RISULTATI RICERCA

The paper investigates the determinants of consumers’ willingness to pay a price premium for extra virgin olive oil with health claims on its label. Drawing on a multidimensional framework, the research explores the role of subjective and objective knowledge of the product, the importance attributed to the sensory attributes, the attention given to the health information, and the impact of socio-demographic variables on consumers’ willingness to pay. Data were collected via an online questionnaire administered to 405 consumers in Sicily (Italy), a region with a strong olive oil tradition. Using a logistic regression model, the results show that subjective knowledge, the value assigned to health information, average expenditure for extra virgin olive oil, and household size significantly affect the willingness to pay. Conversely, flavour profile and objective knowledge do not have a statistically significant impact. These findings offer practical implications for extra virgin olive oil producers and marketers, highlighting the need for clear health-related labelling and targeted educational strategies to enhance consumer engagement and perceived value of the product with health claims on the label.

In this study, we examined the roles of foreign direct investment (FDI), skilled labour, and technical efficiency in determining the exports of the food and beverage industries in Indonesia. To address this issue, we utilised data from industry micro firms for the period 2010-2015. We applied the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) technique to the logistic model and the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). Findings revealed that the food and beverage industries are operating below the possible technical efficiency (TE). However, foreign direct investment, skilled labour, technical efficiency, and industrial concentration assert a significant positive effect on the probability of firms’ exports. In the food and beverages sector and the beverages industry, firm size promotes exports; however, in the food industry, firm size has the opposite effect, reducing exports. The imported raw materials have an insignificant effect on the firms’ probability of exporting. Interestingly, findings on the mediating roles of technical efficiency and industrial concentration, as well as technical efficiency and firm size, revealed an increasing influence on the probability of exporting. Skilled labour and firm size only positively promote exports in the foods and beverages sector and the food industry, but not in the beverages industry. These findings are novel and present an important pathway for policy-making related to the food and beverage industry, potentially shaping future strategies and initiatives in the Indonesian food and beverage sector.

This study explores the factors that influence Vietnamese university students’ food choices when it comes to products containing non-nutritive sweeteners (NNSs). Drawing on consumer behavior theory and insights from focus group discussions, a conceptual model was developed with five independent variables – Health Perception, Acceptance, Product Properties, Beliefs, and Availability – and one dependent variable – Food Choice. A survey was then conducted both online and offline with 1,849 responses and further reduced to 936 valid responses after two rounds of data cleaning. Data from the survey were analyzed for reliability, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results confirmed a good model fit with strong convergent and discriminant validity. Three factors significantly influenced food choices were: Acceptance (ß = 0.463), Health Perception (ß = 0.235), and Availability (ß = 0.141), with Acceptance being the most influential. These findings offer valuable insights for businesses and organizations aiming to promote NNS-containing products more effectively. Understanding the key drivers behind students’ food choices can help stakeholders tailor their products and communication strategies to better meet consumer needs and encourage healthier dietary habits.

The integration of economic development with environmental protection forms a crucial foundation for the sustainable development of society. In this context, Green Human Resource Management Practices (GHRM practices) activities play a bridging role in helping organizations improve sustainable performance while meeting the demands of customers, society, and environmental protection. This not only brings practical benefits to businesses in the agricultural sector but also significantly contributes to global sustainable development. Through a survey of 400 employees in the agricultural sector and utilizing Smart PLS software for data analysis, the study demonstrates that Green Human Resource Management Practices positively impacts sustainable performance through two mediating factors: Green Innovation and Green Culture. These results provide an important practical basis to support managers and policymakers in the agricultural sector in building competitive advantages while creating long-term value for organizations and society. The findings offer actionable insights for implementing specific GHRM practices such as green recruitment, training, and performance assessment to enhance sustainable performance in Vietnam's agricultural context.

This study provides a comprehensive examination of the environmental consequences of foreign direct investment (FDI) within Vietnam’s agri-food sector, focusing on the tension between agricultural expansion and carbon emission control. In the context of rising global climate concerns, the analysis examines how FDI inflows affect CO2 emissions, while considering agricultural structural transformation, economic development, and trade openness. The results indicate that FDI significantly increases CO2 emissions, primarily through scale expansion and structural shifts toward emission-intensive agricultural activities. The findings underscore agricultural industrial restructuring as a crucial transmission channel. The study contributes both theoretically and practically by offering policy recommendations aimed at steering FDI toward cleaner agricultural development pathways and supporting Vietnam’s transition toward a low-carbon and climate-resilient agri-food system.

