Sustainability has become a central objective of agricultural policies and business strategies as resource constraints and societal expectations increasingly affect production systems. The global wine industry is undergoing a structural transformation in which sustainability is no longer voluntary but increasingly required for market access. In this context, upstream strategies adopted by wine farms, such as agri-environmental measures, certification schemes, and labor-related practices, may influence not only environmental and social outcomes but also their productive performance. In Italy, the world’s leading wine producer by volume, these dynamics are particularly evident among Geographical Indication (GI) producers, for whom sustainability is a strategic lever to preserve the terroir underpinning product value. This study investigates whether sustainability-oriented strategies are associated with differences in technical efficiency among Italian GI winegrape producers. The analysis adopts a one-step Stochastic Frontier Analysis framework in which technical inefficiency is modelled as a function of farm characteristics and sustainability-related determinants, using a balanced panel of 2,044 observations from the Italian Farm Accountancy Data Network for the period 2021–2023. The results reveal significant heterogeneity in technical efficiency. Participation in agri-environmental schemes is associated with higher efficiency, while organic certification, diversification, and on-farm processing are linked to higher inefficiency in the short run. Overall, the findings highlight the presence of short-term trade-offs and potential long-term complementarities between sustainability strategies and efficiency, with implications for agricultural policy and the transition of the Italian GI wine value chain.

Integrating economic considerations into spatial decision-making remains a central challenge in Marine Spatial Planning. However, frameworks specifically designed to analyse the economic implications of fisheries management under competing maritime uses remain scarce. This study develops and applies a novel spatially explicit Bayesian network to assess the direct economic effects of alternative management scenarios on fisheries. By modelling conditional dependencies among fishing effort, costs, and revenues, it enables uncertainty propagation and scenario-based inference under data-constrained conditions. The framework is applied to real-world management scenarios from the Italian Marine Spatial Plan for the Adriatic Sea, focusing on the establishment of new Marine Protected Areas and offshore wind farms. Results indicate that planned Marine Protected Areas overlap with valuable areas for small-scale fisheries, highlighting the need for management strategies that balance conservation and socioeconomic objectives. In contrast, large-scale fisheries show greater potential direct economic effects under the planned Natura 2000 areas, indicating the need for proactive stakeholder engagement. Offshore wind farm development is projected to generate no direct economic effects on small-scale fisheries, whereas large-scale fisheries are estimated to experience greater direct economic effects due to the loss of accessible fishing grounds. Overall, the framework advances spatial economic assessment within Marine Spatial Planning by enabling the identification of potential conflicts, supporting stakeholder engagement, and strengthening the evaluation of trade-offs among competing maritime uses.

Marine Protected Areas are central to Marine Spatial Planning strategies aimed at protecting biodiversity and sustaining ecosystem services, but their effectiveness ultimately depends on public support. This study investigates Italian citizens' preferences for Marine Protected Areas expansion through a Discrete Choice Experiment conducted across three coastal zones, the Northern Adriatic Sea, the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, and the Strait of Sicily, selected for their distinct ecological and socio-economic profiles. Data were collected from 1961 valid respondents via an online survey stratified by age, gender, and income. The choice tasks presented respondents with policy alternatives defined by three attributes, Marine Protected Areas coverage, restriction levels, and an annual eco-tax. Responses were analysed using a mixed logit model to capture random preference heterogeneity and derive willingness to pay estimates. Findings provide novel quantitative evidence by linking household preferences to ecosystem service attributes and by examining regional differences. Results show that citizens strongly favour moderate restrictions over minimal or complete bans, with willingness to pay values up to 10.07 per household annually, and express positive but more modest support for expanding protected areas to 5-10 % coverage (willingness to pay up to 7.08). Regional heterogeneity emerged, with stronger support in northern zones compared to the more fisheries-dependent south, and pro-environmental attitudes were positively associated with preferences for stricter and larger Marine Protected Areas. Overall, the results offer quantitative economic evidence to support the design of socially acceptable conservation policies that align biodiversity targets with public priorities within the framework of sustainable Marine Spatial Planning.

Purpose This paper explores biodiversity management within agri-food supply chains, a critical yet underexplored area in supply chain management research. It investigates biodiversity management strategies across different supply chain nodes, analysing its role in the agri-food industry, factors influencing decision-making and barriers and drivers of biodiversity strategies’ adoption. Design/methodology/approach The study employs a qualitative approach, conducting 14 semi-structured interviews with key actors (six farmers, four processors and four retailers) across two Italian agri-food supply chains. It examines how agricultural and managerial practices at each stage contribute to biodiversity management. Findings Results reveal that biodiversity management is shaped by diverse practices and decisions across supply chain nodes, from agricultural production to processing and retail. The findings underscore opportunities to incorporate biodiversity into policies and supply chain strategies to promote a sustainable biodiverse agri-food system. Originality/value Addressing a critical research gap, this study provides new insights into biodiversity management within agri-food supply chains. It offers valuable perspectives for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners seeking to advance sustainability in agri-food systems.

