Vera Teresa Foti

• University of Catania

Enabling technologies (KETs) offer transformative potential for agriculture by addressing major challenges such as climate change, resource efficiency, and sustainable development across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. However, KET adoption is often limited by high R&D requirements, rapid innovation cycles, investment costs, and cul...

Enabling technologies (KETs) offer transformative potential for agriculture by addressing major challenges such as climate change, resource efficiency, and sustainable development across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. However, KET adoption is often limited by high R&D requirements, rapid innovation cycles, investment costs, and cul...

To strengthen the resilience of agri-food enterprises in response to the crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, various policy levels have introduced a series of extraordinary fiscal, credit, and financial measures. These measures, however, produced different effects depending on the territory, the type of business, the prod...

Introduction Small‐scale sheep and goat farming is one of the business models the EU depends on to achieve the objectives of the Green Deal. However, these production systems are characterized by structural weaknesses that risk being aggravated by international events, such as the post‐COVID‐19 crisis and reconstruction, the conflict in the Europea...

Agriculture is a risky industry and is present in every management choice the farmer makes. Farms can experiment with different tools that can contain the impact of adverse events to protect production facilities, investments, and income generated by farming. This is the context for the study conducted in Sicily on a sample of farms of different ty...

The events of recent years (pandemic and conflict in the European area) have led to a rethink of traditional policies on trade and support for domestic production. The concept of national “self-sufficiency” is being consolidated to the detriment of globalization and the possibility of buying raw materials on the world market at the lowest price. Eu...

Abstract: The plant heritage of the Mediterranean basin, with its wide biodiversity, offers the best conditions to pursue the objectives of the EU Green Deal, and among it, we pointed our attention to the Brassica oleracea crops, thanks to the high number of landraces and of its wild relative species widespread both in agro and ecosystems. In the f...

The paper starts from the assumption that a greater level of sustainability in national food systems can be achieved with the contribution of the consumer. Nowadays, the consumer can condition the choices of the production system, with a greater demand for reassurance on the quality, safety, and traceability of food products. To confirm this hypoth...

Purpose The study aims to demonstrate that farmers' markets can represent a model of environmental, social and governance reference for modern agri-food systems facing the challenge of post COVID-19 pandemic reconstruction, responding to consumer expectations in terms of health, safety and wholesomeness of agri-food products. Design/methodology/ap...

Biofortification is a strategy to reduce micronutrient deficiency in humans by fortifying food through natural processes, agronomic practices and genetic modification. In this study, we seek to shed light on what consumers understand by the term 'biofortified products' and thus to understand their level of knowledge about these products, as well as...

The aim of this study is to provide a literature review on biofortified products and their role in the scientific sphere. Despite the large number of studies conducted on biofortified products in the last 20 years, many defining issues are still debated in the literature and several research questions should be clarified. It is therefore relevant t...

Citrus Bacterial Cancer (CBC) is a severe phytopathy capable of compromising the economy, environment, and society in specific areas. To date, it is not present in the Mediterranean Basin. In essence, it could be a signal that European Phytosanitary Services have been able to control its spread, blocking import and marketing of fruits from risk are...

The prickly pear in Italy is mostly used for human nutrition, although different cultivars of Cactaceae are intended for different uses around the world. Currently, there is a new bio‐economy for the prickly pear linked to the use of cladodes and fruit wastes for energy and numerous biotechnological derivatives. This paper focuses on the technical...

Citrus bacterial canker (CBC) is a known disease caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp citri, which affects many species and varieties of Rutaceae. It causes evident damage on the epigeal parts of plant (leaves and branches) and, in particular, on the fruits, causing their fall and/or deterioration, making them unsuitable for sale. EPPO has signaled it...

In light of increasing attention on biofortified products from the institutional, scientific and industrial worlds, we investigate consumer knowledge, consumer choice, the relationship between consumer choice and lifestyles, willingness to pay, and factors influencing consumer groups regarding biofortified foods. Complicating the matter is the lack...

The natural environment in urban areas, often described as “urban green spaces”, is recognized by numerous researches and experiences as an important element because provide indirect and direct benefits to human health and well-being. Among the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Goal 11, Sustainable Cities and Communitie...