The sustainability of the agricultural sector is closely linked to the ability of territorial system to effectively address the challenges of water resource management in the context of climate change. The reuse of treated wastewater is increasingly recognized as a key strategy for ensuring a sustainable water supply in agriculture. This study proposes an innovative methodological approach aimed at identifying the Utilised Agricultural Area (UAA) potentially irrigable with treated wastewater, with particular attention to high value crops certified as PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) in the Campania region. The methodology is based on the integration of data from three main sources: SIGRIAN, for mapping irrigated areas; EEA/SINTAI, for classifying wastewater treatment plants; and AGEA, for identifying land use in irrigated areas. This approach enables the association, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2020/741, of the water quality class required for each crop with that one potentially available from wastewater treatment plants, also taking into account the existence of suitable distribution infrastructures. The results of the analysis highlight that the proposed methodology, applied to agricultural sector in Campania, with a focus on high-quality production, can effectively guide public policies in promoting targeted infrastructure investments. These investments aim to protect areas most vulnerable to drought and support high value crops, particularly certified ones, through the adoption of advanced technological solutions and integrated water resource planning, which are key to ensuring the resilience and long-term prosperity of the regional agricultural sector.

Climate change is forcing a fundamental revision of water management in agriculture, particularly in Mediterranean viticulture. In Italy, rising average temperatures, irregular rainfall patterns, and the frequent occurrence of extreme events are reducing water availability and quality, compromising both yields and the quality of grape and wine production. This study presents a technical and scientific analysis of the current state of irrigation in Italian vineyards, integrating data from the 7th General Agricultural Census by ISTAT (2020) with information from the SIGRIAN system, and adopting a geospatial approach to estimate the actual water requirements of grapevines. Furthermore, the benefits of Regulated Deficit Irrigation (RDI) are explored as a means to increase water use efficiency without compromising enological parameters. The results highlight significant territorial differences in water needs and irrigation management, underscoring the necessity for adaptive policies and site-specific technologies.

This review examines the role of pasture-based livestock systems in promoting agri-environmental sustainability across four key dimensions: biodiversity, water-use efficiency, carbon cycle, and animal welfare. Despite growing political and scientific interest in extensive grazing, the existing literature remains fragmented and limits a comprehensive understanding of grazing’s multidimensional impacts. To address this gap, we conducted a review of studies published between 2010 and 2025, following the Cochrane Handbook and applying the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) framework.
The analysis focused exclusively on studies conducted in Europe to explore the state of the art on the topic and analyze future policy implications. The results indicate that moderate and well-managed grazing improves biodiversity, increases water-use efficiency, and promotes soil carbon sequestration, especially through rotation practices and tree integration.
Access to pasture improves animal welfare, although outcomes vary depending on infrastructure and environmental conditions.
The review emphasizes the need for integrated approaches that combine traditional knowledge, environmental design, and precision tools to maximize the sustainability of grazing systems.

Safeguarding water resources has become a strategic need to maintain the viability of agricultural operations, which are significantly reliant on water accessibility. The urgency of this requirement is amplified by the manifest effects of climate change, necessitating the implementation of specific solutions to improve irrigation system efficiency and foster sustainable use of water resources.
This research seeks to conduct an ex-post analysis of irrigation investments in the Po River Basin District, Italy’s most important agricultural area and one of the most irrigated in Europe, examining their sustainability by developing indicators that include technical, environmental, and social dimensions. The analysis examines interventions devised and executed by land reclamation and irrigation consortia, primarily targeting irrigation – including multipurpose reservoirs – as well as those directed towards environmental protection and the preservation of land and agricultural productivity amid instability.
Preliminary findings underscore the role of both current and prospective investments in enhancing the overall efficiency of the region. The research offers valuable insights for policymakers, affirming the critical importance of investments in irrigation infrastructure for enhancing the resilience and longterm sustainability of agriculture and the national water system.

Volunteering represents a crucial form of social participation. In addition to traditional modalities, more flexible forms - such as episodic and digital volunteering - are increasingly emerging, expanding opportunities for engagement and reshaping both the perceived meaning and social impact of volunteer activities. This qualitative research, grounded in nine focus groups comprising a total of 67 volunteers, undertakes an analysis of the experiences of individuals engaged in the three forms of volunteering. While common elements emerge, significant differences are also apparent. Traditional volunteers tend to perceive themselves as akin to activists, yet they often experience dissatisfaction with institutional structures. Episodic volunteers are primarily motivated by the variety of tasks and the flexibility with which they can manage their engagement, valuing a sense of autonomy. Digital volunteers, who are also self-managed, express a strong awareness of their global impact, yet frequently report a lack of recognition. The landscape of volunteering is undergoing a period of transformation, and while there remains a degree of commonality among the various forms of volunteering, it is imperative for volunteer services to also reflect on these distinctions. This reflection is necessary to establish suitable recruitment and retention strategies for the domain of social participation.

