Province Of Foggia Research Articles

Environmental management of the green asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) supply chain: a carbon footprint assessment in Southern Italy

PurposeThe objective of the research is to evaluate the carbon footprint of the green asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) supply chain, encompassing the agricultural production to the packaging stage in Italy, as it is the sixth largest producer and the second largest in Europe. It provides an assessment in the province of Foggia and highlights the global perspective of the carbon footprint application in agro-food systems.Design/methodology/approachThe carbon footprint (ISO 14067:2018) considers 1 t of packaged fresh asparagus as a functional unit in the agricultural production and packaging stage and is based on primary data collected in one of the leading companies of asparagus production in the province of Foggia, which markets about 0.21 kt of asparagus per year produced in about 31 ha. Data were integrated with face-to-face in-depth interviews and pre-filled checklists.FindingsFindings show that the carbon footprint of 1 t of packaged fresh asparagus is equivalent to 335.31 kgCO2eq, of which 61% in the agricultural stage and 39% in the packaging one. The majority of the emissions are associated with the fertigation and the diesel consumption for the transportation of workers. Farmers should adopt green electricity so as to reduce the emissions associated with the electric pump for the extraction of water from artesian wells. Moreover, it would be desirable to replace mineral urea phosphate with organic fertilizers.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, scholars have not yet investigated the environmental impacts of the green asparagus supply chain, even if it represents one of the most cultivated vegetables worldwide, with a global production that amounts to 8.5 Mt per year.

A Retrospective Observational Study Using Administrative Databases to Assess the Risk of Spontaneous Abortions Related to Environmental and Socioeconomic Conditions.

Miscarriage is one of the most frequent adverse events that occurs during pregnancy. This retrospective study aimed to verify if the environmental and socioeconomic conditions related to geographical areas where women live, and the socio-demographic and clinical factors play a role in the risk of spontaneous abortion (SA). The analyses were conducted by hospital discharge records (HDRs) from public and private hospitals in Apulia from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021. Women with an age over 40 years old had a major risk of SA compared with women under 18 years (OR 2.30, IC95%1.16-4.54). A reduction in the risk of SA was found for women with an endocrinological or metabolic disease (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.19-0.41), while genetic disease greatly increases the risk (OR 9.63, IC95% 1.98-46.86). The greatest risk of spontaneous abortion was found in the province of Taranto compared to the province of Foggia (OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.52-2.64). The provinces with a higher risk of SA in the multiple comparisons were Taranto, Brindisi, and BAT. Municipalities with socioeconomic disadvantages classified as very low, low, and medium had a higher risk of SA compared to the municipalities with a high disadvantage. In conclusion, our study indicates the possible association between SA rate and environmental conditions. Additionally, the socioeconomic, clinical, and demographic factors were related to the risk of SAs.

Association of socio-economic deprivation with COVID-19 incidence and fatality during the first wave of the pandemic in Italy: lessons learned from a local register-based study

BackgroundCOVID-19 has been characterised by its global and rapid spread, with high infection, hospitalisation, and mortality rates worldwide. However, the course of the pandemic showed differences in chronology and intensity in different geographical areas and countries, probably due to a multitude of factors. Among these, socio-economic deprivation has been supposed to play a substantial role, although available evidence is not fully in agreement. Our study aimed to assess incidence and fatality rates of COVID-19 across the levels of socio-economic deprivation during the first epidemic wave (March–May 2020) in the Italian Province of Foggia, Apulia Region.MethodsBased on the data of the regional active surveillance platform, we performed a retrospective epidemiological study among all COVID-19 confirmed cases that occurred in the Apulian District of Foggia, Italy, from March 1st to May 5th, 2020. Geocoded addresses were linked to the individual Census Tract (CT) of residence. Effects of socio-economic condition were calculated by means of the Socio-Economic and Health-related Deprivation Index (SEHDI) on COVID-19 incidence and fatality.ResultsOf the 1054 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 537 (50.9%) were men, 682 (64.7%) were 0–64 years old, and 338 (32.1%) had pre-existing comorbidities. COVID-19 incidence was higher in the less deprived areas (p < 0.05), independently on age. The level of socio-economic deprivation did not show a significant impact on the vital status, while a higher fatality was observed in male cases (p < 0.001), cases > 65 years (p < 0.001), cases having a connection with a nursing home (p < 0.05) or having at least 1 comorbidity (p < 0.001). On the other hand, a significant protection for healthcare workers was apparent (p < 0.001).ConclusionsOur findings show that deprivation alone does not affect COVID-19 incidence and fatality burden, suggesting that the burden of disease is driven by a complexity of factors not yet fully understood. Better knowledge is needed to identify subgroups at higher risk and implement effective preventive strategies.