In recent years, prickly pear biomass has had a growing role in the area of agro-energy, aimed at the production of biogas and biomethane. However, technical validations of the use of prickly pears for energy purposes have not yet been carried out in Sicily, a region that accounts for more than 90% of Italian investment in cacti. A design idea was...

The consumer’s central role within biodiversity conservation networks may be connected to the process of reconnecting models of production and proven local consumption within “alternative food networks” that have the ability to conserve biodiversity and create sustainable production. This research focuses of the indirect relationships between consu...

The world scenario for the cultivation of Cannnabis Sativa L. shows a trend in recent years that is clearly on the rise. The growth of small, medium and large enterprises that cultivate and market products deriving from Cannnabis Sativa L. in European countries is also exponential. This trend also effects Italy, a country which in the past was inte...

This research analyzes consumers' different purchasing attitudes in traditional and on-line markets. Italy's on-line direct selling process for organic farm products is still in its formative phase, and the prospective developments mark an interesting research area, not least because it may represent a tool to integrate the relationship with custom...

With increasing urbanisation massive daily flows of agricultural products coming from rural areas to cities generate high amounts of heat, CO2, waste water and other waste. The negative balance on sustainability is also caused by the creation of long, winding, and often inefficient supply chains, that negatively impact society economically. In cont...

Starting out from the admonitions of the encyclical letter by pope Francis, this contribution aims to define the value of social agriculture as an instrument of integrated development of the territory able to foster, just for its own peculiarities, the creation of dense systems of relationships among the various stakeholders that operate in synergy...

Up to one third of all food is spoiled or squandered before it is consumed by people. It’s a problem in a period where almost a billion people go hungry, and represents a waste of the labour, water, energy, land and other inputs that went into producing that food. It’s crucial to intervene through clear definitions and appropriate legislative actio...

In order to study new technique for social farm value the case of social farm “Case di Maria” located in the province of Catania (Sicily, IT) was examined. During the project activities "Case di Maria" has established collaborations with: “Rete Fattorie Sociali”, National Health Service, Municipalities, Food Bank, Caritas, Ecclesial World, No-Profi...

The aim of this work is to identify the factors that influence the level of efficiency in horticultural nurseries and to estimate their impact on productivity as well as the direction and intensity with which they act. The investigation was focused on table tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.), a species widely cultivated in horticultural greenhouses...

In the last few years there seems to have been a growth of interest in green spaces with agricultural activities in the urban environment that have become expressions of a urban agriculture that represent a mode of agricultural exploitation of these green spaces by citizens, able to offer a response to renewed social, alimentary, environmental, and...

ABSTRACT In order to study the indirect relationships among consumers that occur around the reasons-based choice of a food product, and in particular, the products of the buffalo industry, a survey was conducted, through questionnaires, on a sample of 2000 consumers in the traditional retail sale points (local markets, specialized shops, farmers' m...

This paper presents the results of a research study carried out into winemaking in Sicily, one of the most important regions nationwide in terms of surface area of planted grapevines, production output, and generated income. In particular, it focuses attention on the impact that adopting methodologies and tools for monitoring the sustainability of...

The advent of technological innovation does not constitute a process confined to a particular territory or to a specific economic system, but represents a shared opportunity, cutting across all regions, sectors, and activities, that is destined to grow to meet the expectations of the modern consumer in terms of food safety, wholesomeness, quality,...

Nursery industry has a considerable importance in thevalue chain’ building of vegetable companies. Its importance increases in acountry like Italy, where vegetable productions in open field and in greenhousecontribute significantly to the creation of income and employment and to thesocio-economic support of entire geographic areas. However, this se...

In accordance with the multifunctional farms model, social farming activities are useful instruments to maintain sustainable competitive advantages in certain areas, as these made-to-order services are able to satisfy the needs declared and/or hidden of local communities. The authors claim that social farming activities can be a model of sustainabl...

This work synthesizes the results of an economic-agricultural research on vegetable agricultural biodiversity, whose species have undergone a deep process of genetic erosion due to anthropic action. Despite the loss of its vegetable genetic patrimony, still today Sicily counts several varieties, populations, ecotypes, clones and cultivars of tradit...

The research aimed at collecting data about specific patterns of cactus pears consumption. The survey was conducted in several large-scale retailers because they have become so important in influencing the structure of consumer preferences to fill even those few remaining gaps in the market. The multivariate analysis of data collected allowed to co...

