57 research outputs found
Zootecnia e biogas : incentivi 2013 : 100 pagine per capire
No full textIl ruolo della produzione di energia rinnovabile attraverso la digestione anaerobica può essere decisivo per aumentare la redditività degli allevamenti e coadiuvare alla ricerca di soluzioni al problema della gestione degli effluenti. Il nuovo periodo di incentivazione finanziaria per la produzione di energia prodotta e ceduta al gestore di rete è partito dal 1° gennaio 2013. Le indicazioni del DM 6 luglio 2012 rappresentano un fondamentale fattore di cambiamento per il futuro dei diversi sistemi di trasformazione di risorse rinnovabili in energia, con significative differenze rispetto al passato. Infatti, i riferimenti per le tariffe incentivanti di durata ventennale propongono una nuovo approccio classificatorio distinguendo sia la tipologia di substrato utilizzato, sia la potenza installata nell’impianto. Per quanto riguarda la biomassa utilizzata, le classi degli incentivi evidenziano la volontà di premiare i progetti che utilizzano, soprattutto, sottoprodotti agro-zootecnici e agro-alimentari. Un altro elemento di differenziazione è la taglia dell’impianto, intesa come potenza elettrica installata; le classi di maggiore rilevanza per il settore agricolo riguardano impianti di potenza inclusi nella categoria 1 < 300 kW, quelli compresi nella forbice 300 < 600 kW e 600 < 1.000, con tariffe incentivanti decrescenti all’aumentare della potenza installata per i singoli scaglioni. Il presente studio vuole proporre un percorso di analisi che, partendo dalla formulazione di un conto economico e seguendo l’intero processo di gestione del refluo zootecnico dalla stalla ai terreni, possa arrivare a presentare soluzioni alternative al solo costo di adeguamento alla normativa per una migliore effi cienza nel contenimento dell’azoto in esubero.
La valutazione economica si sviluppa definendo l’utile conseguibile dalla gestione del processo, parametrizzato secondo una scala monetaria comune: euro/capo, euro/kg carne, euro/kg latte ed euro/m3 di refluo
Produrre energia rinnovabile nelle aziende agro-zootecniche : effetti economici dalle novità introdotte nella normativa del 2012
No full textThis study proposes an analysis to evaluate the effects on the future choices of the zootechnical entrepreneur in light of the new indications in the Ministerial Decree of the July 6, 2012 "Execution of Art. 24 of the legislative decree 3 March 2011, no. 28 establishing incentives for the production of electricity from plants of renewable sources other than photovoltaic".
Specifically, we will investigate the productive chain of biogas from anaerobic digestion and, in particular, the synergies that can be real-ized with the swine sector.
The main objective is to assess what are the critical and the strength moments for the zootechnical entrepreneur in each stage of the chain, analyzing the opportunities of integration in order to gain an econom-ic advantage in introducing innovative activities of process and trans-formation of livestock effluents; an economic profit can afford to ena-ble virtuous practices on the part of the entrepreneur, also environ-mentally correct and able to make more sustainable the activities in the medium-long term
Consumer perception of different species and presentation forms of fish: An empirical analysis in Italy
No full textFish consumption analysis involves public and commercial interests. Many studies have focused on this issue over the last few decades. Researchers rarely consider the heterogeneity of these products, while we believe there are at least five reasons why it should always be taken into account: (i) health factors; (ii) environmental drawbacks regarding the consumption of particular species; (iii) the importance of species and how the fish are presented to consumers; (iv) the perceived differences between species are of prime importance for marketing strategies; and finally (v) being able to identify different species helps prevent fraud. Through perceptual mapping we studied the perceived differences between European anchovies (Engraulis encrasicholus), European sardines (Sardina pilchardus) and mackerel (Sgomber spp.), wild-caught cod and sole, and farmed sea bream and sea bass. We checked for the influence of gender, age, education and residence in how consumers perceive seafood. We found that the gender, age and education of consumers do not usually affect their perception of blue fish as being cheap, flavorsome and traditional, cod and sole as nutritional, and farmed sea bream and bass as natural. A slight difference was found in central/southern Italian residents, who perceive farmed sea bream and bass as cheap and flavorful. The results validate the idea that consumers recognize the different attributes of each species or type of fish for sale, but some issues remain unresolved and further studies are recommended
Social Networks as Drivers for Technology Adoption: A Study from a Rural Mountain Area in Italy
No full textInnovation processes includes social and communicative elements. The role of innovative technology for the development of farming systems is investigated in literature, but only a few studies deal with the influence of networks on the adoption of technologies by farmers. The aim of this paper is to verify if the adoption of smartphones for professional reasons by farmers is influenced by the networks to which farmers belong, the socio-demographic characteristics of the farmers, and their farm’s size. The case study is in the Valtellina valley, a rural mountain area in the north of Italy, where 53 livestock farmers were interviewed. The methodology is based on two steps. First, social network analysis is applied to diagnose the relationships of farmers in terms of connectivity and closeness and to detect the centrality measures of farmers in three different social relationships: production networks, market networks, and information exchange networks. A multiple linear regression model is then applied to test whether centrality measures of the three networks, the farmers’ socio-demographic characters, and the farm’s features drive the adoption of smartphones for professional reasons. Results suggest that the centrality measures in production networks positively drive the adoption of smartphones, while the centrality measures of market and information exchange networks do not have the same effect. At the same time, the farmers’ age negatively affects the use of smartphones for professional reasons, while the size of the herd, and the education and gender of farmers have no significant influence. The study contributes to the debate around the Agricultural Knowledge Innovation System and supports local policies based on the inclusion of farmers in the technological development in rural areas
Would you buy vegan meatballs? The policy issues around vegan and meat-sounding labelling of plant-based meat alternatives
