Alberto Pirani

Development of the Environmental, Social and Economic Sustainability in the Peri-Urban Agricultural Areas: Governance Opportunities in the South Milan Agricultural Park

Farms located in economically advanced areas in close contact with large cities, industrial areas and major infrastructure, may be subjected to the pressure of negative externalities beyond the agricultural sector. This work is based on the study of the interactions between the metropolitan area of Milan and the agricultural activities around it. We decided to assess the 3 scales of sustainability (environmental, social, economic) of farms to create a means to guide the local institution (the Parco Agricolo Sud Milano, PASM) towards innovative and sustainable solutions. The survey was carried out through a tool that compares farms through indicators, integrating agricultural production with environmental protection. It assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the production system and the ways to improve the level of sustainability. We sampled farms and collected their data (from database, interviews, estimates, observations, tabulated data). The results highlight that what had been done so far by the PASM has provided valid economic tools for large multifunctional farms which network is deeply tied to the local contest, through services such as direct sales, the short chain, agritourism and related activities. This has certainly contributed to the improvement of environmental conditions and landscape of the area, which the population of Milan has often shown appreciation. On the other hand, large and small specialized farms, not characterized by these sources of income, have not received equal contribution.

Il quadro normativo sulle denominazioni commerciali dei prodotti ittici nella gestione delle frodi: strumento utile o problema irrisolto?

The authors suggest that the extent of fraudulent seafood sales reported in recent years is, in some way, correlated to the questions regarding Italian commercial fishnaming- policy. However, given the scarcity of data and studies, the work is necessarily exploratory in nature, focusing on three main issues: the policy framework for seafood-labeling, the evolution of lists of trade names for fish species, and the extent, as well as the different types, of fraudulent sales recorded. From the available data the authors believe that the fish-naming system is improving, however, the scarcity of studies aimed at estimating the real amount of diversification in trade names for marine species would seen to be an obstacle to the adoption of a succesful policy. Furthermore, seafood retailers seems to be assuming an important role in fraud management, hence the government should support research to innovative species-detection methods which could be applied directly to retailers’ quality insurance systems. This would be a win-win strategy, preventing fraudulent behaviour and reducing the costs attributable to public inspections.

Consumer Perception of Cured Pork Meats: the Added Value of the Organic Attribute

Gaviglio A., Pirani A. (2015): Consumer perception of cured pork meats: the added value of the organic attribute. Czech J. Food Sci., 33: 32–36. Convenience foods, such as cured meats, have always been appreciated in terms of their price, convenience and of course their taste. The pig sector in Italy is substantially stable, and has recently been enhanced by new forms of product differentiation, such as quality certifications. We studied consumer preferences with respect to cured meats from organic farming using a Choice Experiment (CE) and Conditional Logit (CL) approach. In order to estimate consumer attitudes towards organic cured meats, we estimated the weight of externalities that such meats produce presenting them as intrinsic attributes of the product. The final aim was therefore to examine how better health, the protection of biodiversity and the reduction of pollution can affect the choices of organic versus conventional cured meats. Given the characteristics of CE, the trade-offs among these attributes and their value in terms of consumer willingness to pay (WTP) were thus estimated. The results indicate that consumers are well-disposed to organic cured meats, and are aware of the need to support livestock productions that respect the environment and animal welfare.

Development of a wild game meat supply chain: assessment of the food safety of large wild ungulates’ meat by interviews with hunters

Despite the population of wild ungulates is rapidly growing (Ramanzin et al., 2010) and the Italian production has the predisposition to the high quality food, there is no food supply chain for hunted game in the Italian territory. Consequently, the customers’ demand is met by relevant amount of imported meat from other nearby markets. With the purpose of understanding the opportunities of an Italian new supply chain, the present research aims at the collection of information about hunters and their behavior in order to assess the food safety of their product. The survey was carried out on a sample of 145 hunters of Verbania (Piedmont-Italy), by using self-compiled questionnaire. Results show the interesting potentialities of the area in terms of quantity of salable product. On the other hand, the hunted meat still does not reach adequate hygienic and quality standards to be traded. In fact, the descriptive analysis show that 63% of the hunters do not provide a proper maturation of the meat and 21% of them do not bleed the game just after shooting. Furthermore, 12% of the respondents use cellars or even the garages for the maturation. The wrong behaviors of the hunters are related to their cultural background, which probably represents the most important barrier for a change. Our findings provide important inputs for the development of a real market for this type of meat. Therefore, the research seems to be relevant at both scientific and practical level. It proposes a new conceptual and practical option for a more sustainable development of Italian (and others) mountain areas.

A study on farmland rental values determinants. Potentialities of micro data with an application of hedonic prices method

The paper aims at isolating factors affecting farmland rents and estimating their effect using hedonic pricing model. Unlike the majority or similar analysis, based on Census aggregated data or surveys, we used a sample of microdata based on land rent contracts signed in the Province of Mantova over the period 2010-2014, matched with other territorial or census databases. We focused on the effect of farmland use on rent price, estimating their implicit values, i.e. the shadow prices. The research findings may help stakeholders and researchers interested in rental market dynamics, in particular at local level. Empirically grounded and transparent information on rental market may provide a new tool for contract negotiation among owners and tenants, improving, at the same time, farmers’ choices.

Qualità e sicurezza alimentare del prodotto ittico. Il Mercato Ittico all'Ingrosso di Milano

The increasing attention of consumer to the issue of food safety has led European Union to regard the achievement of high standards of security and quality as a strategic priority for the agrifood system. The whole chain of production is therefore called for a careful and continuous innovation that grants, in addition to commercial needs, respect to European regulations and national laws that imposed to safeguard public health. So, the question of food quality and security has become a priority also in the fisheries sector and this research focuses on economic issues related to the introduction of these policies in the Wholesale Fish Market in Milan. The work intends primarily to monitor the flow of products through the market of Milan, studying their amounts in terms of sales, variety of species and method of production. Then, the economic and organizational aspects of the haccp System are analyzed. The study consequently develops in two stages: the first phase identifies the trade and management peculiarities of the companies operating in the market, the second focuses on protocols and methods applied to ensure the fish products safety and the costs necessary for their implementation. Through data collected from wholesalers referring to the period 2005-2006, the study reports origin and type of products in term of purchases and sales of fished and farmed supplies. Information on retailers were then collected through a questionnaire, allowing them to be classified by size considering the quantity and type of products traded, the number of employees, turnover, customers treated and location of suppliers. Finally profit and loss accounts of the companies has been studied, pinpointing the various items of cost in order to estimate those related to the haccp System application. The standards for food safety applied by the operators in distribution platforms such as the Fish Market in Milan, may provide competitive advantage to those able to exploit the system of documentation involved. Indeed, the implementation costs seem low in comparison with the help which haccp and its traceability system could bring into business management. In a reality made up of many small farms like the one analyzed, introducing new laws creates often pratical and economic problems; for this reason the eu regulations should be interpreted as useful protocols for security and quality management, rather than a list of prescriptions.

Scelte pianificatorie e valorizzazione del capitale naturale. Un caso di studio in Lombardia: la futura provincia di Monza e Brianza

Scelte pianificatorie e valorizzazione del capitale naturale. Un caso di studio in Lombardia: la futura provincia di Monza e Brianza