IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0296465.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A machine learning approach to assess Sustainable Development Goals food performances: The Italian case

Author

Listed:
  • Tommaso Castelli
  • Chiara Mocenni
  • Giovanna Maria Dimitri

Abstract

In this study, we introduce an innovative application of clustering algorithms to assess and appraise Italy’s alignment with respect to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on those related to climate change and the agrifood market. Specifically, we examined SDG 02: Zero Hunger, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, and SDG 13: Climate Change, to evaluate Italy’s performance in one of its most critical economic sectors. Beyond performance analysis, we administered a questionnaire to a cross-section of the Italian populace to gain deeper insights into their awareness of sustainability in everyday grocery shopping and their understanding of SDGs. Furthermore, we employed an unsupervised machine learning approach in our research to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of SDGs across European countries and position Italy relative to the others. Additionally, we conducted a detailed analysis of the responses to a newly designed questionnaire to gain a reasonable description of the population’s perspective on the research topic. A general poor performance in the SDGs indicators emerged for Italy. However, from the questionnaire results, an overall significant interest in the sustainability of the acquired products from italian citizens.

Suggested Citation

  • Tommaso Castelli & Chiara Mocenni & Giovanna Maria Dimitri, 2024. "A machine learning approach to assess Sustainable Development Goals food performances: The Italian case," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(1), pages 1-20, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0296465
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296465
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0296465
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0296465&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0296465?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Federico Miconi & Giovanna Maria Dimitri, 2023. "A machine learning approach to analyse and predict the electric cars scenario: The Italian case," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(1), pages 1-26, January.
    2. Ana Moragues-Faus & Terry Marsden & Barbora Adlerová & Tereza Hausmanová, 2020. "Building Diverse, Distributive, and Territorialized Agrifood Economies to Deliver Sustainability and Food Security," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 96(3), pages 219-243, July.
    3. Juan Carlos Pérez-Mesa & Laura Piedra-Muñoz & Emilio Galdeano-Gómez & Cynthia Giagnocavo, 2021. "Management Strategies and Collaborative Relationships for Sustainability in the Agrifood Supply Chain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-16, January.
    4. Blanco, Maria & Ramos, Fabien & Van Doorslaer, Benjamin, 2014. "Economic impacts of climate change on agrifood markets: A bio-economic approach with a focus on the EU," 2014 International Congress, August 26-29, 2014, Ljubljana, Slovenia 182826, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    5. Antonelli, Marta & Basile, Linda & Gagliardi, Francesca & Isernia, Pierangelo, 2022. "The future of the Mediterranean agri-food systems: Trends and perspectives from a Delphi survey," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    6. Anulipt Chandan & Michele John & Vidyasagar Potdar, 2023. "Achieving UN SDGs in Food Supply Chain Using Blockchain Technology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-21, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fatima Yahya & Antoine El Samrani & Mohamad Khalil & Alaa El-Din Abdin & Rasha El-Kholy & Mohamed Embaby & Mohab Negm & Dirk De Ketelaere & Anna Spiteri & Eleanna Pana & Vasileios Takavakoglou, 2023. "Decentralized Wetland-Aquaponics Addressing Environmental Degradation and Food Security Challenges in Disadvantaged Rural Areas: A Nature-Based Solution Driven by Mediterranean Living Labs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-16, October.
    2. Cholez, Celia & Pauly, Olivier & Mahdad, Maral & Mehrabi, Sepide & Giagnocavo, Cynthia & Bijman, Jos, 2023. "Heterogeneity of inter-organizational collaborations in agrifood chain sustainability-oriented innovations," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    3. Nguyen Thi Nha Trang & Thanh-Thuy Nguyen & Hong V. Pham & Thi Thu Anh Cao & Thu Huong Trinh Thi & Javad Shahreki, 2022. "Impacts of Collaborative Partnership on the Performance of Cold Supply Chains of Agriculture and Foods: Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-28, May.
