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Piloting a Meta-Database of Agroecological Transitions: An Example from Sustainable Cereal Food Systems

Author

Listed:
  • Gianluca Stefani

    (Department of Economics and Management, University of Florence, Via delle Pandette, 32-50127 Florence, Italy)

  • Giuseppe Nocella

    (Applied Economics and Marketing Department, School of Agriculture Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading RG66AH, UK)

  • Giovanna Sacchi

    (Council for Agricultural Research and Agricultural Economics, CREA, Viale dell’Università 14, 35020 Legnaro, Padua, Italy)

Abstract

Despite the fact that policy makers and governments are promoting the development of diverse agro-bio food systems to push and promote sustainability, they are challenging to implement because of a series of obstacles that hinder a successful transition from a conventional to an agro-ecological model of agriculture. Produce is extremely heterogeneous and agricultural technology is often not standard, rather alternative, and knowledge is contextual, tacit and place-specific. However, information about the characteristics of these systems is still sparse and difficult to analyse because of the complexity and multidimensionality. As a result, the aim of this paper is to review the existing literature in order to identify a coding system that allows for the creation of a meta-database of case studies on agroecological transitions. This coding system will be piloted in six case studies dealing with agrobiodiversity along cereal food systems producing grains, bread and pasta in France, Italy and the UK. In this analysis, we found that both the transition towards sustainable agriculture and the reduction of transaction costs require social innovation, which benefits from strong social capital. In the conclusions, we discuss the efficacy of the proposed coding scheme and its ability to capture in-depth information contained in similar case studies.

Suggested Citation

  • Gianluca Stefani & Giuseppe Nocella & Giovanna Sacchi, 2020. "Piloting a Meta-Database of Agroecological Transitions: An Example from Sustainable Cereal Food Systems," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-14, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:10:y:2020:i:6:p:219-:d:369615
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    References listed on IDEAS

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