Exporting, Technical Efficiency and Product Quality: An Empirical Analysis of the Agricultural Sector in the Mediterranean Countries

The Mediterranean agro-food systems need to be properly managed. A promising pathway is the transition towards more sustainable food systems through agroecology, which represents the ecology of food systems. In this paper, the state-of-the-art of agroecology is described for three representative euro-Mediterranean countries: Italy, Greece, and Spain. The analysis has been partly based on results of a dedicated literature search and partly on grey literature and expert knowledge. After an overview of the history of agroecology, targeted research and education, collective action (political and social), and some agroecological practices in the three countries are presented. These countries share a rather similar use of the term “agroecology”, but they differ regarding (i) the existence/extent of strong civil and social movements; (ii) the type of study/educational programmes, and the relative importance of different scientific disciplines and their evolution; (iii) the development of political support and legal frameworks; and (iv) the elaboration of concepts to rediscover traditional practices and apply new ones, often taken from the organic agriculture sector. Agroecology is an emerging concept for the Mediterranean agricultural sector, with huge potential due to the peculiar socio-cultural, bio-physical, and political-economic features of the region. To boost agroecology in Mediterranean Europe, better networking and engagement of different actors within a coherent institutional framework supporting the transition is strongly needed.

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The Effects of Environmental Risk on Consumption: An Empirical Analysis on the Mediterranean Countries

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.2441137 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Donatella Baiardi ◽

Matteo Manera ◽

Mario Menegatti

Keyword(s):

Empirical Analysis ◽

Environmental Risk ◽

Mediterranean Countries ◽

The Mediterranean

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Association between the Mediterranean lifestyle, metabolic syndrome and mortality: a whole-country cohort in Spain

Cardiovascular Diabetology ◽

10.1186/s12933-020-01195-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mercedes Sotos-Prieto ◽

Rosario Ortolá ◽

Miguel Ruiz-Canela ◽

Esther Garcia-Esquinas ◽

David Martínez-Gómez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Cardiovascular Mortality ◽

Cardiovascular Health ◽

Total Mortality ◽

Hdl Cholesterol ◽

Cardiometabolic Health ◽

The Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Mediterranean Countries ◽

Low Hdl ◽

The Mediterranean

Abstract Background Evidence is limited about the joint health effects of the Mediterranean lifestyle on cardiometabolic health and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the Mediterranean lifestyle with the frequency of the metabolic syndrome (MS) and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in Spain. Methods Data were taken from ENRICA study, a prospective cohort of 11,090 individuals aged 18+ years, representative of the population of Spain, who were free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes at 2008–2010 and were followed-up to 2017. The Mediterranean lifestyle was assessed at baseline with the 27-item MEDLIFE index (with higher score representing better adherence). Results Compared to participants in the lowest quartile of MEDLIFE, those in the highest quartile had a multivariable-adjusted odds ratio 0.73 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.5, 0.93) for MS, 0.63. (0.51, 0.80) for abdominal obesity, and 0.76 (0.63, 0.90) for low HDL-cholesterol. Similarly, a higher MELDIFE score was associated with lower HOMA-IR and highly-sensitivity C-reactive protein (P-trend < 0.001). During a mean follow-up of 8.7 years, 330 total deaths (74 CVD deaths) were ascertained. When comparing those in highest vs. lowest quartile of MEDLIFE, the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI) was 0.58 (0.37, 0.90) for total mortality and 0.33 (0.11, 1.02) for cardiovascular mortality. Conclusions The Mediterranean lifestyle was associated with lower frequency of MS and reduced all-cause mortality in Spain. Future studies should determine if this also applies to other Mediterranean countries, and also improve cardiovascular health outside the Mediterranean basin.

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Family Meals, Conviviality and the Mediterranean Diet among Families with Adolescents

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18052499 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 2499

Author(s):

Andrea de la Torre-Moral ◽

Sergi Fàbregues ◽

Anna Bach-Faig ◽

Albert Fornieles-Deu ◽

F. Xavier Medina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Diet ◽

Eating Habits ◽

Family Meals ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Family Meal ◽

Food Pattern ◽

Mediterranean Countries ◽

The Family ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Meal Composition

Two aspects that characterize the Mediterranean diet (MD) are “what” and “how” we eat. Conviviality relates to “how” we eat and to the pleasure of sharing meals with significant people. The most studied concept is “family meals”, which includes conviviality, which involves “enjoying” family meals. Given the lack of research on convivial family meals in Mediterranean countries, the purpose of this qualitative study was to analyze the family meal representations and practices of families with 12- to 16-year-old adolescents to assess whether they responded to a pattern of conviviality, and to examine their association with MD adherence. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted and food frequency and family meal questionnaires were administered. A food pattern analysis was carried out and digital photos of meals were analyzed to examine eating habits and meal composition, respectively. The findings showed that parents believed family meals are a space for socialization and communication. Items relating to the conviviality of family meals identified in the study were meal frequency, meals at the table, lack of digital distractions, pleasant conversations, and time spent on family meals. Attention should be paid to conviviality in Mediterranean families when designing multi-approach strategies to promote healthy eating among adolescents.

