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Life Cycle Assessment in the Agri-food Sector

The current emphasis on sustainable development warrants the development and adoption of innovations to render industrial production more efficient in the use of natural resources and less polluting. In order to develop innovations for sustainability, management models and evaluation tools must integrate objective environmental considerations. One such tool is the Ambitec-Agro System, a set of integrated indicators specifically proposed to assess environmental impacts of agro-industrial innovations. This System compares an innovation’s environmental performance against the preexisting technology, focusing the analysis on the innovation-adopting establishment scale. This study presents a conceptual method that expands the scope of Ambitec-Agro by including life cycle thinking and watershed vulnerability analysis to the environmental performance evaluation of agro-industrial innovations. In order to develop this approach, the steps inherent to a multi-criteria decision support system were followed. The proposed method includes four life cycle phases to evaluate the environmental performance of an agro-industrial innovation: (i) raw material production used by innovation, (ii) innovation production, (iii) innovation use and (iv) its final disposal. The method also includes a vulnerability analysis of the watersheds where each life cycle phase takes place. The proposed integrated method provides decision makers a broadened view of an agro-industrial innovation environmental performance, shedding light on technological improvements throughout its entire life cycle.

Life Cycle Assessment in the Livestock and Derived Edible Products Sector

The livestock production sector represents more than 40 % of the economic value of EU primary productions. This sector consists of a huge diversity of processes and techniques depending on the animal species and the final products. Because of these differences, livestock productions are associated with several adverse effects on the environment, especially in the breeding phases and feeding composition and management; moreover, in terms of raising awareness of the environmental implications of livestock productions, LCA applications are of increasing importance for systematic assessment of the environmental burdens connected with this sector. After an overview of the structural and economic characteristics of the most significant livestock supply chain and its main environmental problems, we provide a description of the international state of the art of LCA implementations for livestock. Methodological problems connected with the application of LCA are investigated, starting with the critical analysis of international papers and the few Italian papers in the scientific literature. Finally, the best practices regarding LCA methodology implementation are proposed, in order to improve results and manage the methodological problems identified.

Effect of different agricultural practices on carbon emission and carbon stock in organic and conventional olive systems

Agricultural practices, particularly land use, inputs and soil management, have a significant impact on the carbon cycle. Good management of agricultural practices may reduce carbon emissions and increase soil carbon sequestration. In this context, organic agricultural practices may have a positive role in mitigating environmental burden. Organic olive cultivation is increasing globally, particularly in Italy, which is ranked first worldwide for both organic olive production and cultivated area. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of agricultural practices in organic and conventional olive systems on global warming potential (GWP) from a life cycle perspective and to identify the hot spots in each system. The impacts assessed were associated with the efficiency of both systems at sequestering soil in order to calculate the net carbon flux. There was a higher environmental impact on GWP in the organic system because of higher global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from manure fertilisation rather than the synthetic foliar fertilisers used in the conventional system. However, manure was the main reason behind the higher soil organic carbon (SOC) content and soil carbon sequestration in the organic system. Fertilisation activity was the main contributor to carbon emissions, accounting for approximately 80% of total emissions in the organic system and 45% in the conventional system. Conversely, given the similarity of other factors (land use, residues management, soil cover) that may affect soil carbon content, manure was the primary contributor to increased SOC in the organic system, resulting in a higher efficiency of carbon sequestration in the soil following the addition of soil organic matter. The contribution of the manure to increased SOC compensated for the higher carbon emission from the organic system, resulting in higher negative net carbon flux in the organic versus the conventional system (–1.7 vs –0.52 t C ha–1 year–1, respectively) and higher efficiency of CO2 mitigation in the organic system.

