Papers by Raffaele Zanoli
Organic Agriculture, Dec 15, 2023
The use of fossil-based plastics used for packing organic foods is under the lens of the organic ... more The use of fossil-based plastics used for packing organic foods is under the lens of the organic movement because of the contrast with the organic farming principles and its negative impact on the environment. Bioplastics, which can be bio-based and biodegradable, are a promising solution to address the various issues, i.e. social and environmental, caused by the intense use of conventional plastics. Nevertheless, using bioplastics as a more sustainable solution in the food packaging industry is still controversial. It involves a variety of opinions, consensus, and disagreements among food supply chain actors. The present study investigated stakeholders' viewpoints regarding the acceptance of bio-based packaging in the Italian organic food supply chain. Individual perspectives from a selected group of organic stakeholders (producers, distributors, and researchers) were captured by applying the Q methodology. Two relevant divergent views were identified, as well as consensus agreements. The study shows how Q methodology can effectively discover the most relevant viewpoints about an emerging topic.
Biological Agriculture & Horticulture, Dec 28, 2017
This paper investigated if the inspection procedures in organic certification may be improved exp... more This paper investigated if the inspection procedures in organic certification may be improved exploiting information that is generally available from the control bodies involved in the certification process. The analysis was based on data from the archives of one of the largest Italian organic control bodies, containing information on operators' characteristics, and including: risk scores for farmers, inspectors' characteristics, type of inspection and the outcome of the inspection in terms of the type of non-compliance detected. The analysis considered both irregularities, i.e. mainly formal or bureaucratic non-compliance, and infringements, i.e. more substantial non-compliance. A bivariate probit model with random parameters was used to estimate the likelihood of, presumably correlated, irregularities and infringements, conditional to a set of covariates concerning risk assessment of the operators, inspector's characteristics, and modalities of the inspections, including the period of the year scheduled for the inspections. The results showed that irregularities and infringements were actually correlated and that there is scope for improving the effectiveness of inspections, particularly using an appropriate timing for inspections and taking samples more frequently during inspections.
Improving inspection procedures in organic farming using feasible practices
How to survive into the organic sector: a survey of Marches organic farms through survival analysis
Rivista di economia agraria, 2010
Risk Analysis, Jul 3, 2014
Certification is an essential feature in organic farming, and it is based on inspections to verif... more Certification is an essential feature in organic farming, and it is based on inspections to verify compliance with respect to European Council Regulation-EC Reg. No 834/2007. A riskbased approach to noncompliance that alerts the control bodies to activate planning inspections would contribute to a more efficient and cost-effective certification system. An analysis of factors that can affect the probability of noncompliance in organic farming has thus been developed. This article examines the application of zero-inflated count data models to farmlevel panel data from inspection results and sanctions obtained from the Ethical and Environmental Certification Institute, one of the main control bodies in Italy. We tested many a priori hypotheses related to the risk of noncompliance. We find evidence of an important role for past noncompliant behavior in predicting future noncompliance, while farm size and the occurrence of livestock also have roles in an increased probability of noncompliance. We conclude the article proposing that an efficient risk-based inspection system should be designed, weighting up the known probability of occurrence of a given noncompliance according to the severity of its impact.
Marine Policy, Oct 1, 2019
The aim of this study was to analyse the economic aspects related to organic aquaculture through ... more The aim of this study was to analyse the economic aspects related to organic aquaculture through a systematic review of the scientific literature. Production from organic aquaculture has grown rapidly over the last few years, although it remains at low volumes worldwide. We followed the 'Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses' procedures for literature selection, and performed a qualitative review of the selected studies. The review is based on three research questions: "What are the main factors that affect the socioeconomic development of organic aquaculture?"; "Is there evidence for better economic performance of organic aquaculture with respect to conventional aquaculture?"; "Do consumers show tangible preference for organically farmed seafood?" The main results show that profitability in organic aquaculture is not guaranteed for all aquaculture species, and the feed and fixed costs can be an issue if they are not balanced by adequate price premiums. Lack of homogenisation of organic standards for aquaculture is considered to be the main issue. Socio-economic aspects of organic aquaculture are particularly relevant in developing countries, where this farming practice can contribute to an improved livelihood and can integrate effectively with local farming practices. Consumers show a generally positive attitude towards organic seafood, although other aspects such as local origin might represent more relevant attributes. Consumer knowledge of organic aquaculture standards is also limited.
Demand in Italy for agritourism: results of an empirical survey
Genio Rurale, 1999
This study considers the context of organic aquaculture worldwide from an economic perspective. W... more This study considers the context of organic aquaculture worldwide from an economic perspective. We present an analysis of the current situation of aquaculture production and the main results from a systematic review of the literature concerning economic issues in organic aquaculture. Results show that profitability in organic aquaculture is not assured for all aquaculture species, and the feed and fixed costs should be balanced by adequate price premiums. Socio-economic aspects of organic aquaculture are mostly relevant in developing countries. Even if consumers show a positive attitude towards organic seafood, consumers knowledge of organic aquaculture standards is still limited. Dedicated research, competitiveness of organic fish farming and marketing activities (in order to develop consumer knowledge) need to be improved to ensure the future development of organic aquaculture, and efforts should be made to simplify the regulatory framework.