Field management of Phelipanche ramosa on tomatoes by plowing depth or resistance strategies

Two separate independent experiments were carried out on agronomic approaches for controlling infestation by Phelipanche ramosa: the evaluation of two soil plowing depths (30 and 50 cm) and determining the resistance of two tomato cultivars (SV5197 and SV8840) to this parasitic plant. The experiments were performed in 2014 and 2018 seasons in naturally heavily infested fields in the province of Foggia (Apulia Region, south-eastern Italy). Based on our results, the 50 cm moldboard plowing depth reduced parasite infestation by 41.2% compared to that of 30 cm depth, commonly adopted by local farmers. Higher attachments to the host plants were observed in SV5197 than in SV8840, which could be correlated with the different level of resistance of the host plant. In both experiments, the highest Phelipanche infestation reduced the tomato yield but did not affect the fruit quality.

Forest nurseries and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan: the case of Sicily and Apulia (Italy)

In Italy, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) foresees the planting of ca. 6.6 million trees to establish urban and peri-urban forests in 14 metropolitan cities. This ambitious project requires a significant number of native trees and shrubs, currently unavailable in Italian public and private nurseries. This survey analyzes the state of forest nurseries in two administrative regions of southern Italy, i.e. the “Filici” forest nursery (province of Agrigento, Sicily) and the Gargano Mountain Reclamation Consortium (province of Foggia, Apulia), to evaluate the adequacy of Sicilian and Apulian forest nurseries as potential sources of plant material to meet the requirements of the NRRP. The census carried out at the “Filici” nursery revealed the presence of more than 22,000 seedlings in cultivation, comprising 55 species, 26 genera, and 26 families. The autochthonous species are 43 (78.2%), while the exotic ones are 12 (21.8%). The Gargano Mountain Reclamation Consortium forest nursery has 190,876 seedlings in cultivation. A total of 80 species are present, belonging to 59 genera and 32 families. Of these, 68 (85%) are native species, 12 (15%) are exotic. An analysis of the plant material being cultivated in these forest nurseries shows the presence of a share of autochthonous species of interest for urban reforestation initiatives, however these are still insufficient in number.

Reduced‐order models for the seismic assessment of plan‐irregular low‐rise frame buildings

AbstractA procedure is presented for deriving low‐complexity structural models to predict the global response of asymmetric‐plan low‐rise frame buildings for purposes of class‐level assessment. As a compromise between employing a full‐scale multi‐degree‐of‐freedom structural model versus an equivalent single‐degree‐of‐freedom one, the challenge is to create an idealized 3D structure with few degrees‐of‐freedom that can match the inelastic response of a building for which full knowledge of geometrical and mechanical properties is available. Such a 3D reduced‐order model can offset the computational cost related to performing multiple nonlinear dynamic analyses within the framework of Performance‐Based Earthquake Engineering. To this goal, rules and equations are proposed for achieving equivalence among the linear and nonlinear properties (e.g. mass, stiffness, strength) of the building analysed and the related 3D reduced‐order model. The procedure is applied on a sample of 15 existing reinforced‐concrete frame school buildings, from the province of Foggia in Southern Italy, for which the full numerical models are available. Both calibrated and uncalibrated reduced‐order models are created, exploring the limitations of the proposed order‐reduction in a real‐life case study.

Suicide in the Province of Foggia: Retrospective Study and Analysis of the Difference between Men and Women

Background: Suicide is a significant cause of mortality affecting each age, gender, and country. In 2018, the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) estimated that 3820 people committed suicide, with the highest incidence in males between 35 and 64 years old. The present study aims to report and analyze the data relating to suicides collected by the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Foggia compared to the data presented in the literature. Methods: The present study represents a retrospective analysis of crime scene investigations and autopsies records relating to all suicides from January 2015 to December 2021 referred to the archives of the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Foggia. The analyzed features were: the sex of the victim, method of suicide, age, the season of death, and presence of psychiatric or addiction history. Results: We selected 226 cases of suicide during the period from January 2015 to December 2021, from a total of 1184 deceases. 78% of the victims are men of average age; the most common methods of suicide are hanging and precipitation. Conclusions: The results of this study highlight the importance of personalized and gender-specific interventions and can inform policy-makers in the development of provincial suicide prevention plans and public health interventions. Studying suicidality in a well-defined population can help implement targeted interventions.

