Papers by Anna Irene De Luca
American Journal of Agricultural and Biological Sciences, 2015
Intervento già attivato tramite bando di evidenza pubblica (Valle del Crocchio, 2011) Tabella 2 -... more Intervento già attivato tramite bando di evidenza pubblica (Valle del Crocchio, 2011) Tabella 2 -Interventi previsti dai GAL calabresi per le "filiere corte". Fonte: ns. elaborazioni su dati direttamente rilevati.
Quality Access to Success, Aug 1, 2014
Sustainability issues have driven the scientific research towards the definition of methodologica... more Sustainability issues have driven the scientific research towards the definition of methodological tools to assess the impacts derived from products and services and to make them more ecologically friendly, economically profitable and socially suitable. In the evaluation of complex socio-environmental systems, like agricultural ones, uncertainty often arises and the quality of decision processes can be a high concern. The "MIMeSMAS" project attempts to define an integrated model for the assessment of environmental, economic and social sustainability of innovative agricultural practices in Mediterranean areas aimed at optimizing the management of soil, water and energy macro-systems for perennial crops (olive), horticultural crops (artichoke) and dedicated energy crops (giant reed). The operative framework of the project consists of four principal steps: (i) area-based characterisation of macro-systems in the agricultural contexts under study; (ii) definition of a common methodological protocols and of a structured set of biophysical and socio-economic indicators; (iii) implementation of the methodological protocols to experimental activities and farms casestudies; (iv) development of sustainable management options. The multi-methodological character of the project is pursued through a joint application of agronomic, hydraulic and mechanical models for cropping systems and through a combined implementation of Life Cycle methodologies (LCA, LCC and s-LCA). The multi-dimensional indicators obtained from the experimental activities will be integrated by mixing quali-quantitative methods as Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and participative techniques in order to rank the agricultural management scenarios and to involve local actors in decision-making processes.
Environmental engineering and management journal
Sustainability issues have driven the scientific research towards the definition of methodologica... more Sustainability issues have driven the scientific research towards the definition of methodological tools to assess the impacts derived from products and services and to make them more ecologically friendly, economically profitable and socially suitable. In the evaluation of complex socio-environmental systems, like agricultural ones, uncertainty often arises and the quality of decision processes can be a high concern. The "MIMeSMAS" project attempts to define an integrated model for the assessment of environmental, economic and social sustainability of innovative agricultural practices in Mediterranean areas aimed at optimizing the management of soil, water and energy macro-systems for perennial crops (olive), horticultural crops (artichoke) and dedicated energy crops (giant reed). The operative framework of the project consists of four principal steps: (i) area-based characterisation of macro-systems in the agricultural contexts under study; (ii) definition of a common methodological protocols and of a structured set of biophysical and socio-economic indicators; (iii) implementation of the methodological protocols to experimental activities and farms casestudies; (iv) development of sustainable management options. The multi-methodological character of the project is pursued through a joint application of agronomic, hydraulic and mechanical models for cropping systems and through a combined implementation of Life Cycle methodologies (LCA, LCC and s-LCA). The multi-dimensional indicators obtained from the experimental activities will be integrated by mixing quali-quantitative methods as Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and participative techniques in order to rank the agricultural management scenarios and to involve local actors in decision-making processes.
1. Introduzione Fin dalla sua istituzione la Politica Agricola Comunitaria (PAC) ha rappresentato... more 1. Introduzione Fin dalla sua istituzione la Politica Agricola Comunitaria (PAC) ha rappresentato la maggior fonte di spesa del bilancio comunitario, nonché il principale strumento per la promozione del processo d'integrazione europea (Gulisano, 1995a). Benché nel Trattato di Roma (1957) fosse enunciata l'esigenza di attivare una specifica politica per le strutture, dovranno passare molti anni prima che agli interventi di tipo strutturale venga riconosciuta una significativa posizione all'interno delle politiche europee per l'agricoltura. Nei primi anni dalla sua istituzione, la PAC, infatti, attribuisce alla politica dei mercati e dei prezzi agricoli un ruolo prioritario, rivolgendo così gran parte dell'attenzione all'ambito settoriale e aziendale. Col passare degli anni cominciano a evidenziarsi le differenze nel livello di sostegno effettivo accordato dalla politica dei prezzi ai diversi territori europei. Questa differenza di trattamento, congiuntamente a...
Chemical Engineering Transactions
Despite the agro-food sustainability issues have been developed and strengthened considerably for... more Despite the agro-food sustainability issues have been developed and strengthened considerably for a long time, from an operational point of view the sustainable agriculture is still evolving and improvements of production systems are increasingly required to move farmers toward the implementation of agricultural practices environmental friendly and economically viable. Therefore, the evaluation of the economic sustainability becomes a key prerequisite to carry out business operations, while the environmental sustainability assessment can be a strategic tool also to increase the value of product and to structure greenoriented marketing strategies. In this sense, the development of innovative approaches for a systemic and integrated assessment of the sustainability represents an ambitious goal to pursue for scientists, practitioners and for the overall society. In this study, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) were applied to evaluate, jointly, the environmental ...
