Valuing the landscape benefits of rural policies actions in Veneto (Italy)

<p class="p1">This study addresses, with reference to the landscape, a precise request of the EU to quantify the benefits of public expenditure in agriculture. It analyses the implications on rural landscape of some measures of the Common Agricultural Policy at a regional level, taking the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2007-2013 of the Veneto Region, in north-eastern Italy, as case study. A choice experiment (CE) is applied to value four measures of the RDP that directly affect the landscape characteristics.<br />The CE results point out that the landscape benefits of the measures in the Veneto RDP are higher than the subsidies paid to farmers for the provision of services that improve landscape quality. The CE results suggest the opportunity to rethink the distribution of the subsidies.</p

The Value of a Properly Maintained Hiking Trail Network and a Traditional Landscape for Mountain Recreation in the Dolomites

Alpine mountains represent one of the most important tourist destinations in the world, constituting approximately 3.1% of the global tourism market when considering the tourist flows coming from abroad. While there may be numerous factors that motivate tourists to choose rural areas, an important role is played by the opportunity to visit well-conserved landscapes and uncontaminated natural areas. The purpose of this study was to make a monetary valuation of the social benefits generated by the adoption of three measures of the Rural Development Plan (RDP) of Veneto (Italy) aimed specifically at enhancing the recreational usability of the mountain territory. In this regard, a discrete choice experiment (DCE) was applied for the economic valuation, and a qualitative survey was used to collect the opinion of respondents related to the measures to protect the meadows and mountain hiking trails. According to the DCE estimates, on average, the benefits due to the conservation of the existing meadows and pastures was equal to \u20ac851 per hectare, those due to the conservation and improvement of the trail network were \u20ac12,260 per km, and the benefits due to the recovery of the meadows and pastures of uncultivated and abandoned areas for naturalistic purposes amounted to \u20ac6,852 per hectare. Comparing the estimates obtained with the expenditure incurred by the RDP to finance the three actions considered in our DCE, it can be seen that the benefits are considerably higher than the costs, especially with regard to the conservation of paths and the recovery of abandoned areas for naturalistic purposes

Testing the difference between experts\u2019 and lay people\u2019s landscape preferences

The European Landscape Convention, ratified by 40 nations, has placed emphasis on the necessity that the value of the landscape is assessed by the population. However it is standard practice that a few experts decide which areas are of landscape interest and the transformations that are compatible with their conservation. To compare the landscape preferences of experts and lay people a study was done on the Po Delta Natural Park (Italy) using a psychophysical approach. In our case study the average scores of experts and lay people are not very different. However it was also ascertained that the experts evaluate the presence of some elements in a way that differs from lay people. As the responsibility for landscape policies is normally devolved to a few experts it would appear necessary that the preferences and opinions of lay people should always be carefully analysed

Organic vs local claims: substitutes or complements for wine consumers? A marketing analysis with a discrete choice experiment

This study aims to understand people's preferences concerning five different extrinsic characteristics of wine and among them organic production. Consumers' preferences were assessed by means of a choice experiment on a sample of people living in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia (north-eastern Italy). The wines considered in the hypothetical market were differentiated considering the area of origin, landscape features, production method (organic or conventional), wine denomination of origin label and price. According to our results, denomination of origin labelling is the most important factor considered by all respondents. More than one quarter of the sample is interested in purchasing organic wine and willing to pay more for it. In this respect, organic production combined with a good communication strategy in order to increase the knowledge about its benefits can be a good marketing diversification strategy. Therefore, organic production seems to be a necessary (for at least 27% of people) but not sufficient condition in characterizing wine quality: it should be supported by an appropriate promotion of the product characteristics

Analysis of the Factors that Influence Olive Oil Demand in the Veneto Region (Italy)

The present study analyzes the demand for extra virgin olive oil of Veneto region consumers in relation to some extrinsic characteristics of the oil, such as the place of production (with particular reference to the Veneto region), the designation of origin, the organic certification, the type of transformation (artisanal or industrial), and the cultivation of olive trees in landscapes that have preserved traditional forms, which are typically the result of irregular plantations or the reduced densities of plants per hectare of cultivated areas. To this aim, a discrete choice experiment was carried out that allowed us to identify the effect of each of the attributes on the choices of the interviewees and to highlight the presence of heterogeneity in consumer preferences. The analysis carried out highlights the presence of a strong segmentation of the extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) market in the Veneto region. In the estimated model, the heterogeneity of preferences is particularly relevant in the case of Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) production, handicraft milling, and organic production. In contrast, the interviewees\u2019 preferences appear to be very homogeneous for the Italian or Veneto EVOO. The results of our research confirm that the place of production is one of the most important clues considered by consumers when buying EVOO. This effect, however, appears to be less important in the areas where olive tree cultivation occupies only a reduced fraction of the cultivated area. In these situations, people tend to prioritize the consumption of EVOO from other regions where production is more widespread. Olive growing that preserves the traditional landscape appears to have a significant effect on consumer behavior, but only for some market segments

Toward a better understanding of market potentials for vegan food. A choice experiment for the analysis of breadsticks preferences