The Italian cactus pears market has been interested in the past 25 years by intense evolutionary phenomena from both the supply side and the demand side. In the first case, there has been an increase in investment and production offers, in traditional areas and in new areas of production, while on the organizational front, there was enlargement of...

The Italian market of cactus pears has recently undergone deep product innovations, and changes in the production processes and organizational structures. The fresh-cut category of cactus pears seems to bring out the unique characteristics of these fruits, as shown by the continuous growth margins of related market. In this context, we performed an...

Educational farms today are an innovative tool to meet community needs, to create new welfare models and diversification opportunities for farms. Results showed that difficulties still exist and need to be overcome to fully launch this phenomenon, and the route undertaken at national and community level promises for a fair recognition of its import...

Local varieties are an expression of the selection that over time was carried out by different actors within local communities and which still constitute an important source of “economic” and a heritage of “knowledge” in any case to safeguard; they exist and survive on the set of agronomic factors, cultural, sociological typical of a territory and,...

This paper summarizes the results of a recent agro-economic survey of the Italian Cactus pear industry to assess its structure and competitiveness. To this end, a search was conducted to monitoring the production economics and market for Cactus pears (Opuntia ficus indica) for ten years, carried out a rigorous analysis of a sample company local fir...

Social Farming is arising more and more public and private operators' interest for its huge potential to meet today's demand for a more sustainable farming from a social, economic and environmental perspective, in a view of becoming multifunctional. Social Farming is a typical example of inter-sector integration where the centrality of the networks...

Sicilian peri-urban vegetable farms are characterized by a rich biodiversity of vegetable crops and a very important relevance, especially in the inland areas of the Island, assuming different forms and types of vegetable Brassica species, which play a significant role in agronomic, economic and social terms. Our work focuses on the “Cavolfiore Vio...

The upcoming of an agricultural model based on multifunctionality and closer complementary relationships between rural and urban areas is fully represented by the very social agriculture, which uses agricultural resources to carry out social activities, such as work introduction, rehabilitation, etc... This introduces opportunities for a new rural...

The work summarizes the results of a survey on organic farming in Sicily, aimed at increasing the knowledge on some productive chains of reference. Organic agriculture until now is investigated under the profile micro, macro and meso-economic with contributions on the impact produced by policies in support of the supply and of the demand. The origi...

The horticultural sector, that assumes a socio-economic role of great interest for different sicilian areals has, in addition to the international species and variety, also an high number of autochthonous species and varieties, expression of the cultural tradition and local production, which assume considerable importance with respect to the territ...

The high consumption of mineral water is part of that intense evolutionary process which has in the last few years seen increased demand for agri-food products, under the influence of social, demographic and economic phenomena. In particular, these developments are reflected in the user who expresses a need for consumption which is increasingly dif...

Italy is a country with a very rich biodiversity heritage, wonderful synthesis of a territory characterized by a consolidated agro-food tradition. In this context, Sicily plays a leading role with a wide supply of quality agri-food products based on strong relationship with the territory and marked by a high potential for specificity. Despite the s...

The high consumption of mineral water is part of that intense evolutionary process which has in the last few years seen increased demand for agri-food products, under the influence of social, demographic and economic phenomena. In particular, these developments are reflected in the user who expresses a need for consumption which is increasingly dif...

The agrifood sector has started to pay attention to the ISO certification This theme is important for the Sicilian wine market which is experiencing a crucial phase of market requalification and repositioning with the implementation of quality systems.The aim of this paper is to understand if the Sicilian wine industry, which has an ISO certificati...

The implementation of public policies and of rank community both nationally and has been characterized by a territorial approach aimed at experience integrated policies for local socio-economic development of the territory according to a model of territorial cooperation. Negotiated planning is a tool aimed at the promotion and development of the te...

This paper contains the results of a comparative economic analysis between production units in which cactus pear cultivation was carried out by conventional methods and units in which an organic method was used. The survey was divided into two phases during which the main economic-territorial characteristics of conventional and organic cactus pear...

Economic research into intensive cactus pear production in Italy shows the existence of several aspects and problems of considerable interest. Firstly, it emerges that over 90% of Italian cactus pear cultivation, in terms of surface area and production, is concentrated in Sicily. Secondly, the cultivation is characterized by high levels of technica...