    4. Agnieszka Bezat-Jarzębowska & Stephanie Krieger-Güss & Sebastian Jarzębowski & Brigitte Petersen, 2024. "Integration of the Food Supply Chain as a Driver of Sustainability: A Conceptual Framework," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-20, August.
    5. Peyman Akhavan & Maryam Philsoophian, 2023. "Improving of Supply Chain Collaboration and Performance by Using Block Chain Technology as a Mediating Role and Resilience as a Moderating Variable," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 14(4), pages 4561-4582, December.
    6. Warwick Powell & Yasmina Sultanbawa & Madonna Thomson & Dharini Sivakumar & Mokaddes Ahmed Dipu & Luke Williams & Charles Turner-Morris & Gary Sigley & Shan He, 2024. "Blockchain-Enabled Provenance and Supply Chain Governance for Indigenous Foods and Botanicals: A Design Approach Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-23, August.
    7. Abdulrahman Alhazemi, 2025. "Integrating ESG Framework with Social Sustainability Metrics: A Dual SEM-PLS Formative–Reflective Model Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-27, March.
    8. Zimmerer, Karl S. & Olivencia, Yolanda Jiménez & Rodríguez, Laura Porcel & López-Estébanez, Nieves & Álvarez, Fernando Allende & Olmo, Rafael Mata & Ochoa, Carolina Yacamán & Pulpón, Ángel Raúl Ruiz &, 2022. "Assessing social-ecological connectivity of agricultural landscapes in Spain: Resilience implications amid agricultural intensification trends and urbanization," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    9. Karl-Axel Lindgren & Tim Lang, 2022. "Understanding the policy discourse within the formulation of the 2013 Indian National Food Security Act," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(5), pages 1159-1173, October.
    10. Javier Ibáñez & Rolando Gartzia & Francisco Javier Alcalá & Jaime Martínez-Valderrama, 2022. "The Importance of Prevention in Tackling Desertification: An Approach to Anticipate Risks of Degradation in Coastal Aquifers," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-18, September.
    11. María del Carmen Galera-Quiles & Laura Piedra-Muñoz & Emilio Galdeano-Gómez & Angel Carreño-Ortega, 2021. "A Review of Eco-Innovations and Exports Interrelationship, with Special Reference to International Agrifood Supply Chains," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-21, January.
    12. Janira Romero & Alexandra Díez Méndez & María José Castro-Alija & Jorge Poveda & Irene Albertos, 2024. "Quince ( Cydonia oblonga Mill.) Waste By-Product Characterization as a Potential Functional Ingredient," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-13, October.
    13. Nieves López-Estébanez & Carolina Yacamán-Ochoa & Rafael Mata-Olmo, 2022. "The Multifunctionality and Territoriality of Peri-Urban Agri-Food Systems: The Metropolitan Region of Madrid, Spain," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-23, April.
    14. Fangli Ruan, 2023. "The Driving Role of Food and Cultivated Land Resource in Balancing the Complex Urban System of Socio-Economy and Environment: A Case Study of Shanghai City in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-20, April.
    15. Ana Moragues-Faus, 2020. "Distributive food systems to build just and liveable futures," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 37(3), pages 583-584, September.
    16. Gianni Betti & Daniela Evangelista & Francesca Gagliardi & Emanuele Giordano & Angelo Riccaboni, 2024. "Towards Integrating Information Systems of Statistical Indicators on Traceability, Quality and Safety of Italian Agrifood Systems for Citizens, Institutions and Policy-Makers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-26, July.
    17. Guilherme Raj & Giuseppe Feola & Hens Runhaar, 2024. "Work in progress: power in transformation to postcapitalist work relations in community–supported agriculture," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 41(1), pages 269-291, March.
    18. Martinez, Pilar & Blanco, Maria & Van Doorslaer, Benjamin & Ramos, Fabien & Stanca, Lucian, 2015. "What role does climate change play in agricultural market uncertainty? An integrated assessment taking into account market-driven adjustments," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 212230, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    19. Raihan, Asif, 2024. "A review of the potential opportunities and challenges of the digital economy for sustainability," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 3(4).
    20. Lilian Danil & Siti Jahroh & Rizal Syarief & Asep Taryana, 2025. "Technological Innovation in Start-Ups on a Pathway to Achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-45, February.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0296465. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.