Cooperatives have long been central to the European wine sector, yet comprehensive national‑level analyses of their performance determinants remain scarce. This study investigates the financial and economic drivers of Italian wine cooperative performance using a fixed‑effects panel framework on an unbalanced sample of 452 entities over the 2021-2023 period. The analysis tests the effects of cooperative size (total assets, turnover), internal financing capacity (cash flow), capital structure (financial autonomy, debt‑to-equity ratio), and liquidity ratios (current, quick) on both earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) and return on sales (ROS). The findings indicate that the cooperative size significantly influences performance. Estimates for cash flow and financial autonomy indicate that the internal financing capacity is a key driver of cooperative performance. The results underscore the relevance of governance and managerial structures in optimising resource allocation and liquidity management to harness cooperative principles without compromising competitiveness. Overall, this study provides actionable insights for policymakers and cooperative boards aiming to foster sustainable growth in the evolving wine market.

The effective conservation of soil biodiversity and ecosystem services in the face of global-change threats requires improvements in national monitoring. We outline the Global Soil Biodiversity Observatory, an initiative that aims to develop standardized indicators and enhance national monitoring capacities to support evidence-based policymaking and facilitate global assessments.

With the increasing adoption of the ecosystem approach as integral to sustainable development policies, the economic valuation of marine and coastal ecosystem services (ESs) has become relevant for informing decision-making processes. Through an integrated approach encompassing bibliometric, network, and content analyses, this review is aimed at analyzing the evolution trend, the main research clusters, and the research gaps of the scientific literature in the field of economic valuation of marine and coastal ESs. The bibliometric results showed that the research field is experiencing an evolving positive trend and represents a challenging research topic. From the network and overlay visualization of keyword co-occurrences, it emerged that the research clusters comprehensively address the key policy-relevant issues. In the content analysis, an examination of the estimated ESs and the economic valuation methods used by studies with the highest impact on scientific research was conducted. The findings suggest that while studies provide valuable data and insights, their practical applicability in policymaking is limited, due to contextual relevance and bias issues. Overall, the review underscores the need for a paradigm shift to better inform real-world policy decisions, identifying the Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) process as a key framework for bridging these gaps in future research and policy implementation.

The soil ecosystem services (SES) concept is often used as a synonym for soil functions and soil processes in the perspective of improving environmental decision-making and representing soil’s many benefits to people. In the present paper we conducted a bibliometric analysis on the economic valuation of ecosystem services (ES) provided by soil biodiversity and identified trends in the field worldwide. The baseline data for the analyses were retrieved from queries of an online scientific database, from which articles that contained the term “ecosystem services” and terms related to “economic valuation” and “soil biodiversity” were selected. The use of economic valuation methods as a means to address trade-off scenarios in the maintenance of certain ES has evolved in meaningful ways. A range of studies have estimated the value (individual or combined) of ES related to soil biodiversity provided by agricultural and natural landscapes, although there is a lack of integrative biophysical-social research that characterizes SES changes, coupled with multi-metric qualitative valuation, and context-appropriate decision-making. As soil biodiversity has important potential contributions to ES and human well-being, we hope that this article will contribute to increasing the visibility of soil biodiversity, raise awareness among policymakers, and help promote public policies aimed at biodiversity conservation.

The widespread standardization of agri-food systems through monoculture practices has resulted in biodiversity loss and reduced ecosystem resilience. Incorporating underutilized crops such as buckwheat into crop rotations offers a viable strategy to enhance biodiversity, improve soil health, and foster more sustainable and resilient agricultural systems. This study examines the potential adoption of buckwheat in Italy and analyzes its economic viability across different crop rotations. It evaluates how factors such as financial incentives, peer influence, and farmers’ willingness to adopt affect the diffusion of this underutilized crop. To this end, a spatial agent-based model (ABM) is employed to simulate farmers’ decision-making processes based on profit maximization and peer influence. The model evaluates two diffusion scenarios (traditional and expansion) alongside two levels of willingness to adopt (high and low), comparing the profitability of traditional crop rotations with rotations that include buckwheat across nine Italian regions. The results revealed that while increased contract prices can incentivize buckwheat adoption, financial incentives alone are insufficient to generate widespread adoption, particularly when the willingness to adopt is low. Peer influence and intrinsic motivation emerged as key drivers, highlighting the need for strategies beyond monetary incentives. These findings suggest that policies should combine financial support with initiatives that foster knowledge-sharing, educational outreach, and improved supply chain integration. The study provides a framework for evaluating the adoption of other underutilized crops and emphasizes the need for further research on risk aversion, environmental variability, and broader supply chain interactions to refine adoption strategies.

