GIS Technique for Territorial Analysis

Territorial analysis is related to the complexity of an area where human activities and environmental characteristics are the main development factors. Human activities have a direct (e.g. farm activities) and indirect (e.g. urban development/sprawl) influence on a territory and its environment, which gives an important function to such activities when strategies for territorial planning have to be defined. Several actors are involved in the assessment of a territory, which is a complicated feature of decision making to be achieved with the use of complex data-analysis process. The evolution of personal computer and specific software for the analysis of spatial data is giving important contribution to “Territorial Planning Strategies.” Spatial Decision Support System is an example of how problems occurred during a decision making process can be solved using methodologies that combine “Multicriteria Approach” and “Geographic Information System.” One of these methodologies is represented by “Spatial Multicriteria Decision Analysis.”

The Improvement of Environmental Performance in the Nonprofit Sector Through Informatics

The purpose of the present chapter is to demonstrate how an econometric application supported by the use of simple software can augment an environmental nonprofit organization’s (ENPO) environmental performance. An ENPO, whose scope of operation is the protection of natural resources, usually deals with the problem of how to reduce its negative environmental impact without sacrificing the positive one resulting from its work. This chapter argues that the application of cointegration analysis on available time series environmental data can offer an indication for the policy decision-making in terms of such a contrast in impacts. If the time series are not cointegrated, then the ENPO can reduce its negative environmental impact without affecting the positive one. If they are cointegrated, then alternative policies have to be designated for dealing with the negative impact.

Sustainable Management of Agricultural Resources and the Need for Stakeholder Participation for the Developing of Appropriate Sustainability Indicators

The past 20 years have seen the rapid expansion of one development theory, that of sustainable development. This theory provided the opportunity for all stakeholders to be able to be involved in development projects. However, regarding issues of sustainable development, there is a historical tendency for these issues to be driven by top-down and technocratic agendas. Nevertheless, it is argued that the various stakeholders should be brought together and allowed to express their perspectives and perceptions, and that they should actively be involved in any developmental process. Within this context, this chapter argues that the adoption of a participatory, inter-disciplinary approach by the scientists/researchers in the development of sustainability indicators (with a focus on soil quality sustainability indicators) for use in agricultural ecosystems, can lead to the development of appropriate assessment tools that are meaningful to farmers and related to their understandings.

Governance Structures in the EU Milk Supply Chain

Governance of the EU’s dairy sector changes will change as a result of the 2008 CAP reform. This chapter focuses on governance structures between dairy farms and milk processors and the role of the exchange of information. Information costs are an important category of transaction costs. To get insight in regional differences within the EU, literature research and interviews are conducted in three case study areas, namely: the Netherlands, Bulgaria, and France. Results show that in these countries both farmers and processors have incentives to form hybrid governance structures with a higher level of control compared to the current structures. Asymmetric information and the exchange of information play an important role in this contractual relation. Most dairy cooperatives have no additional advantage in managing milk quality and milk supply compared to investor owned firms. Chain integration could go a step further in Bulgaria compared to the Netherlands and France given the institutional environment that is not expected to guarantee milk quality and the focus on the export of milk.

ICT Adoption in Farm Management, as a Mean of Implementing Agricultural Governance

The rapid development and global spread of modern information and communication technology (ICT) led to the implementation of its applications to agriculture. Information management is becoming an increasingly challenging task for farmers, but also for public bodies since for some years now, governments have entered an era of cogitation regarding the future of public service provision. Provision in agricultural governance can be implemented through ICT focusing on informing, directing, managing, and monitoring agricultural activities toward the achievement of sustainable agriculture. Dissemination of knowledge to extension agencies and then on to farmers via appropriate information models can be fed back to the international agricultural community on research or policy making level.

The Metapontum Agro-Food District of Quality

The aim of this work is to illustrate an innovative pattern of local governance based on the approach of the District at the Rural Development. The territorial context of this model is the Metapontum Agro-Food District of Quality. In line with the needs expressed by area businesses, through the establishment of a Service Centre, able to being as ATM Development and Training Workshop, DID’s project start (Desk for Innovation in the district) in order to transform the district into an innovative tool of governance that can guide the agricultural system and horizontally integrated production food chains. This will mean encouraging, in line with the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2007 - 2013 of the Basilicata Region financed by the European Agricultural Rural Development Fund (EAFRD), sector development through the integration of relations between firms, investment in infrastructure, training, research, food safety promotion, and enhancement of agricultural production in the framework of internationalization of markets and innovation of quality-oriented process and products.

Agriculture and Conservation in the Natura 2000 Network

The Natura 2000 network represents a new approach in the sustainable spatial planning promoted at the European Union level. Agricultural landscapes comprise 28.6% of the surface area of the Natura 2000 sites, many of which have significant conservation values. Plant and animal species, and approximately 30% of the natural habitats of community interest are directly influenced by the presence of certain agricultural activities. This chapter presents a GIS analysis of the European Union Natura 2000 ecological network: spatial distribution of Natura 2000 sites in EU-27, dynamic agricultural surfaces in Natura 2000 sites, and GIS tools in managing process. GIS techniques must represent the tool by which the efficiency of this ecological network is monitored, as it must be permanently nourished with important financial resources.

Institutional Framework for Analyzing Sustainability in European Agriculture and Rural Areas

The aim of this chapter is to develop an institutional framework for analyzing and improving sustainability. More specifically we discuss (i) developing a framework that consists of different institutional levels and a set of indicators for measuring the relevant features of each institutional level; (ii) investigating what are the dimensions of sustainable agriculture and rural development and related suitable indicators; (iii) the relationship between the institutional framework and sustainability; finally (iv) we tried to design better institutions for improving the sustainability in agriculture and rural areas. The chapter also underlines the relevance of looking at sustainability in a more empirical way. It strongly emphasises the necessity to support the theoretical approach with the use of indicators and reference levels. More specifically, the chapter indicates general and more comprehensive typologies of indicators that are commonly used to evaluate sustainability and sustainable development in agriculture and rural areas.

Development of an Integrated Methodology for the Management and Assessment of the Impact of Agricultural Policies at a Territorial Level

As a case study, the methodology analyses the impact of the CAP, together with water and nitrogen policies, on the agricultural system of the Lombardy irrigated lowland (Northern Italy). Results show that the introduction of the single payment makes farmers’ more influenced by market trends. Environmental constraints seem to have a larger impact than changes in prices: irrigation constraints stimulate the land allocation to extensive crops, while nitrogen constraints are very sensitive to the number of livestock. The case study illustrates that the methodology proposed can provide a set of scenarios that closely account for the peculiarities of local agricultural systems within a target area. The resulting construction of a geo-referred database is also a useful tool to gather in-depth knowledge of the area.

Marine Living Resource Management and Fishing Effort Control in View of Socioeconomic Reality

For proper fisheries management, it is important to know fishing effort. One of the main problems in the Black Sea region is the lack of comprehensive information concerning the fishing activity, catch quantities, and composition and how it affects the current state of fish stocks. In the present research, different alternatives concerning measures to decrease the fishing effort on some over exploited fish stocks using REPOMP method are reviewed and evaluated. In task formulation, some socioeconomic impacts on the people engaged in the sector are taken into account as well as possibilities for control of the execution of some concrete restrictions. Preliminary assumption is the possibility for applying the combination of methods for fishing effort restrictions; as such an alternative or set of the methods were searched. The main goal using corresponding methodology is to achieve the most positive result regarding marine living resource stocks conservation, economic dimensions of métier and the weakest influence on the socioeconomic status of all participants engaged in the process.