Tiziano Tempesta

Consumer preferences regarding the introduction of new organic products. The case of the Mediterranean sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) in Italy.

The introduction of new products on the market poses several challenges; in particular, whether the characteristics of the proposed product will be judged positively by potential consumers. This paper analyses the preferences of consumers regarding the introduction on the Italian market of a new product: organic Mediterranean sea bass. The aim of this study is to assess the importance given by consumers to four main characteristics of sea bass (country of origin, size, production method - organic or conventional - and price) so as to be able to formulate marketing strategies. We applied a choice experiment (CE) in order to define not only the ordinal ranking of preferences but also the willingness to pay (WTP) for the key characteristics of the newly-introduced product. We found that consumers show a higher WTP for the sea bass country of origin than for the breeding method used. Our results suggest that while organic aquaculture might be a new and important strategy for diversification, if suitable communication, either from a public policy or commercial perspective, and labelling/certification are not taken into consideration, the added value of the production method might not be perceived by the final consumers.

Cardiovascular risk during physical activity in the mountains.

Objective Several previous studies evaluated the cardiovascular risk associated with exercise, but only a few papers considered this risk during physical activity in the mountains. The aim of this study was to assess the cardiovascular risk in a population practising physical activity in the mountains. Methods We used an observational study design. We estimated the population by integrating the data of presences in the accommodation establishments with data from telephone and on-field interviews. As survey sources of cardiovascular events we used the reports of the Mountain Rescue teams and of the emergency physicians and pathologists operating in the hospitals of the considered mountain area. Results We estimated that the duration of exposure to risk for the study population was, averagely per year, 12 449 877 person-days. During the study period, we recorded 117 cardiovascular events, namely 38 sudden cardiac deaths, 13 acute coronary syndromes, and five strokes. The remaining 61 events were non-traumatic events with a probable cardiovascular origin. We calculated one cardiovascular event per 319 000 person-days of physical activity in the mountains, one sudden cardiac death per 980 000 and one acute coronary syndrome per 2 895 000 person-days. Conclusions The risk of cardiovascular events in the population practising physical activity in the mountains is very low and essentially limited to men over the age of 40, particularly if they do not practise regularly physical activity. For these subjects the risk seems to be associated with physical activity, but not with altitude and other typical aspects of mountains, such as low temperature and difficulties of terrain.

Riverscape and Groundwater Preservation: A Choice Experiment

This study presents a quantitative approach to support policy decision making for the preservation of riverscapes, taking into account the EC Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) and the EC Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC) concerning the protection of waters against nitrate pollution from agricultural sources. A choice experiment was applied to evaluate the benefits, as perceived by inhabitants, of the implementation of policies aiming to reduce the concentration of nitrates in groundwater, preserve the riverscape by maintaining a minimum water flow and increasing hedges and woods along the Serio River in central northern Italy. Findings suggested that people were particularly concerned about groundwater quality, probably because it is strongly linked to human health. Nevertheless, it was interesting to observe that people expressed a high willingness to pay for actions that affect the riverscape as a whole (such as the minimum water flow maintenance plus reforestation). This is probably due to the close connection between the riverscape and the functions of the river area for recreation, health purposes, and biodiversity preservation.

Factors Influencing Summer Farms Management in the Alps

We investigated the recent evolution and the present status of summer farms in the Veneto region, northeastern Italian Alps. This study area has experienced the abandonment and intensification in livestock farming that has been typical in the European mountains. An on-farm survey was conducted at 484 active units. Data were collected concerning farm structure and technology, herd composition and management, and the environmental and managerial practices. A clustering approach, based on structural and technical features, divided the summer farms into two clusters. One cluster included 189 units that were mostly owned by municipalities and other public institutions. These units contained renovated structures and modern equipment. The other cluster included 295 summer farms that were mostly privately owned and often contained obsolete structures and equipment. Herd composition and management practices were more intensive in the public cluster, while the environmental and management features of the pastures differed only marginally. Socio-economic viability, as estimated with a multicriteria approach, was higher for public summer farms. Our results indicate that the type of ownership is the main factor in the recent evolution and the present status of summer farm. The traditional, strict link between the management of summer farms and the optimal conservation of their pastures has been disrupted. These findings must be considered to devise effective agricultural and environmental policies in mountainous areas.

The Economic Value of Rural Landscape: An Application to the Area Between Isonzo and Tagliamento Rivers (Friuli-Venezia Giulia)

In some respects the idea that the landscape can be priced may appear groundless. The landscape is often associated with cultural and emotional values derived from its aesthetic enjoyment, values which seem absolutely impossible to quantify. On the contrary, several studies both in Italy and abroad have suggested that people have well defined and measurable preferences on rural landscapes (Daniel and Booster 1976; Anderson 1981; Buhyoff et al., 1982; Brown and Daniel, 1986; Gobster and Chenoweth, 1989; Eleftriadis and Tsalikidis, 1990; Brown and Daniel, 1991; Angilieri and Toccolini, 1993; Gregory and Davis, 1993; Tempesta, 1993).

