Roberto Fanfani

Regional differences in Chinese agriculture: Results from the 1997 First National Agricultural Census

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN CHINESE AGRICULTURE The development of the Chinese agricultural sector and its capability to increase agricultural production is gaining a greater importance for food security and food trade on a worldwide scale. Considering the size of China, this could influence international food prices, and thus determine major problems for food-importing developing countries. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) remains predominantly a rural country, but its economy is characterized by strong macro-regional differences owing to factor endowments (human capital, resources and infrastructure) and differences in the structure of agriculture and other economic sectors. Economic development in China has registered uneven economic growth in favour of the coastal region (vs. inland and border ones), the urban areas (vs. rural areas) and the industrial sector (vs. the agricultural sector). During its transition the Chinese economic system faced strong structural changes. One of the main changes is certainly the reduction of the share of the agricultural sector in relation to total GDP and labour force. Indeed, the rural enterprises (or township and village enterprises, TVEs) are the leading and most dynamic elements in China’s economy. Therefore, the integration of agricultural activities with other economic activities in the rural areas is of great importance and interest [Biggeri, M., 1998; Giovannini, 2000].

Tools for evaluating EU agricultural policies: an integrated approach

The aim of this paper is to propose a theoretical “multi-phase” strategy for analysing in dynamic terms the territorial impact of agricultural and environmental EU policy measures. This approach should also allow to evaluate the adjustment capability of farms as a function of the characteristics of different territories. The proposed methodology is illustrated by an example using data relative to the 41 provinces of Northern Italy. In the first step, a multivariate statistical analysis (MSA) consisting in Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis leads to the identification of homogeneous clusters of territorial units. The territorial mapping is conditional to a predetermined set of indicators that takes into account different aspects of agricultural development. In a second step, Positive Mathematical Programming (PMP) allows to introduce the impact of agricultural policies (compensatory payments, price changes, etc.) returning different scenarios of land use and agricultural profitability. According to the outputs of the PMP, the third step consists in a new MSA for detecting any changes in the territorial mapping. Convergence analysis can then synthesise the impact of the different policy options.

Invention Patents in Italian Agro-food Industry: Analysis of the Period 1967–1990

Innovation is a fundamental element for industries in order to defend their market shares, or to get to new markets. To pursue this aim it is necessary to undertake the commercial defense of the newly acquired knowledge in terms of new products, new techniques and productive processes, so as to prevent embezzlement. The protection of the innovation is guaranteed by using the industrial property right, whose patent is only one of the ways through which this right is exerted.

Dynamic Changes in China's Spatial Inequalities across Provinces and its Rural and Urban Areas

This paper aims to understand the nature and evolution of spatial disparities in China. Inthe first part, we perform a convergence analysis of the per capita income at province and subprovincelevel (1996-2009), using the kernel estimator on the distribution of this variable. Inthe second part of the paper we complement our analysis by looking at the changes occurredin the same period using a Multi-Dimensional Indicator of Development (mid), calculated foreach Chinese province and its rural and urban sub-provincial areas. The mid is composed offive dimensions (Macroeconomic Climate, Research and Innovation, Human Capital, Infrastructureand Economic Efficiency) and is used to rank the Chinese provinces and rural andurban areas according to their degree of development for the years 1996 and 2006. Thematicmaps of China representing the mid and its dimensions are provided in the paper to visualizethe changes occurred over time.

Localizzazione, specializzazione e sopravvivenza nell'industria alimentare italiana

The Food Industry in Italy is an important sector of Manufacturing Industry with a large diffusion all over Italy. It is mainly concentrate in the Northern regions, whereas in the Southern regions it is one of the most important sector of the weak Manufacturing Industry. This paper analyse the localisation and the specialisation of Food Industry by sectors. It shows the importance to deepen the analysis at more detailed territorial level, from regional, to province up to municipal level. The lower territorial level of analysis allow to identify the principal local system of production, for this purpose we have used the Census data of Industry 1991 and 1996. These data evidence the important structural changes that have occurred in the main food sectors (meat, dairy and fruit and vegetables) in the years between the two Census. The survival analysis confirms the food industry is a dynamic one and with deep differences among the main sectors.

The Behavior of Relative Food Prices: An Analysis across the European Countries

We analyze the behavior of relative food prices for a set of 24 European countries observed during the period January 1996–December 2007. We use recent methods for the analysis of nonstationary panels to show that food price dynamics can be decomposed into a common component and an idiosyncratic component. From this decomposition we compute and analyze the real exchange rates for a set of food products. We find that countries included in the euro area are more market integrated; that is, real exchange rates tend to converge, than countries that did not adopt euro.

The Agrifood Districts in the New Millennium

L’affermarsi dei distretti industriali (DI) e delle piccole e medie imprese e considerata una delle principali cause del rapido sviluppo economico italiano nel Secondo dopoguerra. Lo studio delinea l’approccio tradizionale all’analisi dei DI ed evidenzia i principali cambiamenti strutturali che stanno intervenendo, in tale realta economica, nell’affrontare il processo di globalizzazione del nuovo millennio. L’analisi quantitativa dei distretti agroalimentari e il loro sviluppo a “mosaico” sottolinea le analogie e le differenze con gli altri distretti manifatturieri. La rilevanza economica e la distribuzione geografica dei distretti agroalimentari va oltre le definizioni prodotte recentemente da altri istituti di ricerca. Le differenti aree di produzione dei distretti sono strettamente connesse con la tipicita e la qualita dei prodotti agroalimentari. Queste caratteristiche preservano in parte i distretti agroalimentari dalla riduzione di quello che positivamente viene definito “effetto distretto” e che si rileva in alcuni importanti e consolidati distretti industriali manifatturieri.

Convergence in the agricultural incomes: a comparison between the US and EU

In this paper we compare the changes in farm incomes in EU regions and US States between 1989 and 2002. The aim of this comparative analysis is highlight the patterns of convergence or divergence and how they d iffer over time. We use two recent analytical instruments: non-stationary panel analysis and dynamic distribution analysis. Both tools overcome the problems involved in using standard cross-section analysis. The results of the non-stationary panel analysis show that the EU regions are converging, and that family farm income is converging faster than net added value. In the US states the analysis shows that substantial differences in farm income persist, and there are no evident signs of convergence.