The aim of this paper is to analyse the performance of organic sheep and goat farms through a set... more The aim of this paper is to analyse the performance of organic sheep and goat farms through a set of indicators of multi-dimensional sustainability (MDS) classified in four categories: Financial, Innovation, Market and Resources. Data refer to 42 organic farms across six European countries and consider meat, dairy and dual purpose farms. Farm performance and the respective importance paid for each MDS indicator are analyzed through Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA). Results show a differentiated situation both in terms of farm types and of MDS indicators: Financial aspects show the worst performance, while Market aspects the best ones. Resources are scored positively for Goats and Dairy farms, while Innovation is generally considered as not relevant for most of farm types.
In Mai 2004 a group of stakeholders of the organic farming and general agricultural policy sector... more In Mai 2004 a group of stakeholders of the organic farming and general agricultural policy sector in 11 countries met for a one day-workshop to develop policy recommendations for the development of organic farming sector in each country. Results from these workshops in Germany, Switzerland and Austria are presented, compared and discussed.
A decision network for inspections in organic farms in Italy
Decision Support Systems, 2014
Inspections in organic farming systems are the key tool to assure reliability of the organic busi... more Inspections in organic farming systems are the key tool to assure reliability of the organic business and detection of non-compliant operators. Supporting control bodies in the inspection procedure can increase the efficiency and competitiveness of the sector. Here we propose a decision support system for inspections based on Bayesian networks. Our model is based on statistical information taken from the archives of main Italian control body, and considers decision strategies according to the maximization of expected utility based on risk minimization. © 2012 The authors and IOS Press.
Understanding the consumption of plant-based meat alternatives and the role of health-related aspects. A study of the Italian market
International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science
Comparative analysis of European organic seed databases; Use of non-organic seed in EU Member Sta... more Comparative analysis of European organic seed databases; Use of non-organic seed in EU Member States & Switzerland; Estimating the potential of organic seed in Europe Stefano Orsini (ORC): Use of organic seed from farmers' perspective Freya Schäfer (FiBL-DE): Use of organic seed from the seed suppliers' perspective November 2019 -Updated January 2021 This booklet was produced within the LIVESEED project, which has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 727230. The information provided reflects the views of the authors. The Research Executive Agency or the SERI are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information provided. Part Four -Organic seed production from the seed suppliers' perspective Part Five -Estimating the potential of the organic seed market in Europe Conclusions and recommendations *Most crops species listed in the National Annex are divided into sub-crops (e.g. bread wheat, fodder wheat). This allows a step-wise approach when moving crops from category 2 to category 1. **Mixtures made with crops species of category 1 and category 2, where organic supply is available ***Includes more than 140 ornamental crops species or sub-crops listed on Swiss category 1
The EU organic seed sector – statistics on organic seed supply and demand
Valorization of Foods: From Tradition to Innovation
The First Outstanding 50 Years of “Università Politecnica delle Marche”, 2020
In western countries, modern consumers hold dual attitudes about food: on one hand, they have a g... more In western countries, modern consumers hold dual attitudes about food: on one hand, they have a genuine interest in food innovation, and on the other hand, they have a growing mistrust of industrial foods produced with cutting-edge technologies, which goes hand in hand with a desire to return to traditional food. Nevertheless, typical and traditional foods constitute a starting point for innovation and represent a legacy of inestimable value that must be preserved. Among traditional foods, those produced through fermentation processes represent the core of the human daily diet. In addition to these traditional foods, novel foods are emerging, including edible insects that are expected to attract a growing number of western consumers in the near future. Whether produced with innovative or traditional technologies, the full characterization of foods, including the compositional, microbiological, technological and marketing aspects, is a key element for either their valorization or their quality assurance.
A hybrid choice model of dairy novel production strategies
This paper deals with consumer acceptance of novel dairy production strategies. An hybrid choice ... more This paper deals with consumer acceptance of novel dairy production strategies. An hybrid choice model or integrated choice and latent variable model (ICLV), merging the choice model with the structural equation approach (SEM) for latent variables representing antecedents of choice, is used for the analysis. Consumer acceptance is modelled by an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour framework, where Choice is modelled as depending on Intention to purchase which is dependent on Attitude toward products applying a novel production strategy, Perceived behavioural Control, Subjective Norm and Moral Norm. Overall, six constructs were included in the: Perceived Risks (3 items: Bredahl, 2001; Tung et al., 2008), Perceived Benefits (3 items: Bredahl, 2001; Tung et al., 2008), Moral Norm (3 items: Bredahl, 2001; Dean et al., 2008), Subjective Norm (3 items: Dean et al., 2008; O’Connor et al., 2006; Olsen et al., 2008; Tung et al., 2008), Perceived Behavioural Control (3 items: Bredahl, 2001; ...
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Papers by Raffaele Zanoli