L’organizzazione dei sistemi di produzione secondo la teoria dei networks: il caso dell’Alto Salento

Productive systems organization according to networks theory: the Alto Salento case study - According to several theoretical essays and empirical researches (Putnam, Latour, Grootaert, Murdoch, restrim Project) networks, density and kind of their relationships considerably influence the developing perspectives of an area. In order to detect the empirical aspects of the relationships among networks and productive systems development this research was set up. The way networks system bring development are still not defined because there are so many ways to do it, principally due to territorial differences. Agrifood system structure and management and local rural economics, by the way of territorially defined networks system analysis, is the aim of this study. Pursued goals are twofold: defining, by a case study analysis, structural characteristics of networks; detecting the better way to supply services in order to improve network organization in their own productive system. A desk analysis on social and economical aspects of the Alto Salento area has been carried out; moreover it has been pointed out an investigation defining the networks consistence and their characteristics (activity sector, number of partners, etc.). Results put in evidence a strong networks presence in cultural activities sector, in services and in agricultural one, that suggested a defined organization of productive system as a function of tourist supply and local products promotion. This hypothesis has been tested by a direct inquiry at a network sample valuating amount and quality of different kind of relationships settled down and their strengths and weaknesses. To promote network development and to improve their relationships it is necessary to supply a certain amount of services such as communicative tools for knowledge exchange about the territorial structural social capital (web site, promotional events, ecc.). Networks expressed needs are directed to find new way for increasing social capital amount of a specific area. JEL Codes: Q13, O18 Key words: social capital, rural development, local products, networks relationships

Kosher slaughter paradigms: Evaluation of slaughterhouse inspection procedures.

Slaughter by Jewish religious rite is the killing of an animal by cutting the trachea and oesophagus and major blood vessels using a very sharp blade. This operation is subject to strict rules laid down by religious authorities that characterize its sacredness. The aim of the study was to evaluate the specific criteria inherent in the Jewish religious rite, by analysing reject rates during the different phases. In this study, 52.4% of the carcasses failed to quality as Kosher, with 22.9% being rejected due to pulmonary lesions and only 3% for miscuts. The study also revealed legal vacuums in the field of labelling rules.

Determination of plasmatic cortisol for evaluation of animal welfare during slaughter

The plasmatic cortisol levels of 60 eight-month-old calves (Charolais breed) were measured as stress indicators resulting from two types of slaughter: traditional and religious rite. The plasmatic cortisol levels were evaluated during three different stages of their productive life: during growth, after transport and during slaughter. The thirty calves slaughtered after stunning showed plasmatic cortisol values of 4.85±3.2; 36.36±12.2 and 45.08±14.1 nmol/L, during growth, in the slaughterhouse stables and during exsanguination, respectively. Conversely, the average values found in the thirty calves subjected to ritual slaughter were 2.96±1.2; 31.65±25.4 and 68.70±30.6 nmol/L. The results of the study showed that animal welfare should be improved in both forms of slaughter.

Capitale sociale e redditività della filiera della pesca in Puglia

The sector of fishery is typified by a settled downward trend due to both communitarian policies driving towards a reduction of the fishery effort and to reduction of fishing resources. In the same time in Italy a increasing of costs (expecially fuel) and a reduction of market prices, because of the increasing of imports, are observed. Although a big part of Italian fishing fleet is to be referred to Apulia region, this dynamics are worsen, here, also because of market inefficiency and lack of integration and cooperation among fishermen. In this work two areas that are relevant for regional fishery have been investigated. On a first step have been evaluated fish amount for each kind of dealer working in each one of the two areas than, according to Porter’s value chain analysis theory. Than the approach of value system has been applied to evaluate the value chains of the firm’s supplier, the firm of fishery itself, and the firms distribution channels. Distribution of value has been resulted different but very unfavorable to fisherman in both investigated areas. The second step of study evaluated social capital value in both areas, defining the networks of fishery consistence and number of their mutual relationship. Results lay stress on a relation to an higher social capital value and a distribution of value system more profitable for fishermen.