Entomological Surveillance in Former Malaria-endemic Areas of Southern Italy.

Malaria still represents a potential public health issue in Italy, and the presence of former Anopheles vectors and cases imported annually merit continuous surveillance. In areas no longer endemic, the concurrent presence of gametocyte carriers and competent vectors makes re-emergence of local transmission possible, as recently reported in Greece. In October 2017, due to the occurrence of four suspected introduced malaria cases in the province of Taranto (Apulia region), entomological investigations were performed to verify the involvement of local anopheline species. In 2019–2020 entomological surveys were extended to other areas historically prone to malaria between the provinces of Taranto and Matera and the province of Foggia (Gargano Promontory). Resting mosquitoes were collected in animal shelters and human dwellings, larvae were sampled in natural and artificial breeding sites, and specimens were both morphologically and molecularly identified. A total of 2228 mosquitoes were collected, 54.3% of which were anophelines. In all the investigated areas, Anopheles labranchiae was the most widespread species, while Anopheles algeriensis was predominant at the Gargano sites, and Anopheles superpictus and Anopheles plumbeus were recorded in the province of Matera. Our findings showed a potentially high receptivity in the surveyed areas, where the abundance of the two former malaria vectors, An. labranchiae and An. superpictus, is related to environmental and climatic parameters and to anthropic activities.

Agri-food Exports and Challenges of Foreign Markets for a Small region: a Network Approach

Over the last decades, the agri-food sector has been involved in a substantial process of internationalisation. For many agri-food firms, internationalisation has become a significant element of competitiveness and an essential condition for their survival and success in spite of the possible initial difficulties in competing and organising activities in uncertain and complex environments. These challenges concern mainly agri-food small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that, due to their size, are in a more vulnerable position in relation to trade barriers compared to larger firms. Based on these premises, we investigated the structure of the agrifood exports of a small region by exploring its characteristics and evolution over time. While this research is relevant per sé, it can also explain the macroeconomic dynamics of the whole area and determine the further development of agri-food exports of a small region to non-EU countries. The analysis concentrates on exports to extra-EU countries from agri-food firms located in the province of Foggia (the south-east of Italy), a small area characterised by a large presence of SMEs and micro firms that are mainly devoted to agricultural production and food processing. To answer the research question, we employ the social network analysis, a method increasingly used for analysing international trade patterns. The use of this methodology has allowed us to conduct an in-depth analysis of firms and countries that occupy a strategic position in the network. These actors are crucial for the network’s survival since their removal could make the network more fragmented and disconnected. The analysis has been conducted in a dynamic way by exploring the characteristics of the network in 2014–2019, allowing us to assess its evolution over time. The results show that the structural properties of the analysed network have remarkably enhanced over time. However, the current network structure is not satisfactory yet since it relies, for the most part, on the connections among a few leading firms and a limited number of destination countries.

Two frugal options to assess class fragility and seismic safety for low-rise reinforced concrete school buildings in Southern Italy

A study is presented on the seismic fragility of a sample of 15 reinforced-concrete school buildings built between 1960 and 1980s in the province of Foggia, Southern Italy, for which near-perfect information is provided on geometrical and mechanical parameters. In particular, the focus is on the application of two probabilistic methods, employing different compromises in terms of complexity versus accuracy. First, a Eurocode 8 compatible nonlinear static approach is employed, which is augmented via the use of the regression expressions of the SPO2FRAG tool to incorporate record-to-record variability. Second, a nonlinear dynamic approach is used to directly account for record-to-record variability via a constrained multi-stripe analysis. In particular, in view of practitioners’ needs (analysis time, computational efforts, software used), a practical mode for application of the multi-stripe analyses is proposed, based on conducting few stripe analyses, in order to predict the behavior of structures in both the elastic and inelastic ranges of response. Both the static and the dynamic approaches are shown to be viable alternatives, offering fairly matching results at the individual building-level and even closer predictions at the level of ensemble regional fragility curves that incorporate both inter-building and intra-building uncertainties.