Purpose - As sustainability concerns become increasingly influential in shaping wineries' strategies at the production and processing stages, this study aims to investigate the anticipated benefits, incentives and constraints associated with a territorial sustainability certification in the wine industry. Design/methodology/approach - Focusing on wine producers from the Romagna Consortium (Italy), the research explores the influence of firm characteristics on sustainability attitudes and explores the Consortium potential role in facilitating the ecological transition. Data are collected through an online survey and analyzed by means of factor and cluster analysis. Findings - Findings reveal the Consortium capacity to expand its scope, incorporating elements of sustainability, resilience and territorial development. In addition, it emerges that the perception of sustainability among local producers extends beyond environmental concerns, encompassing the economic and social domains. Practical implications - Acting as a cluster constituent, the Consortium can stimulate collaborative behavior and promote knowledge dissemination contributing to a mature collaborative environment. A territorial sustainability certification is thus viewed as multifunctional tool, enhancing economic performance and collective reputation, while addressing the numerous environmental challenges faced by the sector. Originality/value - The study's originality lies in its direct engagement with a considerable number of producers in a geographic area boasting a mature wine industry but with limited research focusing on coordinated efforts for improved sustainability performance.

After the Xylella fastidiosa outbreak, the Salento area (Southern Italy) needs a strategic plan aimed at disclosing the potentials of rurality. The study aim is to establish empirical evidence regarding the importance of the cultural, heritage and territorial components in acting as drivers for tourism flows. Using weighted least squares (WLS) regression models, the study analyses the 145 municipalities within the provinces of Taranto, Brindisi and Lecce. The proposed models estimate the relationship between tourist arrivals and numbers and territorial independent variables. Results demonstrate that rurality is a driver of tourist demand and reveal some specific components which allow for an increase in tourism growth, particularly agritourism locations as places where agricultural multifunctionality is realised. Policymakers may benefit from the results, which can be considered foundational for the development of territorial strategies aimed at creating alternative income for the local communities and restoring damages caused by the Xylella fastidiosa outbreak.

The importance of the fishing sector goes beyond food provisioning, by generating both positive and negative externalities. The benefits on tourism and the recreational appeal of coastal areas are often invoked among the positive externalities, even if their measurement may be hampered by the lack of market information. Non-market valuation methods can thus be useful to quantify the societal importance of fisheries. Here we focus on the recreational value of harbors by applying the travel cost method and analyzing whether small-scale vessels represent an attractive amenity for individuals engaging in outdoor recreation. We use an existing dataset with wide EU coverage, and match information on individuals' number of visits to coastal environments with fishing capacity indicators at the chosen recreational destination. The results suggest that the presence of small-scale capacity (e.g. vessels) increases the attractiveness of coastal locations, as we estimate the loss in recreational value due to a reduction in only one artisanal vessel to be 0.05€ per visit. By monetizing the welfare effects of changes in fishing capacity, these findings can justify the allocation of financial support to the small-scale fishery sector.

Important socioeconomic, environmental, and geopolitical variables in the Mediterranean region are causing a steady increase in food requirements. This challenge is embodied in the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, built around 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of the study is to classify countries in the Mediterranean region based on SDG 2 food security indicators, to understand key implementation challenges, define gaps between countries and prioritize actions. In order to classify countries, a cluster analysis based on Euclidean distance is used, followed by ANOVA. The analysis shows that the level of food security is a discriminating factor for the clustering of countries: a clear gap emerges between the countries of Western Europe and those of the MENA area.

The fishing sector in the Adriatic Sea is exposed to stricter regulations due to the negative ecological impact of large-scale fisheries, while increasing socio-economic challenges threaten the profitability of the industry. We apply Stochastic frontier and Price formation analysis to the rapido fishery of Chioggia (Italy) in order to investigate potential strategies to enhance the economic performance of the fishery, considering both effort restrictions and market trends. The use of two different methodological approaches emphasizes the need for a comprehensive and flexible approach to fisheries management, taking into account seasonal fluctuations in efficiency and average prices. The results reveal that efficiency variations are significantly influenced by seasonal factors and stock availability, thus indicating a limited capacity of fishers to adapt to changing market conditions. We emphasize the importance of flexible scheduling of fishing days and discuss the opportunity for implementing mixed management systems incorporating a Total Allowable Catch or quotas.

