Bio-districts and the territory: evidence from a regression approach

Abstract

In recent years the bio-districts have been considerably spread in Italy. The bio-district can be defined as a locally rooted multifunctional project with the involvement of farms and institutions. Our research aims at assessing potential relations between territorial, socio-economic features and the presence of bio-districts in an area, by means of a logit regression analysis at municipal scale in Italy. Data have been collected from several sources, among which ISTAT digital databases. Main results show as farms with diversification activities and the presence of Local Action Groups are factors related to the rising of bio-districts in a territory. Moreover, the study highlights the role of bio-districts in disadvantageous and mountain areas, in developing effective territorial governance. In terms of policy implication, CAP 2023-2027 can constitute the ideal bench for testing bio-districts function playing a crucial role in reaching the objective set by the Farm to Fork strategy.

Comparing social sustainability assessment indicators and tools for bio-districts: building an analytical framework

“…Regarding Local Traditions and Cultural Heritage, the bio-district agenda prioritizes the involvement of the local community as carriers of identity, tradition and culture, not only in agricultural practices that help to preserve the landscape but also in the maintenance of local ancient plant varieties (Truant et al, 2019;Gargano et al, 2021;Mazzocchi et al, 2022). Analyzing this theme has a 2-fold outcome.…”

“…The theme of Knowledge Exchange can be linked to Social Cohesion and Networks, as the promotion of training, information, exchange of the best practices, and participation in bio-districts (Mazzocchi et al, 2022) is achieved from a starting point of mutual shared values and trust (Chen et al, 2022). The knowledge flow between rural and urban contexts facilitates the advancement of collective action involving individuals from both settings, with the aim of fostering agricultural innovation and development.…”

“…The lowest frequency of words was recorded by Community Empowerment. However, this theme is central in different documents on bio-districts, indicating that bio-districts support small farmers and rural communities (IN.N.E.R., 2017; Poponi et al, 2021;Mazzocchi et al, 2022). Including this theme in the framework allows the identification of drivers for sustainable local development.…”

Artificial intelligence and its contribution to business logistics optimization

“…Asimismo, se enfatiza la necesidad de políticas públicas que fomenten la digitalización en la economía social. Por otro lado, autores como Mazzochi y otros [14] averiguan sobre la recepción de la IA en cuanto a una de sus técnicas el "enfoque de regresión" para analizar la influencia de factores territoriales en la creación y el éxito de los bio-distritos, identificando las características territoriales que influyen en el desarrollo de estas iniciativas. En esa ocasión la IA sirvió de respaldo para averiguar la relación entre determinados factores territoriales con la creación de bio-distritos.…”

The circular potential of a Bio-District: indicators for waste management

“…As pointed out by Toccaceli (2018), their development model has shifted from definitions with a purely agricultural connotation to that of a processing district to poly food development. The added value generated by Bio-Districts is determined by the territory's characteristics, such as soil, climate and local traditions, and the integration within supply chains that contribute to improving business performance (Mazzocchi et al, 2021). This translates into the definition of a new development model based on production specialisation and the ability to integrate stakeholders with sustainable development objectives.…”