Technical and Scale Efficiency in Nursery Enterprises in an Area of Significant Widespread Horticulture in Italy

Abstract

<jats:p>The aim of this work is to identify the factors that influence the level of efficiency in horticultural nurseries and to estimate their impact on productivity as well as the direction and intensity with which they act. The investigation was focused on table tomatoes (<jats:italic>Solanum lycopersicum</jats:italic> L.), a species widely cultivated in horticultural greenhouses and in the open field, for which the recourse to transplantation represents a normal operation to the point that nurseries activate a large number of productive cycles for this species throughout the year with the aim of obtaining “ungrafted seedlings” or ready-to-use “grafted seedlings”. This study used the methodological approach of data envelopment analysis (DEA) and Tobit regression and was able to identify which of the factors linked to management choices, professionalism, and the motivation of entrepreneurs have a notable influence on the level of efficiency reached by nurseries and which of these factors offer possibilities for increasing their levels of production. The results of this investigation reveal that in the nurseries, the possibilities for achieving increasing economies of scale are limited by the structural relationships between capital and land and between land and labor, by the production strategies in place, and by the degree of utilization of materials and labor.</jats:p>

Prickly pear for biogas production: technical‐economic validation of a biogas power installation in an area with a high prevalence of cacti in Italy

“…To assess the feasibility of the project, a simulation was carried out to estimate the impact on the profitability of the investment of varying conditions, such as the bank interest rate, the capital incentive rate, the annual costs, and other economic charges 37 …”

“…To assess the feasibility of the project, a simulation was carried out to estimate the impact on the profitability of the investment of varying conditions, such as the bank interest rate, the capital incentive rate, the annual costs, and other economic charges. 37 With reference to the feasibility of the project, three scenarios were compared (Table 8). The first is represented by the 'status quo' and envisages that the investment is sustained by the business network with recourse to private credit capital, at market conditions; in comparison with this, a scenario ('scenario I') was hypothesized in which access to the resources of a 2014/2020 RDP Sicily call for tenders providing for capital and interest subsidies could be accessed.…”

Analysis of Relationships and Sustainability Performance in Organic Agriculture in the United Arab Emirates and Sicily (Italy)

“…These are often medium-sized farms (vegetable, arable and/or livestock) that despite having clearly defined their mission by converting to an organic farming system, lack the suitable tools for promoting this to all parties involved in the supply chain and the production process as a whole [43].…”

Between Light and Shading: Morphological, Biochemical, and Metabolomics Insights Into the Influence of Blue Photoselective Shading on Vegetable Seedlings

“…Nursery activities are the “backbone” of modern agricultural production systems, in addition to asserting additional assets for social and economic sustainability ( Timpanaro et al, 2018 ; Rani et al, 2019 ; Rouphael et al, 2021 ). In the agricultural scene, the horticultural and nursery sectors have grown over the years due to their distinctive dynamism, the ongoing technological upgrading, and investment in new growing techniques to meet the increasing demand for high-quality seedlings (i.e., healthy, vigorous, and balanced development) and adaptability to different climates and soils.…”