The research aims to investigate the co-constructed social representations of political participation that circulate among different groups of young Italian and Colombian university students and to verify whether there are correlations between social representations, political participatory behaviour, perceived anomie and self-efficacy. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, it was possible to reach a total sample of 327 students from Naples and 370 students from Bogotá, divided into three subgroups based on “political orientation”: young people on the right, young people on the left, and young people who are not affiliated with any political party. The internal structure of social representations was reconstructed using the hierarchical evocation technique. The content of the representations studied was operationalised using specific psychometric scales. Right-wing young people exhibit a very traditional view of political participation. Italian young people tend to emphasise the positive aspects of participation, whereas Colombian young people associate it with a negative connotation. Left-wing young people, both Neapolitan and Bogotano, are very active in demonstrations and actions aimed at change: the latter also emphasise their ability to influence the socio-political fabric. Young people who claim not to identify with any political party or faction have a strong distrust of their respective state institutions, as well as traditional representative bodies. The students involved in the study, regardless of their nationality and political orientation, showed great interest in participating. The results obtained so far provide important insights into how young people participate in politics and the meanings they attribute to it.

Starting from a project aimed at developing a network among various social actors in order to build an “Educating Community”, this paper focuses on the evaluation process, with particular attention to one of the many target groups involved: adolescents. Participants completed a questionnaire at the beginning and at the end of the project, aimed to assess residential attachment, sense of community, and psychosocial and emotional well-being (n = 326, 50.6% of whom belonged to the experimental group). The data collected at the end of the project did not show any increase in the dimensions investigated. Based on this unexpected result, the paper offers a reflection on the methodological and psychosocial factors that may explain this outcome.

Contemporary digital feminist activism is often embodied and represented through individual influencer accounts, which enable a form of parasocial feminism, likely being effective due to parasocial mechanisms and their significance for the social self. This study explores the influence and meaning of parasocial feminism for followers. To this end, 46 narratives by social media followers of an influencer who is a German artist and practices a distinct form of parasocial feminism known as #volanismus (“#volanism”), addressing misogyny, inequality and suppression through drawings and performance art in the form of online responses to hateful social media comments. Applying a psychoanalytic paradigm, we investigate how content and parasocial community dynamics are subjectively experienced through explicit and latent layers of meaning. The findings reveal how parasocial feminism bears significant meaning on the subjective level for the self, but also in the form of practical relevance, shaping everyday life and social and relational dynamics (e.g., divorce, having another child, transforming sexual scripts). We discuss these findings in terms of resistance and group dynamics, with a particular focus on how social mechanisms are transformed under spreading parasociality, with social media communities becoming a key part of the social self and contemporary social organizing. We also highlight limitations, noting that online activism perpetuates an individualizing logic within contemporary liberal feminism and platform capitalism.

Modern volunteerism has undergone a broad transformation, which has made episodic and online forms stem. This study investigates (a) how traditional, episodic, and online volunteering affect volunteers’ local community experiences – meant as Sense of Community (SoC), Sense of Re-sponsible Togetherness (SoRT), and social generativity – and (b) the moderating role of volunteering-related ambivalence in this. The results show that only traditional volunteering has a positive impact on SoC, while online volunteering harms social generativity. Ambivalence plays a complex role: it weakens the positive impact of traditional volunteerism on SoC, yet it reverses and strengthens the effect on social generativity when it comes to online one-making it positive. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

In questo articolo gli autori si propongono di condividere l'esperienza che hanno vissuto con Adriana (“Nana”) Schnake, una persona che ha segnato e continua a influenzare le loro vite, sia come terapeuta che come formatrice, generando in loro l'atteggiamento fenomenologico, considerato il cuore di questa tradizione terapeutica. È proprio basandosi su questa esperienza che gli autori articolano una narrazione su questa donna straordinaria, che dal sud del mondo ha saputo agire raggiungendo la profondità dell'esperienza umana. Si propone uno sguardo partendo dal suo essere-nel-mondo, la sua radicalità come terapeuta, la fiducia nel campo e lo sviluppo del suo approccio gestaltico-esistenziale. Infine, si mette in evidenza il suo particolare approccio olistico alla salute e alla malattia. Gli autori non hanno la pretesa di offrire uno sguardo obiettivo sulla sua eredità, né di coprire tutte le sue sfaccettature e l'ampiezza dei suoi contributi; il tentativo è piuttosto quello di condividere un racconto che contribuisca e possa essere di stimolo affinché si continui ad esplorare l’originalità di questa psicoterapia della Gestalt situata al sud del mondo. L'articolo è stato scritto a pochi chilometri da dove Nana ha vissuto e fondato il suo centro Anchimalén, sull'Isola di Chiloé.