1,720,999 research outputs found
Exploring the Effect of Perceived Transaction Costs on Farmers’ Attitudes toward Participation in Agri-Environment-Climate Measures (AECMs)
Full text linkThere is growing interest in research and policy to provide alternatives for developing and supporting sustainable business models in the agricultural sector. Agri-environment–climate measures (AECMs) were devised with the intention of compensating land users for potential income losses generated from the uptake of more appropriate, less intensive management practices in areas considered environmentally sensitive. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of these public initiatives is influenced by farmers’ decision to participate, which in turn is influenced by the level of transaction costs (TC) they must bear when engaging in these programs. Most studies have approached this topic from a quantitative perspective, trying to measure and estimate transaction costs; however, there is a lack of qualitative studies exploring the perceptions of farmers around these costs and analyzing how such perceptions influence their attitude toward AECM participation. This study presents the results of thirty semi-structured interviews conducted among farmers involved in different AECMs across seven European countries, in which their perceptions about transaction costs were explored through the assessment of the time required to perform certain activities. The objective was to gain deeper insights into the way in which the perceived level of TC can affect farmers’ attitudes and decisions toward the implementation of environment-friendly management practices through AECMs. Results showed that such perceptions are influenced by several factors, such as the presence or absence of intermediaries helping farmers to carry out some of the most time-consuming activities, the organizational structure of the contract, and the experience farmers acquire through repeated participation
Evaluation of the impact of digitized first-party audit in a large retail company
No full textDigital transition is increasingly affecting the food industry production processes as well as the food safety management tools; among this latter, the auditing system, where digitalization means making use of digital technology to support its preparation, execution, data management, and communication with stakeholders. In this context, this study investigates the use of digitalization in internal audits and evaluates the impact on auditors’ working times and minor and major observed non-conformities (NCs). The survey was carried out from 2014 to 2019 within 27 stores of an important large-scale retail trade in the Tuscany Region (Italy), comparing a digitalized system with the traditional paper-based method. Results indicate a reduction of audit’s front office time by an average of 70% and back-office time by an average of 62%; the number of minor NCs has reduced by an average of 39% and major NCs has reduced by an average of 30%. The adoption of digital technologies in auditing can lead to significant improvement of audit procedures as its scheduling and reporting system. However, it should be noted that significant tecno-managerial investments may be required to fully realize these benefits, which represent challenges to implementation
Transaction Costs in Agri-Environment-Climate Measures: A Review of the Literature
Full text linkAgri-environment-climate measures (AECMs) represent a transaction of ecological capital between the government as the buyer of the agri-environmental goods and services produced in the farmland and the farmer as the seller. As such, they involve transaction costs (TC) that serve to safeguard the transaction from opportunistic behavior, problems related measurement, and other risks that can occur in the contractual relationship. These costs are an important factor in the design and implementation of any policy. However, analyzing TC is not easy. Several definitions have been proposed, and different strategies have been used to measure these costs. Despite a growing interest in this topic, research addressing the analysis of TC in AECMs has been rather scarce and lacking a systematic approach to make the different studies comparable and their results generalizable. This review article aims to provide a detailed overview of the current state of research related to the analysis of TC in AECMs by exploring the differences in methodological approaches, objectives, and scope among the most relevant studies available and by summarizing their most significant findings. It was observed that there are differences across the studies linked to their objectives in terms of the geographical context in which they are implemented, the actors involved in the program, and the objectives aimed toward in their analysis. However, the sharpest difference observed across these studies is linked to their methodological approach, which in most cases is focused on quantitative analysis. Most of these studies observed a significant variation in the magnitude and determinants of TC across different AECMs, which often depended on the characteristics of the schemes and the institutional environment in which they were implemented, as well as factors linked to specific characteristics of the farmer and/or their farming business
Exploring the acceptance of entomophagy: A survey of italian consumers
Full text linkInsect-based food is not common in Europe, because most people do not consider insects to be edible, but rather a threat and a health risk. Fear and refusal to eat a new food product introduced into a culture is called food neophobia, which results in a hesitation to trying and experimenting with new foods. Although there is significant interest in this novel sector, there is a lack of research on the link between rejection, the level of food neophobia, and consumer behavior related to the introduction of insects into the diet. In this study, through 420 questionnaires, a specific experimental scale of insects was introduced which, together with a neophobia scale, analyzed the probability and the intention of respondents to consume insects. Another issue tested has been their intention to eat food containing insects. We observed that the analyses of the two scales produced different results, confirming the need for a specific scale to measure “insect phobia”. This is important, since knowledge about consumer preferences for and barriers to using insects as human food sources is limited but necessary in order to set up commercialization strategies. The development of insect-based food offers physical health benefits and also improves the sustainability of the food industry
Edible Insects and Sustainable Development Goals
Full text linkThe insect sector can become an important component of sustainable circular agriculture by closing nutrient and energy cycles, fostering food security, and minimising climate change and biodiversity loss, thereby contributing to SDGs. The high levels of the interaction of the insect sector with the SDGs is clearly illustrated inside the review, analysing all of the SDGs that can have direct and indirect effects on insects. Mapping the interactions between the SDGs goals and insect sector offers a starting point, from which it could be possible to define practical next steps for better insect policy
Il processo di monitoraggio e valutazione di ORTI E.T.I.C.I.
No full textIl volume riporta un quadro aggiornato degli esiti del percorso di valutazione seguito in Orti E.T.I.C.I (un progetto di Agricoltura Sociale) e degli strumenti adottati. La valutazione viene condotta in tre momenti, analizzando diversi materiali prodotti all'interno del percorso. In particolare, le tematiche affrontate nel percorso di valutazione possono essere racchiuse in tre nuclei: la valutazione degli utenti; i risultati economici del percorso; il punto di vista degli attori coinvolti, distinti fra interlocutori istituzionali e consumatori
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