4Recently, vegan food has received increased attention from Italian consumers. Despite this fact, it has rarely been the subject of analysis. Our study focuses on consumer preferences for breadsticks in North-Eastern Italy. We applied a choice experiment where a hypothetical market was designed to analyze five characteristics of breadsticks (country of origin, vegan product certification, production method, type of flour, and price). We collected data by interviewing 487 consumers and analyzed them by means of the random parameter logit model. Results suggest that 8% of respondents are willing to pay a premium price for vegan breadsticks and that there is the opportunity to develop local chains for vegan niche markets.openopenMarangon, F.; Tempesta, T.; Troiano, S; Vecchiato, D.Marangon, Francesco; Tempesta, T.; Troiano, Stefania; Vecchiato, D

Tasty or Sustainable? The Effect of Product Sensory Experience on a Sustainable New Food Product: An Application of Discrete Choice Experiments on Chianina Tinned Beef

This study aims to contribute to the existing literature by verifying whether the degree of liking of a new food product influences people\u2019s preferences and willingness to pay from a discrete choice experiment when dealing with sustainable food products. To this purpose, we considered the case study of the introduction into the Italian market of a new food product: tinned Chianina meat. Among the attributes considered for this new product, two in particular were related to sustainability: organic breeding and the preservation of a traditional rural landscape. Half of the respondents underwent a sensory test before taking part in the hypothetical market (discrete choice experiment), while the remaining were administered the tests in reverse order. Tasting the product before the discrete choice experiment did not produce different willingness to pay (WTP) parameters as estimated by a taste factor interaction. However, separating the respondents into those who liked or disliked the product in the tasting condition revealed differences in willingness to pay results. The preferences are different for more than 50% of the attributes considered, and the magnitude of this difference is quite relevant. The WTP for one well known and certified sustainability related attribute\u2014organic breeding\u2014was not affected by the liking, while, for the other\u2014the preservation of a traditional rural landscape\u2014the effect of liking decreases the WTP. As a consequence, we suggest that tasting and liking studies should be routinely coupled with discrete choice studies when analyzing the introduction of new food products, especially when considering sustainable attributes in the experimental design. In the case of organic products where the expectations about taste are higher, neglecting to consider their sensory perception, along with the other discrete choice experiment attributes, could seriously undermine their long lasting success on the market

Food waste, consumer attitudes and behaviour. A study in the North-Eastern part of Italy

Reducing the amount of wasted food is a key element in developing a sustainable food system. Large quantities of produced food are discarded and, to a large extent, the waste is avoidable. The wastage of food occurs at all stages of the food life cycle, starting from harvesting, through manufacturing and distributing and finally consumption, but the largest contribution to food waste occur at home. In the past, several studies investigated the amount of food waste in Italy. Nevertheless there is a substantial lack in the knowledge of the reasons linked to waste food at households. The aim of this paper is to focus on the consumption food waste for exploring the reasons of food waste on family level, which is a significant fraction of total, in order to overcome food wasting behaviour and point out options to design prevention measures

Evaluating consumer perceptions of social farming through choice modelling

This study aims to analyse consumer attitudes and to value their willingness to pay a premium price for ethical food from social farming by applying discrete choice experiment methodology. Two real products, zucchini and eggs, that were cultivated in an organic social farm with work inclusion by people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) were considered. We relied on these two products due to their different origins (vegetal and animal) and, in the case of eggs, to compare the willingness to pay for social farming and the preservation of animal welfare. We collected 255 complete questionnaires, and our results show that respondents have a positive willingness to pay for both products if they are obtained with the work inclusion of people with ASDs. For the work inclusion of adults with ASDs, the interviewees expressed a mean WTP of 0.69 \u20ac for a box of 6 eggs and 0.85 \u20ac/Kg for zucchini. This is particularly important in supporting the economic sustainability of an activity, i.e., social farming, that typically has higher production costs and therefore needs to be supported by public subsidies. The positive attitude of consumers in terms of their willingness to pay a premium price for these products could potentially allow a strong hybridization between profit (agriculture) and nonprofit (social) activities, which could potentially both guarantee economic sustainability to firms and benefit society. Such hybridization has its roots in the view of agriculture as an integral part of the community, where each member is doing his or her part with concrete actions, including those connected to consumption choices that contribute to support the social positive externalities generated by farmers\u2019 activities

Organic vs local claims: substitutes or complements for wine consumers? A marketing analysis with a discrete choice experiment

This study aims to understand people\u2019s preferences concerning five different extrinsic characteristics of wine and among them organic production. Consumers\u2019 preferences were assessed by means of a choice experiment on a sample of people living in Friuli Venezia Giulia (north-eastern Italy). The wines considered in the hypothetical market were differentiated considering the area of origin, landscape features, production method (organic or conventional), wine denomination of origin label and price. According to our results, denomination of origin labelling is the most important factor considered by all respondents. More than one quarter of the sample is interested in purchasing organic wine and willing to pay more for it. In this respect, organic production combined with a good communication strategy in order to increase the knowledge about its benefits can be a good marketing diversification strategy. Therefore, organic production seems to be a necessary (for at least 27% of people) but not sufficient condition in characterizing wine quality: it should be supported by an appropriate promotion of the product characteristics