As the development of modern food systems continues to reshape dietary habits, the need for effective food policies to counter the rise of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) becomes increasingly urgent. UPFs are industrial formulations of several highly refined ingredients and additives with little or no nutritional value but potentially harmful health effects. In this paper, we develop a simple model of duopolistic competition in which food manufacturers compete by choosing the degree of food sophistication of their products (i.e., the degree of food formulation and processing). We show that when firms compete for market shares, an unhealthy degree of food sophistication is a strategically stable Nash–Bertrand equilibrium outcome. Furthermore, we compare the effectiveness of alternative health-related food policies. Our model highlights the shortcomings of nutrient-to-limit regulations and suggests that policy interventions should prioritize whole-food reformulation-based approaches within an 'ecological' regulatory framework.

Enhancing biodiversity is crucial for ensuring food security and fostering sustainable agricultural practices. To this end, agri-environmental and climate schemes (AECS) and innovative contracts are implemented to promote biodiversity conservation and Ecosystem Services. Studying the implemented contracts and their characteristics can lead to improving their performance and efficiency. This paper examines the value chain contracts covered in three European projects and classifies them based on their contractual, financial, environmental and biodiversity characteristics. The design of the contracts was analyzed and seven categories were identified regarding the structure of the value chains and the interplay among stakeholders within these contracts. Our findings underscore the significant role of the private sector in preserving biodiversity and financing environmental practices, complemented by the public sector's contribution in motivating farmers and raising consumer awareness.

This study addresses the critical issue of declining agricultural biodiversity in agri-food systems. This decline is not solely the responsibility of farmers but extends to processors, and retailers, reinforcing the dominance of existing agri-food systems. Shifting from industrialized cropping to biodiversity-based agriculture is viewed as a crucial strategy for balancing production and environmental sustainability. Despite the urgency of the problem, there is a lack of comprehensive documentation regarding trends in crop diversity within the agri-food value chain. To address this, the study employs Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) as a methodology to simulate the decision-making processes of various entities across the supply chain. The research aims to design a comprehensive multi-actor approach applied to the lentils value chain in Italy with the aim of embedding and fostering crop diversity in terms of minor underutilized varieties. Key questions raised include how economic incentives can drive greater crop diversity and how interactions among different actors contribute to this diversity.

Estimation of technical efficiency in fisheries is most commonly finalized at comparing the conversion from inputs (e.g. time at sea, fuel consumption) to production (i.e. landed fish) among vessels or gears. In this paper we adopt a novel approach focusing on the efficiency of fishing trips characterized by different catch composition within the same fleet. In particular, the case study under analysis is represented by the beam trawl (“rapido”) fishery of Chioggia (Adriatic Sea, GSA 17), which has been subject to increasing technical and effort limitations in recent years due to its severe impacts on the marine ecosystem. The methodological strategy first involves a cluster analysis of catch profiles to identify homogeneous groups of fishing trips, which are subsequently compared in terms of economic performance based on the efficiency scores from stochastic frontier analysis. By including also an estimation of Greenhouse Gas emissions per trip, the results from our study can be used to inform future management interventions that aim at improving the overall efficiency of the fishery while reducing its carbon footprint and the pressure on the most relevant target species.

Assessing the ecosystem services (ESs) provided by marine aquaculture is a promising approach to support policymakers in planning and management processes. Among the different types of marine aquaculture, mussel farming holds the potential to address the dual challenges of delivering food security and providing multiple ESs, emerging as a sustainable human activity and animal protein production. This paper employed a Total Economic Value (TEV) approach to quantify four ESs that were expected to be influenced by Mediterranean mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, aquaculture in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian Sea), including (i) food provision, (ii) carbon sequestration, (iii) nutrient removal, and (iv) local identity. The findings provided valuable data regarding the multifunctionality of mussel aquaculture in providing non-commodity outputs, supporting policy recommendations. Specifically, the results revealed that mussel aquaculture enhances the flow of regulating services, thus demonstrating the overall sustainability of the practices. Local identity emerged as the greatest contributor to the TEV, due to the activity's longstanding tradition in the study area. Economic values per unit of the assessed ESs were provided for implementation in real-world scenarios at the policy level, enabling the transferability of the study's results in a broader international context. The study advocated for integrating the estimated ESs values into decision-making tools and during marine spatial planning processes to operationalize economic valuations. Overall, the findings can be framed within ongoing research efforts aimed at developing innovative methodologies to support the implementation of the Ecosystem Approach to Aquaculture (EAA) and to inform decisionmaking in the context of marine spatial planning.