A Rational Decision-Making Process with Public Engagement for Designing Public Transport Services: A Real Case Application in Italy

The sustainable design of public transport services is a crucial issue that may affect the economy of local areas and the social inclusion of their inhabitants. Indeed, transport accessibility of households, businesses, and retail activities is one of the main drivers that influence location choices and sustainable development and where the public transport services may play a key (positive) role. Furthermore, the economic crisis of the 2009 and the current ones caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has further limited the funds available for public services, including the transport sector. In this critical context, sound design of public transport services assumes great importance, especially in light of financial constraints. Starting from these considerations, the aim of this paper has been to propose an innovative methodology for designing public transport services based on a rational decision-making process with stakeholder engagement, aiming to perform a sustainable development perspective. The proposed methodology combines technical aspects, social and political issues, equity perspectives, and it is aimed in obtaining a design solution that can be accepted by the whole community. The proposed theoretical design methodology has also been applied to a case study in order to verify its applicability to a real context, consisting of the design of the public transport plan of the province of Foggia in southern Italy. Applications results show that the sustainable design scenario is not only the best ones from a technical point of view, but also participated, equitable, and approved by both policymakers and stakeholders.

Lexique partagé en français et en francoprovençal des Pouilles dans la perspective du plurilinguisme

The purpose of this article is to present the results of our research into the lexicon shared between the Francoprovencal of Puglia and French, two languages belonging to the Gallo-Roman domain. The two varieties of Francoprovencal spoken in the small villages of Faeto and Celle di San Vito, located in the Monti Dauni area of the province of Foggia, are poorly endowed, with an oral tradition and endangered. Despite this, recent sociolinguistic surveys note that this language represents a communication code with a considerable linguistic vitality, determined by the extremely positive attitude of the inhabitants towards it. In addition, Faetani and Cellesi, recognizing their ethnolinguistic affiliation with French, show also a positive attitude towards the French language, which has many similarities with their local language. Hence our idea that French might represent a further incentive for Faetani and Cellesi to preserve their language, as well as its usefulness in understanding the official language of France and of other languages, in order to enjoy the benefits of plurilingualism. From this perspective, we will present a corpus of about 250 similar words in Francoprovencal and in French, organized according to the practice of intercomprehension. We find it relevant to make learners work on extracts of texts containing the sort of proposed lexicon. The learner will rely on the similarities, possibly on the lexical identities, which, by referring to the context, will allow him/her easy access to meaning.

For a new plastics economy in agriculture: Policy reflections on the EU strategy from a local perspective

Plastic production and consumption around the world have seen a rapid increase since the end of World War II, with an expected peak in the next 20 years. Agriculture is among the causes of this due to its intensive farming practices and the use of various plastic materials. This produces both advantages (e.g. yield increase, early harvest, reduced use of chemicals) and disadvantages. The disadvantages are particularly related to a plastic waste management problem, from which the contamination of terrestrial, marine and air environments with severe consequences on food security and human health also derive. With the 2018 European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy, the European Commission (EC) identifies a set of actions to reduce plastic pollution in the decades ahead. For the actual implementation of this strategic vision, however, innovative investment and appropriate policy tools need to be identified. This paper attempts to understand the acceptability of some ad-hoc policy tools among farmers by investigating their attitudes towards the application of subsidies, tax-credits and pay-back (this latter under an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme) to abate agricultural plastic pollution with the aim of making this sector cleaner and more oriented to the implementation of the sustainability principles. While referring to the territory of the province of Foggia in southern Italy as a case study, we analyse the preferences expressed by 1,783 farmers by using a multinomial logistic regression. Key results suggest that large agricultural farms would favour the adoption of tax-credits. In contrast, small farms would consider more favourable the introduction of a pay-back tool to incentivize their contribution to plastic pollution abatement. The significance of the obtained results is twofold. First, farm size is a key element towards a differentiation of policy tools to adopt for plastic waste management in agriculture. Second, the differentiation of the above policy tools according to the farm dimension would lead to a cost-effectiveness management of agricultural plastic waste.

Market-based tools for a plastic waste reduction policy in agriculture: A case study in the south of Italy

The 2018 European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy identifies a set of actions to reduce plastic waste in the EU in the near future. To implement this strategic view, appropriate policy tools need to be identified within Member Countries. The present work aims at investigating farmers’ attitudes towards the use of traditional market-based tools (i.e. subsidies and tax-credits) as well as other initiatives such as a pay-back mechanism under an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to reduce plastic waste in agriculture.We analyse the case of the province of Foggia, an area which is recognised as being the largest plain in southern Italy. We consider a survey of 1,783 farmers and a multinomial regression model to infer on the probability of adopting the above policy tools.Key results suggest that the choice of each policy tool would be affected by the type of plastic waste generated. In particular, plastic packaging and plastic films would be likely to affect the probability to opt for a subsidy. In contrast, other types of plastic waste mainly generated by cereal crops activities (e.g. plastic bags and bottles for fertilisers and chemicals) would favour the adoption of a tax-credit mechanism. As for other aspects, horticulture production and the proximity to a collection site for waste disposal would increase the probability of adopting an EPR policy to contribute to plastic waste reduction.

