During the last years ongoing research has moved towards the valorisation of organic waste by the identification of possible products with a good market perspective. In this paper we consider the possibility of using the organic fraction of municipal waste to produce biodegradable mulching films for agricultural purposes.The aim of this research was to estimate the potential demand of horticultural farms located in the province of Foggia (Italy) for biodegradable films derived from organic waste. We carried out a survey of 107 producers in the area. Findings showed that the adoption of the innovative films does not depend on the nature of the raw material used and that the willingness to pay for such films is higher with respect to the price of similar products already available in the market. In addition, farmers' preferences towards mulching films' attributes (strength, durability, mechanical harvesting, transparency, etc.) are identified.

No abstract

Global economic and population growth trends are placing pressures upon natural resources threatening future economic and social development. Most notably, the world population, standing on 7.2 billion people in mid-2014, is projected to increase by almost one billion people within the next decade, and further to 9.6 billion in 2050 (United Nations 2013). At the same time, large and fast-growing economies (i.e. the BRICS members) will experience increasing wealth. A major consequence of these two trends is higher consumption and demand for food and other goods, increasing in parallel the rate of waste production and depleting the amount of available resources (e.g. demand for several elements, including helium, phosphorus, indium and gallium is predicted to exceed supply in the near future). Overarching all of these issues is the threat of climate change and the concerns about how mitigation and adaptation measures may affect the food system (Schmidhuber and Tubiello 2007; Godfray et al. 2010). Scientists, analysts and policy makers are taking stock of these trends, trying to push the society towards more sustainable development patterns. An emerging area of enquiry looks with growing interest at food waste reduction and valorisation as a key area of research to provide answers to these emerging challenges. In fact, the valorisation of food waste has many advantages. It is a rich source of functionalised molecules (i.e. biopolymers, protein, carbohydrates, phytochemicals) and contains valuable extracts for various applications (e.g. resins from cashew nut shell liquid), avoiding the use of virgin land and water resources. In addition, it solves a waste management issue and represents a sustainable renewable resource; making the valorisation of food waste doubly green. Moving from this, the 15 chapters included in this book address these emerging societal challenges building on the idea that food waste reduction and valorisation is fundamental for promoting environmental, economic and social sustainability, in the framework of the growing interdependence between human societies and the natural environment. The plurality of perspectives considered gives a truly transdisciplinary angle to the book. Indeed, the proposed book is the outcome of rather fertile networking and research activities conducted over the last years by a broad group of experts, v