No full textPlant-based meat alternatives have grown tremendously in recent years, with an unprecedented increase in vegan and meat-sounding labelled products appearing on European Union shelves. However, a regulation clarifying what the “vegan” label means and if “meat-sounding” names should be allowed when referring to plant-based foods is still lacking. Led by opposite reasons, both vegetarian and meat producers' associations are demanding to fill this legal void. Our paper contributes to this debate by providing the results of two online experiments that measures how consumers perceive plant-based meat substitutes based on vegan vs. meat-sounding labelling. The results of the first study showed that meat-sounding labels applied to plant-based food altered perceived healthiness, but not other characteristics of the product. The second study indicated that vegan labelling exerted a negative effect on the consumers’ perception of tastiness and healthiness, and willingness to buy of plant-based foods. Importantly, these effects were moderated by the consumers’ attitudes towards meat-eating and veganism. In line with these results, we propose that the explicit use of the “vegan” label might be counterproductive to increase the sales of plant-based foods, and that the biasing impact of meat-sounding labels on plant-based food’s perception is weak
Impact of information and Food Technology Neophobia in consumers’ acceptance of shelf-life extension in packaged fresh fish fillets
No full textModern consumers are increasingly asking for sustainability in food production. However, in real life, they may be skeptical about novel food technology and refuse to buy innovative products. Providing positive information about the innovations may reduce consumers’ skepticism and incentivize firms R&D activity. Accordingly, this paper aims to test the effect of informative messages on consumers’ acceptance of shelf-life extension on fresh packaged fish. The impact of information is tested on a sample of consumers from Northern and Southern Italy that evaluated an innovatively packaged portion of fresh sea bream (Sparus aurata). The results of the survey highlight that different information strategies may increase positive attitudes towards some attributes of the new product. However, the most important antecedent of attitudes is the individual Food Technology Neophobia. The research provides a starting point in the study of the effect of informative messages on consumers’ acceptance of shelf life extension technology on fresh fish and its relationship with neophobia
Consumer preferences for red deer meat: a discrete choice analysis considering attitudes towards wild game meat and hunting
No full textThis study aims to analyse consumer preferences for red deer meat (RDM) (Cervus elaphus) by conducting a case study in northern Italy. This analysis considers how the attitudes of consumers towards wild game meat and hunting might influence such preferences. This goal is achieved by combining the results of a k-means clustering analysis of the attitudes collected by means of two valuation scales with a discrete choice experiment (CE). According to our results, a positive attitude towards wild game meat has an effect on the willingness to pay (WTP) for RDM that is more than 3 times greater than being in favour of hunting. An analysis of the heterogeneity of consumer preferences allowed us to identify the presence of an important niche market for RDM served as carpaccio. Examining only the mean estimates for carpaccio without considering heterogeneity would lead to neglecting 18% of the sample with a positive willingness to pay for this attribute level
A theoretical framework to assess the impact of flooding on dairy cattle farms : identification of direct damage from an animal welfare perspective
No full textFor the economic sectors, the need to address the challenges posed by natural disasters due to climate change is an outstanding issue. To date, according to the European Commission (2019), there is still a gap in the estimation of the costs of flood in all European countries and the
direct impact that these floods have on agricultural activities. More specifically, the damage to livestock has been minimally studied. The aim of this study is is therefore to identify the flood damage that affects dairy cattle farms, focusing on the damage to herds caused by a flood event; in
fact, poor welfare conditions of dairy cattle directly affect production and thus farm revenue. To accomplish the aim of this study, a framework was first developed to identify possible damage types. Then, scientific literature focusing on the identification of flood damage to dairy herds was reviewed, and to quantify this damage to herds, literature sources providing information on the magnitude of variation in the identified damage types were used. Thus, our results provide relevant information on the variables that should be taken into account when assessing of the direct damage affecting the overall welfare of a dairy herd after a flood event. This evidence could then contribute to the development of tools aimed at assessing damage to dairy cattle on flood-affected farms
Interrelationships between organic food industry, innovation and consumer behaviour
No full textThe aim of this work is to investigate the relationship between organic foods firms and innovation with particularly attention to organic dairying productions and consumer’s behaviour.
Using Porter’s competitive analysis and a special case history, the work wants to study which role innovation plays in a business strategy based on an upgraded concept of differentiation
A Tool for the Sustainability Assessment of Farms: Selection, Adaptation and Use of Indicators for an Italian Case Study
No full textIndicator-based tools are widely used for the assessment of farm sustainability, but analysts still face methodological and conceptual issues, including data availability, the complexity of the concept of sustainability and the heterogeneity of agricultural systems. This study contributes to this debate through the illustration of a procedure for farm sustainability assessment focussed on the case study of the South Milan Agricultural Park, Italy. The application is based on a set of environmental, social and economic indicators retrieved from the literature review. The framework is based on three main steps: (i) Data collection mainly through interviews with farmers and institutions; (ii) data elaboration through an aggregative structure; and (iii) score analysis. The latter step includes a descriptive analysis that allows a comparison among farms or groups of farms and a principal components analysis that helps to confirm the dimensions in which indicators were previously included (components). Results derived from the sampled farms show that the framework can provide easy-to-read results useful at different levels. The study highlighted the procedures for the framework construction that is compatible with the region’s context and objectives, using an analytical approach that aims at the use of balanced features of availability and reliability of data
- …
