Vittorio Gallerani

The sustainability of irrigated agricultural systems under the Water Framework Directive: first results ☆

Abstract The paper reports the first results of the Project WADI (Sustainability of European Irrigated Agriculture under Water Directive and Agenda 2000), funded under the 5th Framework Programme of the European Union (EU). The objective of the project is to evaluate the economic, social and environmental sustainability of European irrigated farming under different scenarios concerning water policy and the Common Agricultural Policy. The methodology relies on scenario analysis combined with farm level mathematical programming models. Two pilot case studies are presented for Italy: cereal farming and fruit farming. According to the first results, the impact of the directive, up to reasonable prices, may be summed up in a minor reduction of water use associated with a sharp decrease of farm income and a significant reduction of employment. Nevertheless, different farming systems may react in very different ways. More detailed local analyses are needed in order to support the design of effective and efficient policies at basin level.

Regole pratiche per la valutazione degli arboreti da frutto

The paper provides some practical rules for the choice of the evaluation procedure for orchards, in relation to different environmental situations. In particular, different evaluation approaches are illustrated distinguishing areas with specialised production systems and areas with mixed production systems. The problems related to the application of the income approach and the market comparison approach are illustrated in the different cases. The paper is completed by some examples concerning the evaluation of pear orchards in specialised systems and peach orchards in mixed production systems. In conclusion, some critical notes are reported about the methodology proposed by Ribaudo for the synthetic evaluation of vineyards of different age. The paper argues that the age relation approach has weak scientific bases, is difficult to apply and does not guarantee the reliability of the results, compared to analytical approaches.

Information asymmetries and water pricing in the perspective of the water framework directive

The objective of this paper is to discuss the state of the art and the research needs concerning water pricing under asymmetric information in the context of the directive 60/2000. Around this problem four main areas of research can be identified: a) costs for the implementation of measurement systems (pipes, metering devices); b) costs and effectiveness of indirect systems (e.g. based on turns or crop type); c) mechanisms of revelation of water use features, through selective contracts, auctions or markets; d) mechanisms of compliance with supply contracts in absence of direct water metering. A relevant issue for future research concerns the possibility of considering all such aspects jointly and on an empirical ground, with the aim of supporting actual policy design, including the evaluation of the economic feasibility of volumetric pricing.

Valutazione degli effetti del disaccoppiamento della PAC sulle imprese agricole dell'Emilia Romagna

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the impact of the decoupling of CAP payments on farms in Emilia Romagna, in terms of long term economic, social and environmental sustainability. The work is based on the integration of an ex-post analysis on a sample of 82 farm-households and of an ex-ante analysis based on a farm-household simulation model built for a sub-sample of 21 of such households. The shift to the single farm payment does not produce any important change for the majority of farms. However, the decoupling tends to reduce the orientation effect of policy, reinforcing the role of the market as the main determinant of farm choices. The reduction, or abolishment of payments seems to have, in the long term, more relevant effects, revealing the fact that the payment, even decupled, maintains a “coupled” role as a determinant of farm production choices.

Politiche agroambientali 2007-2013 : il ruolo potenziale delle aste di contratti

Agri-Environmetal Policy (AEP) application raised a wide debate about payment levels and the efficiency of the economic instruments used. One tool for improving the efficiency of AEP can be the adoption of auctions mechanisms in contract allocation. This mechanism is clearly included in reg. 1698/2005, that represents the framework for rural development for the years 2007-2013. The objective of this paper is to simulate the impacts of the allocations of Agri-environmental contracts through auctions in Emilia Romagna Region. Auctions may contribute to the efficiency improvement of AEP, even if their performance is strongly affected by the farmers’ expectations about the transaction costs and budget level.

Disegno degli strumenti di condizionalità ambientale in presenza di asimmetria informativa

The effects of cross-compliance, introduced with the reform 2003 of the CAP, depends on the strategies of participation/ compliance of farmers, as well as on the ability of public administration to govern such phenomena through appropriate mechanisms of control and sanction. The objective of this paper is to elaborate a preliminary reference framework for the analysis of cross-compliance under asymmetric information and to test the empirical relevance of the problem. The methodology is based on a behavioural model applied to data from the province of Bologna. The results show how, in the present conditions of control and sanctions, almost no farm is interested in complying with cross-compliance. An improvement may be obtained through an increase of control or sanctions, or through a targeting of controls. The latter option, while interesting in terms of efficiency, opens the problem of an equitable treatment of different groups of farmers, as well as of the identification of clear priorities of territorial development of farming.