1,022 research outputs found
Technical and Economic Efficiency of Vine Pruning: Results of Experimental Trials of Some Cultivars of Grapevine Grown in Sicily and Determination of Break-even Point
No full textThe research presents the results carried out on Sicilian viticulture in order to study the economic
sustainability of the agricultural company. In particular, the author examined the operation of dry pruning and tying
of the fruiting head in espalier vineyards with tools that facilitate the work. The economic analysis highlights that
equipping yourself with mechanical tools that facilitate work is convenient for both large and small wineries. The results
of the research highlight that the investment to facilitate pruning and tying in Guyot-trained vineyards can also be made
by wine-growing companies and is increasingly convenient as the area under vines involved increases
Digital technologies for the development of sustainable tourism in mountain areas
No full textThe promotion of sustainable tourism models in mountain areas represents a critical success factor for the territory and the environment. In political and economic literature there has been much debate in the attempt to interpret the phenomenon of growth and development with the changing socio-economic environment. Today the topic remains at the center of the debate of many economic policy authorities due to the exodus phenomena occurring in internal areas. In this study, we examined how the resources of mountain areas can create income opportunities as a function of the diffusion of sustainable income. On the one hand, in mountain environments, we have natural resources that represent common goods that must be maintained precisely according to the opportunities they create for sustainable tourism where they represent its essential feature. The complexity of the economic phenomena, which on the one hand leads to an exodus from these environments, determines the need to create new management structures, that can satisfy the needs of the local community and guarantee appropriate management of natural resources. In this study, we analyzed the relationships between sustainable tourism models and natural resource management considering the case of the Ficuzza Forest and applying new digital technologies such as mobile apps that allow you to make hotel reservations, read reviews about the best restaurant in the area, and buy museum tickets to avoid the queue. Starting from the theoretical framework, and subsequently analyzing the empirical case, we highlighted the utility flows that descend from the Bosco. The resulting results have considerable relevance for the planning of mountain territories. The study highlights that the interconnection between public and private management models can guarantee the growth and development of mountain territories
Localized agri-food systems: The case of Pecorino Siciliano PDO a food product of the tradition of Mediterranean gastronomy
No full textSustainability is becoming a successful strategic variable for creating value in rural areas. In the context of rural areas, excellent agri-food products are located which form the starting point for the creation of value. The legislator, in order to promote these products, provides for the PDO, PGI, TSG certifications. Brands and sustainability become a combination to favor the permanence of man in rural areas. This contribution discusses the use of territorial brand indicators to foster the resilience of territories. In particular, Pecorino Siciliano PDO is examined and the business strategies of a sample of companies examined are evaluated. The study contributes to highlighting a localized agri-food system which, despite the competition from other products, continues, albeit with low economic margins, to create those conditions for the permanence of man in the territory
Qualitative determinants of wine demand: an exploratory analysis of two Sicilian wines "Catarratto" and "Nero d'Avola"
No full textThis article analyzed the socio-cultural representations associated with two Sicilian wines, Catarratto, and Nero d’Avola. The study was carried out in the area of western Sicily, where most of the wine growing is concentrated. In particular, for ‘Catarratto’, the research was conducted in the area of the Gulf of Castellammare in the province of Trapani, an area particularly suited to the cultivation of the ‘Catarratto’ vine from which the white wine is obtained; for ‘Nero d’Avola’, the research was conducted in the area of Menfi in the province of Agrigento, an area particularly suited to this black vine. Our objective was to determine how the players in the wine chain, and who indirectly deal with wine, construct their mental model relating to wine to suggest to companies the appropriate wine marketing actions to take to increase their competitive advantage. To achieve the objective of the research, ten focus groups consisting of wine consumers, teetotalers, wine opinion leaders, wine merchants, wine shop owners, medical doctors, and food experts were conducted. During the focus group, we gave these subjects a document in which they had to explain what wine evokes in them. The results of the research confirm that wine is a complex food product whose consumption evokes sensations, memories, and pleasures. The study provides an important source of knowledge on the current cultural significance of wine and its consumption in these two areas of Sicily. Therefore, the study highlighted the quality of these two Sicilian wines can guarantee competitiveness at the company and sector levels
Nuovo complesso residenziale e turistico a Modica
No full textL'insediamento turistico a Zappulla, Modica (RG), viene progettato su un ́area che si trova tra la città di Modica e la zona costiera che presenta ancora intatti i caratteri tipici della civiltà rurale iblea. Data la privilegiata posizione orografica, la zona è sempre stata meta di villeggiatura. L ́intervento progettuale, un ́insediamento turistico che occupa circa mq. 23.000, prevede la costruzione di 30 alloggi minimi, tre ville, strutture ricettive (supermercato, bar, ristorante, il recupero di un manufatto esistente come residence), un ́area sportiva dotata di sala polivalente, viabilita ́ e parcheggi. L ́impianto, attento al contesto ambientale, rispetta i caratteri morfologici e paesaggistici del luogo segnato da un ́edilizia rurale ́minore ́ e da un sistema naturale di grande qualità. L ́architettura però si fa formalmente più autonoma, anche se sensibile al risparmio energetico, al bioclima, all ́utilizzazione di materiali costruttivi locali e alla progettazione integrata delle aree verdi. Le residenze turistiche, in posizione baricentrica rispetto all ́area, occupano 6 lotti, i percorsi pedonali connettono tra loro residenze, attrezzature sportive e ricettive. Particolare attenzione è stata prestata alla variazione cromatica e alla molteplicità di forme delle diverse essenze arboree