RIVISTA DI STUDI SULLA SOSTENIBILITA', 2015
Objective of this paper is to analyse the presence of gender differences in the purchase motivati... more Objective of this paper is to analyse the presence of gender differences in the purchase motivations of Fair Trade (FT) food products sold in the Italian World Shops (WS). At this end, a questionnaire has been distributed to a sample of consumers in four Italian regions. A bivariate ordered probit analysis has been performed in order to identify the determinants of the two main ethical motivations in the purchase: worker guarantees and solidarity. The variables used as determinants are individual and municipal characteristics. Among individual characteristics, gender is significant; among the municipal characteristics, the rate of female job market participation is also significant. These results give evidence of a gender gap in the preferences for public goods.
In the evaluation of complex systems - like agricultural ones, where ecological, social and econo... more In the evaluation of complex systems - like agricultural ones, where ecological, social and economic issues overlap - the characteristics of their specific contexts affect the quality of decision-making on priorities to be addressed. A constructivist realism approach – as alternative research perspective that embeds positivism and constructivism and their respective typical methods - can be an effective way to assess and understand the social impacts deriving from the life cycle of products and support actions leading to sustainable outcomes. In particular, we propose this approach as an epistemological option for developing social Life Cycle Assessment (sLCA), by involving people as active subject in an iterative and inclusive process and not as passive receivers. Following the typical phases of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the aim of this study is to plan a methodological proposal for sLCA, where each step is developed with the help of specific tailored tools borrowed from qualita...
Advances in the Economic Analysis of Participatory & Labor-Managed Firms, 2012
Abstract: Understanding the determinants of the demand for goods, which have been produced accord... more Abstract: Understanding the determinants of the demand for goods, which have been produced according to ethical considerations and marketed accordingly, has become an important research area in business economics. Less clear is the role that the social environment plays in shaping the preferences for ethically produced goods. Our main objective is to fill this gap in the literature by quantifying the extent to which the social capital generated by the presence of co-operatives in an area can have an impact on the ...
Modern olive cultivation development is closely connected to the mechanization of pruning operati... more Modern olive cultivation development is closely connected to the mechanization of pruning operations which, together with harvesting, influence considerably olive-tree yields and productions quality. The objective of the present study is to assess performances, and economic aspects, of mechanized pruning operation in spanish intensive olive-groves. The intensive cultivation system (density of 250-600 trees/ha) is still very effective, and in order to make it more competitive, there is an increasing interest towards pruning interventions made using machines able to carry out both topping and hedging. Tests, carried out in Spain concern two different olive-groves cultivated in pots and in monocone. The technical results of this study will be used to carried out an economic analysis aims to assess the convenience of mechanical innovations in olive farm. The economic efficiency will be evaluated in terms of saving in labour, to investigate the economic validity of technological innovations in olive growing, based on the criteria of intensive fully mechanized cultivation. The obtained advantages through the employment of machines able to carry out topping and hedging, and speed pruning operations, are notable. Indeed, it is possible to prune a hectare of olive-grove in about one hour, as it is demonstrated by the working operating capacity brought out during the tests. The economical analysis carried out shows that the use of these machines is particularly interesting since it allows to effectuate a cultural intervention often neglected because of its high costs.
Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.) is a spring-summer legume with a high drought tolerance, grown ... more Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.) is a spring-summer legume with a high drought tolerance, grown mainly in India, Pakistan, United States and South Africa, whose seeds contain galactomannans. These can be used as an emollient, softening or thickening agent, a flocculant, as well as in hydraulic fracturing, and as a stabiliser in a wide range of other industrial activities: the production of cosmetics, paper, textiles, paints and varnishes, detergents, in construction, and in food products (jams, jellies, yogurt, mayonnaise, ketchup, diet foods, foods for coeliacs, etc.). In the light of a growing industrial demand for guar flour, in May 2012 a trial was carried out in southern Italy. Seeds from South Africa were sown in large plots on two farms with different soil characteristics. The crop showed yields varying between 1.8 and 2.2 t ha -1 . Agronomic results were then used to conduct an integrated sustainability analysis using the production cost analysis and the life cycle assessment, in order to assess, respectively, the cost-effectiveness and the environmental impact of the production process of guar in a Mediterranean environment. Compared to other competitive crops, guar, with less than 3000 kg of CO2 eq. emissions, can be considered as a low-emission crop. Given the above-mentioned yield, guar growing is economically sustainable when the purchase price of seeds is not less than 0.96 € kg -1 .
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Papers by Anna Irene De Luca