Papers by valentina materia
Agronomy for Sustainable Development
Significant detrimental effects of agricultural intensification and specialization are becoming i... more Significant detrimental effects of agricultural intensification and specialization are becoming increasingly evident. Reliance on monocultures, few varieties, and intensive use of agrochemicals is a major factor in climate change, biodiversity decline, soil health deterioration, and pollution, putting our food system at risk. This requires sustainable agricultural processes, such as crop diversification, to be more rapidly and effectively tested, adopted, and scaled. While these processes are typically introduced at niche level, they often struggle to scale and to induce broader sustainability transitions. In this study, we investigate how scaling may occur, focusing on institutional logics, their changes, and realignment over time. In particular, we applied an abductive research strategy to collect empirical evidence from two in-depth, longitudinal case studies of innovation niches related to crop diversification. Doing so, we show for the first time that, despite their many differ...
Agribusiness
The 2008–2009 global economic downturn emphasized the role of demand contractions and the potenti... more The 2008–2009 global economic downturn emphasized the role of demand contractions and the potential mediation role of trade on firms' performance in times of crisis. Evidence in anticyclical sectors such as the food industry is scarce. Using European firm‐level data on the 2008–2009 crisis, we explore (i) whether the internal demand or market synchronism (external demand) prevailed when assessing their relation with the crisis and (ii) the role innovation strategies played in mitigating this in weathering the drop in demand. Results indicate that the more internationalized firms are, the more they suffer from economic crises, with exporters the most affected, but that innovation can have a mitigating role. [EconLit Citations: F14, G01, O32].
Journal of Economic Issues
The European Journal of Development Research, 2022
This paper analyses, through a Random Utility Model (RUM), how a public institution selects among... more This paper analyses, through a Random Utility Model (RUM), how a public institution selects among competitive agricultural R&D projects on the basis of observable distinctive features. In particular, we aim at verifying if, which and how other criteria, beyond the pure scientific value, are decisive for selection. From such information, like cost, duration, etc., the institution must infer about the unobservable actual ability, effort and reliability of the scientists themselves. Such analytical framework is empirically applied to a real case, the agricultural R&D activity funded by the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy) between 2001 and 2006.
This paper empirically analyses how a public institution chooses the cofinancing rate in funding ... more This paper empirically analyses how a public institution chooses the cofinancing rate in funding competitive agricultural R&D research projects. The public funding institution observes some objective features of the selected research projects and of the proponents. The paper puts forward some testable hypotheses about how the funding institution uses this available information to decide the cofinancing rate. An empirical model is then specified and estimated to test these hypotheses. The empirical application refers to the real case of the agricultural R&D program funded by an Italian region (Emilia-Romagna) over years 2001-2006. Results suggest that the cofinancing rate actually responds to the observed features but this response is not always consistent with the formulated hypotheses.
Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, 2022
The present study intends to contribute to the debate on whether and how the entrepreneurial orie... more The present study intends to contribute to the debate on whether and how the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) theory explains business performance by exploring its efficacy when applied to a constrained context such as a developing country. This debate revolves around the understanding of the nature of EO within a specific context and the degree to which EO, as compared to environmental characteristics, contributes to business performance. In particular, it analyses the influence of EO on the business performance of women entrepreneurs engaged in the handicraft business in Bangladesh, focussing on the effect the business and social environments exert on this relation. The results obtained from hierarchical multiple regression analyses suggest that the EO construct requires flexibility in its conceptualisation and that the implications EO has on performance need to be understood in the light of the context in which the theory is adopted. Concerning the nature of EO, we find that, fir...
Technology in Society, 2022
The aim of the paper is twofold: to present a preliminary analysis of the distribution of the Rur... more The aim of the paper is twofold: to present a preliminary analysis of the distribution of the Rural Development (RD) expenditure for specific measures related to human capital across EU and to investigate which factors may explain the variation of intensity of spending between the regions. In particular, a descriptive analysis of the budget and of the expenditure for EU 27 will be presented. A linear regression model (OLS) is also presented in order to verify which factors weigh more in determining the spending decisions for the European regions. The analysis is carried out taking into account the EAFRD expenditures for the measures related to human capital for the period 2007-2008 at NUTS2 level.
International Journal on Food System Dynamics, 2018
The production of proteins from insects is the next big challenge for Western countries. Although... more The production of proteins from insects is the next big challenge for Western countries. Although several benefits have been highlighted, mainly regarding their high environmental, social and economic sustainability, the use of insect‐based ingredients is a radical break with tradition and encounters a very low acceptance among consumers. In this study, we present an exploratory analysis on a sample of Italian Millennials to test whether some product attributes can represent a barrier or a driver to such consumption. Results suggest that acceptance is far to be obtained, although the most powerful driver to insect consumption can be the invisibility of the insect shape.