Long-term changes in business models in inland and mountainous areas for the promotion of sustainable food systems
No full textFor the management of inland and mountainous areas to be economically viable, business activities in these environments must provide sufficient income for the local population without jeopardising the interests of future generations. In purely economic terms, the management of these areas requires that the production of such goods and services that constitute utility flows for an ecosystem and its local population be economically viable. This management must be able to provide an income for the local population; it cannot only support the costs inevitably incurred for the conservation and production of goods and services provided by the activities that take place in the mountain area. This study examines inland and mountain areas in Italy, areas with particular economic difficulties, that have been characterized by exodus and abandonment phenomena in recent years to verify which business models to identify to favour the permanence of agricultural activities in these environments. Business models of competitiveness were developed through the economic model of joint production analysis. The results of the study highlight that the strategies to be implemented are diversified according to the specificities of human capital and environmental resources
An experimental analysis of consumers’ attitudes towards honey: The case of the Sicilian market
No full textThe Apis Mellifera is relevant for the structure, composition, and functioning of natural habitats, including agricultural habitats and urban and peri‑urban contexts. Indeed, Apis Mellifera has a massive impact in terms of the positive externalities it brings to the environment in general and especially in fruit trees. In addition to these aspects that determine positive effects on the environment, the production of honey, the consumption of which is of fundamental importance for human health, should not be overlooked. This research aims to investigate the factors that drive consumers to purchase and consume honey. For the purpose of the research, we did a stage sampling by dividing the municipalities in Sicily into three stages. The research results show that 327 out of 527 participants who consume honey because they consider it remarkable for its health and therapeutic properties. This aspect, combined with the positive externalities created by bees, results in the combination of multifunctional agricultural production where production for food purposes (honey) is combined with agricultural production. This aspect has a major value in a perspective of agricultural production that increasingly respects the environment and human health
Food and tourism: an exploratory analysis of dishes in Sicilian gastronomic culture
No full textCulinary tourism has recently been gaining increasing attention in tourism practice and research. Meat production and
consumption also play a signicant role in the management and marketing of food tourism. This research explores the
role of meat in two high-end restaurants located in the city of Partinico, an agricultural destination in the province of
Palermo. The results show the meat identity of both restaurants and reveal how meat-based menus communicate a
sense of place centered on local knowledge and the seasonal component of meat products
Consumers’ eating habits during the Covid-19 pandemic: Evidence of an experimental analysis in Italy
No full textDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, the Italian food supply chain responded to the needs of consumers by giving continuity to the supply of food products even if the Italian food system in the first phase of lockdown had to deal with the anxiety of consumers who rushed to the food stores to “clear the shelves”. The aim of this research is to provide a qualitative interpretation of Italian families’ food consumption experiences during the lockdown due to Covid-19, which lasted from March 9, 2020 to May 4, 2020. This research has examined twenty Italian families and reveals that anxiety about the exhaustion of food stocks was detected in the first weeks of the lockdown, where there were consumers queuing at supermarkets and emptying the shelves (especially of products with high shelf life such as pasta, flour, tomato sauce). In the following weeks, the awareness that in Italy the food supply chain had been able to manage the logistics well, allowing a continuous return of food supply, led to a reprise of the normal situation. However, the results of the research show that Covid-19 in rural areas has led to a “return” to the consumption of local or near local agri-food products based on the greater time available deriving from taxes by the legislator. Furthermore, the research highlights a return to self-consumption through family-run gardens. Ultimately this article highlights some resilience strategies used by families during the lockdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic
Joint production and multifunctionality in agriculture: Case studies of small farms on the island of Sicily
No full textStarting in the 1970s, agriculture in Western countries began to progressively lose the critical success factors on which it based its competitive advantage, which was localization. The development of both the food industry and organized distribution, the intensification of trade, and the speed of information transfer led to new needs and new scenarios within which new agricultural systems emerged. This research analyzed the changes imposed on the agricultural system by the economic development process and determined the trajectories taken by some agricultural entrepreneurs. The study shows that those agricultural entrepreneurs who have been able to adapt their business strategy to the new production scenarios that have emerged remain competitive in the market, while those who have been passively affected by economic development have resulted in agriculture that in many ways only manages to survive thanks to the contribution of the Common Agricultural Policy and without which it would be ousted from the market
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