Analysis of Stress Indicators for Evaluation of Animal Welfare and Meat Quality in Traditional and Jewish Slaughtering

Simple Summary Cortisol and catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine) are released in response to stress and directly stimulate glycogen mobilization, thus influencing meat acidification. The aim of the study was to estimate and compare these stress indicators to evaluate the welfare of beef cattle, subjected to either traditional slaughtering (with stunning) or to slaughtering with religious Jewish rite (without stunning). Significant differences in plasma cortisol and catecholamine levels were observed during exsanguination by monitoring animals in the pre-slaughtering (before and after transportation) and slaughtering phases. Cortisol, dopamine and norepinephrine, but not epinephrine, were markedly higher in the animals slaughtered by the religious rite. Pursuing animal welfare in the religious slaughtering procedures could produce advantages in terms of hygiene, organoleptic quality and shelf life of meat. Abstract Sixty Charolais male beef cattle of eight months of age were divided into two groups according to the slaughtering method, i.e., traditional or Kosher (religious Jewish rite). The aim of the study was to detect and compare the plasma concentrations of cortisol and catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine), by Elisa and HPLC test. These four stress indicators were evaluated during three different stages of each animal productive life: on the farm (step 1), after transportation (step 2) and during bleeding (step 3). The patterns of the parameters measured were similar and, interestingly, revealed significant changes throughout the three steps considered. The greatest variation between the two methods of slaughtering was observed in step 3, where we found a statistically significant difference with all the parameters except epinephrine. In the animals slaughtered by the religious rite, cortisol, dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine were 68.70 ± 30.61 nmol/L; 868.43 ± 508.52 ng/L; 3776.20 ± 1918.44 ng/L; and 4352.20 ± 3730.15 ng/L, respectively, versus 45.08 ± 14.15 nmol/L; 513.87 ± 286.32 ng/L; 3425.57 ± 1777.39 ng/L; and 3279.97 ± 1954.53 ng/L, respectively, in the other animals. This suggests that the animals slaughtered by the Kosher rite are subjected to higher stress conditions at the exsanguination phase. The animals slaughtered by the religious Jewish rite showed lower cortisol and catecholamine levels on the farm (step 1) and after transportation to the slaughterhouse (step 2). This was likely because the animals selected at the end of step 1 by the Rabbis for the religious rite are usually the most docile and gentle.

Conventional and organic food styles in a multidimensional perspective of sustainability

Conventional and organic food styles have been analysed to describe behavioural, nutritional and environmental profiles, and to propose research hypothesis for a multifaceted analysis of food consumption. A pilot group of 30 households (96 individuals) was investigated to understand their attitudes towards nutritional and environmental issues in food choices, and to assess their diets in terms of nutritional adequacy and of environmental impact. The descriptive analysis point out different profiles of food styles that need to be further tested. Organic consumers seem to follow nutritional recommendations; their diet is characterized by a reduced fat content and a higher intake of dietary fiber, fruit and vegetables, and vitamins minerals; they present a better environmental profile. Conventional diet has a high lipid content and a reduced intake of fiber, fruits and vegetables; moreover, it has a higher environmental burden. Our descriptive findings show the enrichment of a multidisciplinary approach.

The use of alternative energies in hatcheries: an application of Life Cycle Analysis

Riassunto Uso di energie alternative nelle avannotterie: applicazione del Life Cycle Analysis. Scopo principale del lavoro è stato quello di valutare, attraverso l’applicazione dell’analisi del ciclo di vita del prodotto (LCA), l’impatto ambientale provocato dalla produzione di avannotti di spigola in allevamenti intensivi. Identificate le categorie di impatto più significative ed i relativi processi coinvolti, si è evidenziata la necessità di individuare fonti energetiche, alternative alla convenzionale, da utilizzare per soddisfare gli elevati fabbisogni di questo tipo di attività. Sono state confrontate, dal punto di vista ambientale, le avannotterie alimentate con impianti elettrici convenzionali, ad ipotetiche avannotterie che utilizzano impani fotovoltaici e eolici. Questi ultimi sono risultati i meno impattanti.