Food waste, consumer attitudes and behaviour. A study in the North-Eastern part of Italy

Reducing the amount of wasted food is a key element in developing a sustainable food system. Large quantities of produced food are discarded and, to a large extent, the waste is avoidable. The wastage of food occurs at all stages of the food life cycle, starting from harvesting, through manufacturing and distributing and finally consumption, but the largest contribution to food waste occur at home. In the past, several studies investigated the amount of food waste in Italy. Nevertheless there is a substantial lack in the knowledge of the reasons linked to waste food at households. The aim of this paper is to focus on the consumption food waste for exploring the reasons of food waste on family level, which is a significant fraction of total, in order to overcome food wasting behaviour and point out options to design prevention measures.

Rural landscape and economic results of the farm; a multi-objective approach

The protection and reorganisation of rural landscape constitutes one of the main objectives in European Union agro-environmental policy. Since 1985, numerous measures have been approved with the aim of financing landscape improvement and farm reorganisation. These measures were more clearly defined in 1992, when the timing and content of landscape measures were set in the wider context of agro-environmental policy. European Union intervention was motivated by the growing imbalance between the public demand for higher landscape quality and the land transformation carried out by agriculture. On one hand, the societal and cultural changes which have occurred in the last few decades have produced a rise in demand for green (rural) areas for recreation. On the other hand, the spread of labour-saving technology in agriculture has led to an increasing simplification of the landscape and to a considerable reduction in rural landscape quality. This phenomenon can be attributed to the singular economic characteristics of landscape. In many respects, landscape represents a positive externality of agro-forest activity, which assumes the role of a public good. This therefore necessitates corrective action by the public policy maker who will have to use various means to increase the remuneration of those products which generate positive externalities. Public intervention, however, runs the risk of being transformed into welfare aid. In order to guarantee that it is used to remunerate a real service undertaken by the farmer for the benefit of the whole community, the contribution must be commensurate with the benefits produced. The objectives of this study are, first, to analyse which elements of rural landscape contribute to the aesthetic value of landscape and, second, to estimate the trade-offs between economic results of the farm and landscape quality. An application in the Venice Lagoon Basin Region allowed for the identification and quantification of compromise solutions between the landscape objective and the farm profits. These results can be used to assess the economic consequences of improving landscape quality and the suitability for this purpose of European Union subsidies.

Consumer preferences for red deer meat: a discrete choice analysis considering attitudes towards wild game meat and hunting

This study aims to analyse consumer preferences for red deer meat (RDM) (Cervus elaphus) by conducting a case study in northern Italy. This analysis considers how the attitudes of consumers towards wild game meat and hunting might influence such preferences. This goal is achieved by combining the results of a k-means clustering analysis of the attitudes collected by means of two valuation scales with a discrete choice experiment (CE). According to our results, a positive attitude towards wild game meat has an effect on the willingness to pay (WTP) for RDM that is more than 3 times greater than being in favour of hunting. An analysis of the heterogeneity of consumer preferences allowed us to identify the presence of an important niche market for RDM served as carpaccio. Examining only the mean estimates for carpaccio without considering heterogeneity would lead to neglecting 18% of the sample with a positive willingness to pay for this attribute level.

The Value of Traditonal Rural Landscape and Nature Protected Areas in Tourism Demand: A Study on Agritourists’ Preferences

This study focuses on how traditional rural landscape and proximity to a Natura 2000 Site of Community Importance (SCI) might influence consumers’ choice of an agritourism farm for a weekend stay. Data were collected in Umbria region’s (Italy) agritourism farms in 2014 by interviewing 160 tourists. Results from a discrete choice experiment reveal that the most important feature affecting the interviewees’ propensity to pay a premium price to stay in an agritourism farm is the well-preserved traditional landscape (willingness to pay 32.32€/night for two people), followed by the availability of a swimming pool (willingness to pay 20.95€/ night for two people), the proximity to a historical village (willingness to pay 18.37€/night for two people) and, the location in a Natura 2000 SCI (willingness to pay 13.57€/night for two people). Furthermore, the results underline how the preservation of the traditional landscape and protection of the surrounding environment play a strategic role in developing agritourism and provide economic benefits to local communities.

Le conseguenze della riforma di Politica Agricola Comunitaria sul paesaggio rurale

The aim of the paper is to analyze the trade-off between landscape aesthetic value and farm income. A study carried out in North-east Italy plane areas has provided visual-aesthetic indices of the main crops raised in the area. A function relating aesthetic landscape appreciation to land use was then estimated. Linear programming models of two representative farms of the area have been implemented in order to identify the optimal production solution under different CAP scenarios. Finally a multi-objective analysis approach was used in order to estimate the most efficient compromise solution sets among profit and landscape quality maximisation. From a policy maker perspective, this approach turns in to a useful tool in order to calculate a set of efficient financial contribution, since incentives are tailored to farmer’s requirements.