Current Opinion in Food Science, 2021
This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the ad... more This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
Food Security, 2021
To date, many efforts to eradicate hunger include increasing agricultural production, processing ... more To date, many efforts to eradicate hunger include increasing agricultural production, processing of raw materials and supplementation, and fortification of foods. Locally produced foods represent a significant part of Food Systems as they contribute to tackling hunger and malnutrition. However, few studies have investigated the processing of traditional fermented foods at household level as a means to improve nutrition and triggering inclusive entrepreneurship, two crucial dimensions Food Systems build on. Fermentation is an ancient processing technique that relies on transformation of raw materials by microbial activity and is mainly undertaken by women. This paper posits that upscaling small scale fermented food processing activities while enhancing functional food properties and fostering women entrepreneurship contributes to prevention of food losses, promotion of nutrition and health, and entrepreneurial opportunities for current processors. This is key for effective policy int...
British Food Journal, 2020
PurposeThis paper reviews the academic contributions that have emerged to date on the broad defin... more PurposeThis paper reviews the academic contributions that have emerged to date on the broad definition of farm-level management information systems (MISs). The purpose is twofold: (1) to identify the theories used in the literature to study the adoption of digital technologies and (2) to identify the drivers of and barriers to the adoption of such technologies.Design/methodology/approachThe literature review was based on a comprehensive review of contributions published in the 1998–2019 period. The search was both automated and manual, browsing through references of works previously found via high-quality digital libraries.FindingsDiffusion of innovations (DOIs) is the most frequently used theoretical framework in the literature reviewed, though it is often combined with other innovation adoption theories. In addition, farms’ and farmers’ traits, together with technological features, play a key role in explaining the adoption of these technologies.Research limitations/implicationsSo...
Sustainability, 2020
The paper focuses on Agro-food waste valorization conceived as a long-term, complex socio-technic... more The paper focuses on Agro-food waste valorization conceived as a long-term, complex socio-technical process involving several different actors belonging to multiple levels. Although this process is typically affected by a series of uncertainties, the convergence of stakeholders’ expectations proves to be a means to overcoming barriers, as it acts as the foundation of a shared agenda setting which formalizes the coordination efforts among the actors involved in an innovation process. Applying the strategic niche management (SNM) framework to the case of the Apulia Agro-Food Technology District (DARe), whose mission is to promote a bio-based industry for food-waste valorization, the paper proposes an operational tool capable of designing the strategy based on the entrepreneurs’ knowledge. The DARe aims to promote the technological innovation of agro-food firms located in the South of Italy. The results of a SWOT-SOR analysis led to the establishment of a twofold strategy aimed at (a) ...
Journal of Agricultural Economics, 2017
The paper investigates the determinants of innovation strategies in the agri-food sector and the ... more The paper investigates the determinants of innovation strategies in the agri-food sector and the potential complementarity of these strategies. Innovation strategies are distinguished as in-house and outsourcing. The choice between strategies is motivated by transaction cost minimization, property rights appropriation and optimization of firms' resources and competences. A bivariate probit model is implemented using cross-section data on 1,393 agri-food firms in seven EU countries. Results show that:
The European Journal of Development Research, 2017
The policy debates on plant protection products (PPPs) in the European Union (EU) are dominated b... more The policy debates on plant protection products (PPPs) in the European Union (EU) are dominated by the environmental implications of crop protection (in particular, the use of herbicides) and the concentration of the herbicide industry. This article aims at presenting an overview of the patterns herbicide usage over time between and within European countries, and an overview of the industry structure. Potential determinants driving some of these differences are discussed, such as the recent PPP policies adopted by the EU. Results show that herbicides are the most important input used in crop protection, but regional differences are substantial. The concentration of the industry is high, but below levels that would raise concerns by EU regulators. The sector is also highly regulated, which contributes to a high concentration and a consequent decline in innovations. This finding raises the possibility of substituting bans of active ingredients in herbicides with alternative solutions. Les débats de politique sur les produits de protection des plantes (PPP) dans l'Union Européenne sont dominés par les implications environnementales des protections offerts aux cultives (en particulier, l'utilisation des herbicides), et par la concentration de l'industrie des herbicides. Cet étude vise à présenter une vue d'ensemble de l'utilisation des herbicides dans les pays européens, et un aperçu de la structure du secteur des herbicides. Les déterminants de ces différences sont examinés (par exemple, les politiques récentes de PPP adoptes par l'Union Européenne). Les résultats indiquent que les herbicides sont l'apport le plus important en matière de phytoprotection, mais qu'il y a des différences régionales considérables. La concentration de l'industrie des herbicides est haute, mais en dessus du niveau qui feraient surgir des préoccupations chez les régulateurs UE. Le secteur est aussi très règlementé, ce qui implique une haute concentration et une conséquente diminution des innovations; on se pose donc la question si, à la place d'interdire des ingrédients actifs dans les herbicides, on pourrait trouver des solutions alternatives.
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Papers by valentina materia