Development Programmes (RDPs). The present study focuses on the observed benefits that such measures deliver when integrated into the ISCPs, by adding value to the entire agro-food chain and bettering its performance. In fact, the systemic approach to the implementation of the research and of farm advisory services into the ISCPs seems to enhance their own potentiality to increase the entrepreneurial performance and contribute to create a competitive advantage for the entire agro-food chain. In Italy, within the RDP 2007-2013, the ISCPs are foreseen as an instrument for better achieve the increase of competitiveness of the agricultural and forestry sector, the improvement of the quality and the marketing of the productions; create and consolidate the value chain as a whole, by balancing the profit margins of each single segment. To this end, several Italian RDPs foresee the opportunity for a partnership involving different economic actors playing a role in the agro-food chain to define such project in view of achieving an overall common strategic objective. Each integrated supply chain project is set up through the implementation of several measures, which are supposed to contribute to the achievement of that overall objective. For the purpose of this study, a desk research has been carried out mainly on the fiche of the measures foreseen by the RDPs and by the tender documentation. The information gathered regard basically the type and the matter of the advisory services and of the research implemented by the measures, the number of beneficiaries achieved, the financial resources committed, and some result indicators (i.e: number of enterprises supported starting a new processes or realizing a new product; productive segment covered by the support; quality production; increase of the gross value added for the value chain). These information led mapping the model of an integrated supply chain project and identifying the different factors influencing the performance of the agro-food chain

Report on Policy Delivery Systems and their relations with types of governance models

This report has focused on many aspects linked to objectives of the WP3. We have tried to identify the main relations amongst the different levels of governance; we have also explored and described the delivery systems in different contexts, including those with a LEADER-like approach. The analysis of the delivery systems in different contexts is a crucial issue in understanding the impact of Rural Development Programmes. But RDP delivery is an issue not very widely studied in policy analysis and, when studied, is essentially based on the traditional State-Region dichotomy and on the operational side, on the opposition between National Programme and Regional Programmes. We need to explore delivery at the micro-level and to take into account of more complex variables. The typology that was identified in this report proved to some extent to explain the main differences between countries and regions. Based on two main dimensions, the typology classified delivery in four types: a) Centralised and driven by sectoral administration; b) Decentralised and driven by sectoral administration; c) Centralised and driven by multiple actors; d) Decentralised and driven by multiple actors. This typology of delivery is strictly based on typical variables of governance. Most countries have been managing their RDP(s) through a delivery system which is defined within the boundaries of sectoral administrations. Therefore, even the analysis of delivery confirms the dominance of agricultural interests in driving the implementation of RDP. This feature has to be associated with the concentration of the decisional power in the hands of central structures, being either Ministries or Regional Departments of Agriculture. These types show clear differences in terms of difficulties met by delivery and times of implementation. However, other differences emerge from the analysis between: · Groups of measures (mainly between measures of investment and measures of income support); · Groups of countries. We have to take into account relevant differences between old and new Member States, being much more diversified than was foreseen in their delivery systems and in the performances of the different systems. The analysis of crucial phases of the delivery reveals interesting differences according to type of macro-delivery, type of measure and group of countries in terms of times of implementation and intensity of problems met in delivery. However, implementation times are influenced by many institutional and structural variables, and the comparative analysis above needs some note of caution

Review of Rural Development Instruments: DG Agri project 2006-G4-10. Final Report

The aim of the study was to review the policy instruments under the framework of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), 2007-13, by: • reviewing intervention rationales and instruments and their use against the objectives, priorities and key actions in the EU Strategic Guidelines; • assessing whether and how RD rationales and instruments should be adapted to deliver these more effectively. The study involved 8 tasks, grouped into 3 themes of analysis: 1) the targeting of EU-27 rural development expenditure, 2000-13, including the development of databases of EU-27 rural area characteristics and ‘indicators of need’ for RD; 2) consideration of the adequacy of the current EAFRD framework, based upon an evaluation of instruments’ cost-effectiveness; the a priori development of a typology of RD interventions and catalogue of instruments; an analysis of delivery mechanisms; and assessment of instruments in ‘fiches’; 3) conclusions and recommendations. In the event, progress in finalising national and/or regional RDPs 2007-13 was delayed,over the study period. Thus, the approach was modified to incorporate more qualitative analysis and the expenditure analysis was made using incomplete figures (July 2007), so 4% of total EAFRD planned expenditure was missing

Co-ordination and networks at sub-regional level: how programmes can meet rural needs

Main objective of this paper is focusing on local institutions and their ability to effectively respond to local needs in designing and implementing rural development policies. The main unit of analysis is the Province of Grosseto. In this area a great number of public national and regional programmes provided for development funds during the last decade. The Province tried to co-ordinate these funds according to some strategy, but the real success in doing so is unknown and, more important, the driving forces and the conflicts/alliances which permitted this co-ordination have been explored. RDP is part of this process of co-ordination, probably one of the most relevant policies in the hands of Province. The research explore the following elements: strategies/rules adopted by the Province in order to coordinate the development strategy; the role played by the different stakeholders in the process of design objectives; impacts generated in provincial areas by the coordination process

