Socio-economic valuation of abandonment and intensification of Alpine agroecosystems and associated ecosystem services

Faccioni, Georgia; Sturaro, Enrico; Ramanzin, Maurizio; Bernués, A.

doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.10.044

Cited by 70 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…The eight ESs proposed in association with summer farms were all assessed positively by both local stakeholders and tourists. Similarly, Faccioni et al [31] showed that local stakeholders and the general population valued positively a range of ESs related to mountain livestock systems. Comparably, Lamarque et al [49] found that the ESs linked to "high-quality products" and "maintenance of traditional landscapes" were among the most important ESs for both categories.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…In particular, remunerating the non-marketable ESs provided by extensive livestock systems is necessary for their economic sustainability, and hence for ensuring the future provision of the desired ESs. Since the benefits of these ESs are public, their remuneration should come first from the implementation of payments for ESs in policy measures [2,30,31]. For example, the European agricultural fund for rural development (EAFRD) and the rural development program (RDP), as implemented by the Autonomous Province of Trento, provide payments for the conservation and improvement of meadows and pastures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A common requisite for the success of public and market actions promoting the remuneration of ESs is that the society is willing to pay for the targeted ESs [26,27]. In this respect, studies conducted in the province of Trento as well as in other European mountain areas [30,31] showed that the willingness of consumers to pay for various regulating and supporting ESs was high, although the perception of the specific ESs differed regionally. In the context of the province of Trento, the consumers' total willingness to pay for a set of four ESs was close to 160€.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Tourists and Local Stakeholders’ Perception of Ecosystem Services Provided by Summer Farms in the Eastern Italian Alps

Pachoud

Ramanzin

et al. 2020

Sustainability

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In the Alps, summer farms are temporary units, where cattle are moved during summer to graze on Alpine pastures, which provide multiple ecosystem services (ESs), many of which do not have a market value. This study aimed at understanding and comparing the perceptions of summer farms and of the associated ESs by local stakeholders and tourists in a study area of the province of Trento in the eastern Italian Alps. Thirty-five online questionnaires and two focus groups were realized with local stakeholders involved in the dairy value-chain. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 405 tourists in two representative summer farms. The perceptions of summer farms differed between local stakeholders, who mainly focused on provisioning ESs, and tourists, who mainly focused on cultural and regulating ESs. Both categories of actors rated positively eight different ESs associated with summer farms, but demonstrated a lack of knowledge of specific regulating ESs. This study showed that discussion among the different actors is required to increase mutual knowledge and to grasp the diversity of links between summer farms and ESs, in order to support public policies and private initiatives for promoting summer farm products and the sustainable development of mountain regions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Tourists and Local Stakeholders’ Perception of Ecosystem Services Provided by Summer Farms in the Eastern Italian Alps

Pachoud

Ramanzin

et al. 2020

Sustainability

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“…To summarise, the results show that under current conditions feeding large amounts of concentrates is economically advantageous for South Tyrolean smallscale dairy farmers. This could, however, be linked to problems regarding animal welfare (Manson and Leaver, 1988), impact on environment and landscape (Strijker 2005;Battaglini et al 2014), the regions attractiveness for tourists (Battaglini et al 2014) and public acceptance (Gazzarin and Schmid 2017;Faccioni et al 2019). Furthermore, a low percentage of roughage used for milk production could lead to less fatty acids in the milk (Borreani et al 2013).…”

Section: Economic Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The study results offer the possibility of deducing recommendations for future policies regarding the maintenance of small-scale extensive dairy farms in mountain areas. This is of great importance, as intensive milk production not only has negative consequences for the environment but also contradicts the public idea of mountain farming and might lower the regions attractiveness for tourists (Gazzarin and Schmid 2017;Faccioni et al 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic assessment of small-scale mountain dairy farms in South Tyrol depending on feed intake and breed

Kühl

Flach

Gauly

2019

Italian Journal of Animal Science

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Dairy mountain farms are economically disadvantaged due to small farm size and high production costs. However, these farms are of importance for the preservation of traditional landscapes and biodiversity, especially when they are managed extensively. The present study compares the economic situation of mountain dairy farms in South Tyrol that differ with respect to the amount of concentrates fed (low-input vs. high-input) and the breed used (Tyrolean Grey vs. Brown Swiss). The calculations show that low-input farms have lower variable costs but similar fixed costs and lower revenues compared to high-input farms. As a result, high-input farms are economically superior to low-input farms in terms of income per farm, per ha and per kg energy-corrected milk. Regarding the breeds, farms using the local breed Tyrolean Grey can compete with farms using the high-yielding breed Brown Swiss when subsidies are considered because of special payments for an endangered breed. The dominance of high-input farms can be explained with economies of scale and the milk to feed price ratio of about 1.8. Thus, the currently paid high milk price makes it economically worthwhile to produce as much milk as possible. The results thus point to the risk of intensification or abandonment of small mountain farms. In order to improve their economic situation and thus maintain small and low-input mountain dairy farms, it might be an option to connect subsidies with the feeding strategy and farm structure, pay premiums for value-added milk products or use taxes for concentrated feed to support extensive farms. HIGHLIGHTS Low-input farms achieve lower farm income Only small differences in farm income between breeds Herd size and milk yield per cow are decisive for farm income ARTICLE HISTORY

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Agroecosystem services: From general assessment to policy implications

Satama‐Bermeo,

Rudolf,

Olschewski

2024

People and Nature

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Agricultural ecosystems managed by farmers provide and receive multiple ecosystem services that are essential to sustain human well‐being. Understanding how agricultural production systems generate agroecosystem services is as important as gaining deeper insights into how farmers perceive and value them to ensure the adoption and implementation of sustainable agricultural practices. We conducted a comprehensive review and in‐depth analysis of existing valuation studies on agroecosystem services to identify potential future research directions. We found two broad research strands of articles: one focusing on ‘General assessment of agroecosystem services’ and the other on ‘Implications for policy making’. The first strand focuses more on individual preferences and monetary values, which might limit a comprehensive assessment. The second strand emphasizes participatory and deliberative techniques to reflect the plurality of values and to provide empirical evidence for policymaking. We recommend to move beyond monetary valuation techniques, and to develop methods that bridge the two strands as a promising avenue for future inter‐ and transdisciplinary research. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Socio-economic valuation of abandonment and intensification of Alpine agroecosystems and associated ecosystem services

Cited by 70 publications

References 71 publications

Tourists and Local Stakeholders’ Perception of Ecosystem Services Provided by Summer Farms in the Eastern Italian Alps

Tourists and Local Stakeholders’ Perception of Ecosystem Services Provided by Summer Farms in the Eastern Italian Alps

Economic assessment of small-scale mountain dairy farms in South Tyrol depending on feed intake and breed

Agroecosystem services: From general assessment to policy implications

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