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Diversified Farms Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic: First Signals from Italian Case Studies

Author

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  • Luigi Mastronardi

    (Department of Economics, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy)

  • Aurora Cavallo

    (Faculty of Economics, Universitas Mercatorum, 00186 Rome, Italy)

  • Luca Romagnoli

    (Department of Economics, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy)

Abstract

The paper focuses on the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on some Italian farms. In particular, the aim is to investigate the consequences of the health emergency on diversified farms, their reactions, and their agricultural and rural policy needs in order to overcome the crisis. The research path investigates five farms of central Italy through semi-structured interviews. The identified case studies are characterized by the heterogeneity of features and farms’ activities. These activities include agritourism, on-farm processing of plant and animal products (mainly olive oils, fruits, and cheese), bio-energy production, tastings and leisure activities, educational farms, and contracting of farm equipment. A qualitative–quantitative analysis based on textual analysis techniques, particularly content and sentiment analysis, was performed. The results highlight the importance of farm diversification and networks in farms’ strategies in dealing with the Covid-19 crisis. Furthermore, the presence of both synergies and trade-offs in different types of diversification is found. These results have interesting policy implications that should be more explicitly taken into account to target the next rural development measures.

Suggested Citation

  • Luigi Mastronardi & Aurora Cavallo & Luca Romagnoli, 2020. "Diversified Farms Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic: First Signals from Italian Case Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-12, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:14:p:5709-:d:385092
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Michał Roman & Arkadiusz Niedziółka & Andrzej Krasnodębski, 2020. "Respondents’ Involvement in Tourist Activities at the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-21, November.
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    4. Nurul Atiqah Binti Mohd Suib & Norlida Hanim Mohd Salleh & Mohd Fazim Ahmad, 2023. "The economic well-being of smallholders and challenges during COVID-19 pandemic: A review," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 69(1), pages 35-44.
    5. Yasuo Ohe, 2023. "Exploring New Opportunities for Agritourism in the Post-COVID-19 Era," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-4, June.
    6. Mastronardi, Luigi & Cavallo, Aurora & Romagnoli, Luca, 2022. "How did Italian diversified farms tackle Covid-19 pandemic first wave challenges?," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 82(PA).
    7. Brune, Sara & Knollenberg, Whitney & Vilá, Olivia, 2023. "Agritourism resilience during the COVID-19 crisis," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
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    9. Giovanni Peira & Davide Longo & Francesca Pucciarelli & Alessandro Bonadonna, 2021. "Rural Tourism Destination: The Ligurian Farmers’ Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-15, December.

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