Farm Advisory Services for the Agro-Food Supply Chain as a Foster of Innovation: The Case of Veneto Region

The aim of this study is to analyze the potentiality of the extension services in agriculture, to mainstream innovation in terms of sectoral competitiveness, when integrated into the agro-food supply chain. In doing this, the case of Venetian agriculture will give empirical evidence to the assumptions of this study, serving the identification of key factors, related to the use of extension services integrated into the so-called Integrated Supply Chain Projects (ISCPs), which are emerging as influential for the performance of the agro-food chain. In principle, the extension services are integrated within the entire agricultural knowledge system, which encloses several activities such as research and experimentation, vocational training, advisory and information. In the context of the Rural Development Policy, the farm advisory services are implemented through the measures 114 “Using farm advisory services” and 124 “Cooperation for development of new products, process and technologies”, included in the Rural Development Programmes (RDPs). The present study focuses on the observed benefits that such measures deliver when integrated into the ISCPs, by adding value to the entire agro-food chain and bettering its performance. In fact, the systemic approach to the implementation of the research and of farm advisory services into the ISCPs seems to enhance their own potentiality to increase the entrepreneurial performance and contribute to create a competitive advantage for the entire agro-food chain. In Italy, within the RDP 2007-2013, the ISCPs are foreseen as an instrument for better achieve the increase of competitiveness of the agricultural and forestry sector, the improvement of the quality and the marketing of the productions; create and consolidate the value chain as a whole, by balancing the profit margins of each single segment. To this end, several Italian RDPs foresee the opportunity for a partnership involving different economic actors playing a role in the agro-food chain to define such project in view of achieving an overall common strategic objective. Each integrated supply chain project is set up through the implementation of several measures, which are supposed to contribute to the achievement of that overall objective. For the purpose of this study, a desk research has been carried out mainly on the fiche of the measures foreseen by the RDPs and by the tender documentation. The information gathered regard basically the type and the matter of the advisory services and of the research implemented by the measures, the number of beneficiaries achieved, the financial resources committed, and some result indicators (i.e: number of enterprises supported starting a new processes or realizing a new product; productive segment covered by the support; quality production; increase of the gross value added for the value chain). These information led mapping the model of an integrated supply chain project and identifying the different factors influencing the performance of the agro-food chain

Evaluating the Improvement of Quality of Life in Rural Areas

The research starts from the necessity to create specific tools for evaluating the impacts of rural development policies on fragile areas. The study is motivated by the need for developing an appropriate evaluation method that leads to gather meaningful information for a broader understanding of the quality of life in rural areas, including the subjective well-being’s dimensions and its determinants and feeds the policy designs on this specific domain. The multidimensional nature of quality of life is a main challenge in terms of evaluation. Indeed, within the Rural Development Programmes 2007-2013, the enhancement of the quality of life in rural areas is one of the major strategic objectives to be addressed by a menu of measures. Selections of some current literature on the multidimensional nature of quality of life have been used as conceptual basis for analysing the extent to which the European evaluation framework for rural development programmes (EC 1999, 2006, 2010) - based on the intervention logic model, the use of economic indicators and evaluative questions - is able to capture the relevant dimensions of well-being rural people’s lives. A part of the research is based on the analysis of ex-post evaluations carried out in Italy. The evaluations are expected to assess the improvement of quality of life in rural areas as effect of programmes’ implementation. The paper provides two different experiences of quantification of quality of life in rural area: a synthetic measure of marginality as a proxy of quality of life indicators (in Piedmont) and a synthetic index of quality of life (in Emilia Romagna). The paper proposes a wider integrated evaluation approach to be used in the context of the evaluation of impacts of rural development programmes, that through the combined utilization of quantitative and qualitative indicators and additional evaluative questions, allows a more comprehensive assessment of quality of life in rural areas

The Tuscany Integrated Supply Chain Projects 2014–2022: A New Path to Support the Agri-Food Industry

The Integrated Supply Chain Projects (ISCP) are promoted under the framework of Rural Development Programs (RDPs). Considering the scarce literature on ISCP, the case of Tuscany, one of the Italian regions that has implemented ISCPs most aggressively, was analyzed. The aim of this work is to give evidence of the potential positive effects of ISCPs for the agricultural sector by considering the differences between ISCP beneficiaries (treated) and non-ISCP farms (non-treated). The materials used for the analysis are twofold: the Italian Rural Network database and the Italian Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) dataset. The analysis is based on a three-year period (2018–2020). The sample consists of 1693 farms, outliers excluded. The treated farms included in the FADN sample total 134. The variables used are both structural and economic. The statistical analysis carried out compares treated and non-treated farms using the Welch-t-test. The results show that some key variables are significant (area; labour; revenues and costs). In general, the treated farms are more likely to improve their production process through EU funding and through new investments. In conclusion, the ISCP could be a good opportunity to support the sector. This work suggests that beneficiaries could achieve higher economic performance, especially when carrying out diversified activities