Volume 125 - Issue 3

The Operational Groups (OGs) of the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIPAGRI) were introduced by the 2014-2020 Common Agricultural Policy to foster competitive and sustainable farming and forestry. The objective of this paper is to assess the economic and environmental impacts of participating in the EIP-AGRI OGs located in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Performance of participants in OGs is compared with that of non-participants, who are selected by applying propensity score matching techniques to an Italian farm accountancy data network sample of 3204 farmers observed in the period 2017-2020. Logistic regressions are used to measure both propensity scores and the average treatment effect on the treated, while one-to-many optimal matching without replacement is adopted to form the control group. The resulting sample is composed of 270 observations, of which 45 are treated subjects. Results indicate that the OGs analysed might have contributed to improving fertiliser management and profitability levels in participating farms, but they failed to preserve biodiversity and reduce the consumption of pesticides and other inputs such as water, energy, and fuels. To increase the effectiveness of OGs, policy makers are advised to condition projects on the actual experimentation and implementation of agricultural innovations and...

This article examines the performance of ten food security indicators across 91 countries in the world, categorised by their income levels, to identify differences and similarities. The variations and covariations observed in a multivariate way are outlined through Biplot plots that summarise the results of a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The results show a direct link between the economic factors of the countries, food security, nutrition, and its derivatives. High-income countries are the best place for their populations to access a nutritious and quality food supply to meet the dietary energy needs needed for an active life. In contrast, low- and lower-middle-income countries still have critical indicators of the prevalence of severe or moderate food insecurity, malnutrition, and other related diseases, such as anaemia.

This paper presents an analysis of the potential socio-economic implications of the European Commission’s policy initiative to ban the use of cages in EU livestock farming, with a specific focus on conventional farrowing crates in the pig sector. Using the CAPRI (Common Agricultural Policy Regionalised Impact) tool, a multi-purpose comparative-static partial equilibrium modelling framework, the study examines two scenarios: an immediate phase-out of conventional farrowing crates by 2025 and a 10-year transition period until 2035. The simulation results indicate that the ban would lead to a significant decline in pork production in the EU, with production decreasing by 23.6% in the immediate phase-out scenario and by 8.4% in the 10-year transition scenario. The decline in production affects domestic demand and weakens the EU’s net trade position. However, the ban would also result in an increase in consumer prices and producer prices for pork, partly moderating the decline in profits for the pig sector. Moreover, the study highlights the interconnectedness of agricultural policies and the importance of a global assessment of their impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The simultaneous decline in EU pork exports and increase in EU pork imports trigger emission leakage: while GHG emissions from EU pork production...

Local products and short supply chains play an important role in national economies, as well as in creating a sustainable economy and society. In our research, we examined Hungarian consumer attitudes using a model related to the consumption of local products. The model analyses the reasons for buying or not buying local products. To explore consumer attitudes, we launched a nationally representative consumer survey of 500 people. The data obtained were analysed by factor and cluster analysis, which led to well-separated consumer segments being identified. The main arguments in favour of buying local products were a sense of security (local character) stemming from the knowledge of a product’s origin, a belief in their health properties, and support for local communities. We were able to identify three factors by factor analysis. These are External and Internal Product Features, Purchasing Benefits from Emotional Commitment, and Support for Local Producers and Local Merchants. Four clusters were identified along the factors: Emotional (36.5%), Local Patriots (15.0%), Passive (21.2%), and Conscious (27.3%). Each segment can be targeted with different marketing messages. The Conscious can be influenced with more rational messages, the Local Patriots and the Emotional with more emotional messages. The primary target group for...

This paper reviews food safety within the agri-food supply chain (AFSC) literature and presents a comprehensive framework for understanding how digitalisation has reshaped food safety practices within the AFSC. Its significant contribution lies in its identification of novel research streams in food safety that are underpinned by digitalisation techniques, a focus that can be expected to benefit both academic researchers and practitioners who are seeking solutions to pressing challenges related to the efficient achievement of food safety goals. In this paper, the powerful bibliometric analysis capabilities of Biblioshiny and VosViewer were utilised to conduct a comprehensive review of the relevant literature. Biblioshiny’s strengths in data visualisation and network analysis were instrumental in identifying key trends and patterns in the research, while VosViewer’s ability to create insightful maps of collaboration networks provided valuable insights into the relationships between researchers and institutions. The evolution of the published reviews from the past 10 years and the trending AFSC articles were thus revealed. The used databases were Web of Science and SCOPUS. Based on bibliometric coupling, the identified seven underlying research streams are (a) traceability challenges in AFSC, (b) quality management in AFSC, (c) Agri-food 4.0, (d) future trends of AFSC, (e) impact of...