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Future water-related risks and management options in the Mediterranean basin

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-10570 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Marianela Fader ◽

Carlo Giupponi ◽

Selmin Burak ◽

Hamouda Dakhlaoui ◽

Aristeidis Koutroulis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Change ◽

Water Use ◽

Mediterranean Basin ◽

Demand Management ◽

Climate And Environmental Change ◽

Mediterranean Countries ◽

The Future ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

The Mediterranean Basin

The presentation will summarize the main findings of the chapter &#8220;Water&#8221;[1] of the report &#8220;Climate and Environmental Change in the Mediterranean Basin &#8211; Current Situation and Risks for the Future&#8221;. This report was published in November 2020 and prepared by 190 scientists from 25 countries, who belong to the scientific network &#8220;Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change&#8221;.Water resources in the Mediterranean are scarce, unevenly distributed and often mismatching human and environmental needs. Approx. 180 million people in the southern and eastern Mediterranean countries suffer from water scarcity (<1000 m3 capita-1 yr-1). The main water use is for agriculture, and more specifically on the southern and eastern rim. Water demand for both tourism and agriculture peak in summer, potentially enhancing conflicts in the future. Municipal water use is particularly constrained in the south and will likely be exacerbated in the future by demographic and migration phenomena. Northern countries face additional risks in flood prone areas where urban settlements are rapidly increasing.Climate change, in combination with demographic and socio-economic developments, has mainly negative consequences for the water cycle in the Mediterranean Basin, including reduced runoff and groundwater recharge, increased crop water requirements, increased conflicts among users, and increased risk of overexploitation and degradation. These impacts will be particularly severe for global warming higher than 2&#176;C.Adequate water supply and demand management offers some options to cope with risks. Technical solutions are available for improving water use efficiency and productivity, and increasing reuse. Seawater desalination is increasingly used as adaptation measure to reduce (potable) water scarcity in dry Mediterranean countries, despite known drawbacks in terms of environmental impacts and energy requirements. Promising solar technologies are under development, potentially reducing emissions and costs. Reuse of wastewater is a solution for agriculture and industrial activities but also recharge of aquifers. Inter-basin transfers may lead to controversies and conflicts. Construction of dams contributes to the reduction of water and energy scarcities, but with trade-offs in terms of social and environmental impacts.Overall, water demand management, which increases water use efficiency and reduces water losses, is crucial for water governance for a sustainable development. Maintaining Mediterranean diet or coming back to it on the basis of locally produced foods and reducing food wastes may save water but also carbon emissions while having nutritional and health benefits.<div> <div> [1] Fader M., Giupponi C., Burak S., Dakhlaoui H., Koutroulis A., Lange M.A., Llasat M.C., Pulido-Velazquez D., Sanz-Cobe&#241;a A. (2020): Water. In: Climate and Environmental Change in the Mediterranean Basin &#8211; Current Situation and Risks for the Future. First Mediterranean Assessment Report [Cramer W, Guiot J, Marini K (eds.)] Union for the Mediterranean, Plan Bleu, UNEP/MAP, Marseille, France, 57pp, in press. Download </div> </div>

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Abstract TP423: A Fast Assessment of Diet in Stroke (FADS)

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.47.suppl_1.tp423 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 47 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Jennifer L Dearborn ◽

Haleigh Roach ◽

Pooja Narwal ◽

Meghan Peterson ◽

Sameera Talegawkar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dietary Quality ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Roc Curve Analysis ◽

Dietary Counseling ◽

Men 2 ◽

Mediterranean Countries ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Unhealthy Diet ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Low Sensitivity

Objectives: To design and validate a questionnaire to identify stroke patients with an unhealthy diet. Hypothesis: A simple questionnaire can accurately identify patients with dietary patterns associated with increased risk for vascular disease. Methods: An expert panel identified the components of a healthy diet thought to be important for secondary stroke prevention and drafted ten candidate survey questions. A focus group of four stroke patients (2 men, 2 women) from Yale New Haven Hospital reviewed the questions to refine the wording. From this group, the investigator chose five questions to create the Fast Assessment of Diet in Stroke (FADS) score. To validate the score, among 20 patients with acute ischemic stroke, we compared FADS score to the score on an established “gold standard” measure of adherence to the Mediterranean-type diet, the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS). The MDS has a range of 0 (lowest adherence to the diet) to 9 (highest adherence). We used ROC curve analysis to identify the FADS score with optimal performance. Based on population means in non-Mediterranean countries, we defined an unhealthy diet as an MDS score <4. Results and Conclusions: The mean MDS score in the population was 3.2 (range 2 to 5). 74% of participants were defined as having an unhealthy diet (MDS <4). The aROC was 0.77. A FADS score ≤3 had had the highest sum for sensitivity and specificity (sensitivity = 79%, specificity = 50%). However, for clinical purposes, a FADS score of <3 may be most effective in selecting patients who need dietary counseling (sensitivity = 46%, specificity = 100%). The FADS score takes less than 2 minutes to administer and accurately identifies stroke patients who need dietary counseling. The low sensitivity, however, indicates that further development is required and that testing against other established gold standards of dietary quality should be completed. This work is under way.

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Competition Policy in the Southern Mediterranean Countries

Review of Network Economics ◽

10.2202/1446-9022.1043 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Damien Geradin ◽

Nicolas Petit

Keyword(s):

Competition Policy ◽

The State ◽

Mediterranean Countries ◽

Adoption And Implementation ◽

Southern Mediterranean ◽

Competition Rules ◽

The Mediterranean

The main objective of this paper is to examine the state of adoption and implementation of competition rules in the 12 Southern Mediterranean countries (the "Mediterranean Partners") engaged in association agreements with the EC in the framework of the Barcelona Declaration of November 1995.

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