Analisi dei processi di esclusione/inclusione sociale dei gruppi rom. Un caso studio

This article focuses on processes of social inclusion/exclusion of four different Roma groups living in Apulia, in Southern Italy: a) Italian Roma living in some municipalities in the province of Lecce; b) Roma Xoraxane currently residing in a settlement (Campo Sosta) in Lecce; c) some romanian Roma living in emergency housing conditions in Lecce; d) a group of Bulgarian Roma employed in seasonal agricultural work in the province of Foggia, under exploitative conditions. The essay aims to highlight the way in which the inclusion/exclusion conditions are politically and socially constructed, affecting different Roma groups present on the same territory. Starting from such cases, the paper inquires into the possible influence of policies-making, processes of social interaction and socio-economic changes on social and territorial inclusion/exclusion of different Roma groups.

NITROGENOUS FERTILIZATION LEVELS AND ROOT MYCORRHIZAL COLONIZATION ON PLANT GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY IN WHEAT CROPS

In a two-year study (2002-2003), mycorrhizal treatments in conjunction with three nitrogen fertilization levels of 0, 50, 100 kg of N/hawere tested on durum wheat in continuous cropping. The study took place in the Province of Foggia, a semi-arid area of the Mediterranean Basin in southern Italy, with silty-clay soil classified as Typic Chromoxerert. Seeds of cultivar Simeto were inoculated at sowing, and a completely randomized block design with three replications with and without inoculation was adopted. Plant samples were taken during the vegetative cycle of the durum wheat, and the root mycorrhizal colonization was examined. In all treatments,the percentage of colonised root length was significantly higher in the inoculated plants than it was in the control. The plants inoculated and fertilized with 50 kg N/ha showed a significant increase in grain yield.

Modeling regional soil C stocks and CO2 emissions under Mediterranean cropping systems and soil types

To assess the spatial and temporal dynamics of carbon (C) at regional scale induced by land use and soil type, we performed a simulation study, based on a bio-physical model (RothC10N) combined with a spatially explicit database including soil, land use and climate. RothC10N was linked to GIS and outputs were interpolated using Empirical Bayesian Kriging (EBK) to estimate the C stocks and CO2 emissions in the Mediterranean area of Foggia province in Southern Italy. The typical cropping systems of the area, i.e. arable rainfed (ACR) and irrigated crops (ACI) (cereals in rotation with irrigated tomato), vines (VIN), olives (OLI), and grasslands (GL) were considered. RothC10N simulations showed that OLI and VIN were able to store a considerable amount of C. Conversely, arable crops led to a reduction which was higher when the rotation included the irrigated tomato. The transition from arable to permanent crops (A2P) showed higher SOC stock increases than that from permanent to arable (P2A). The CO2-C released to the atmosphere was higher in ACI, P2A, and VIN, and lower in OLI and GL. Overall, in the year 2013 the total soil C stock in agricultural land across the province of Foggia was 19 Tg C, while the total GHG emission was 16.9 Tg CO2-C. The proposed methodology has proved to be effective to estimate the C stocks and emissions in the Mediterranean area and can be applied to assess the effect of specific land uses and land use change. Main land management recommendations to prevent soil organic C decline in the study area are: conservation tillage of arable lands, improvement of crop rotations, e.g. from continuous wheat to cropping systems including alfalfa or other legume crops, retention of crop residues into the field, rational use of irrigation for the summer crop, use of cover crops during the winter season to replace fallow periods, and supply of organic fertilizers (compost or manure).

Environmental Epidemiology and Population Engagement: the Manfredonia Environment and Health Project

Introduction On 26th September 1976 an accident in a petrochemical plant in Manfredonia (Province of Foggia, Apulia Region, Southern Italy) resulted in a release of several tons of arsenic compound...

Adoption of biodegradable mulching films in agriculture: is there a negative prejudice towards materials derived from organic wastes?

During the last years ongoing research has moved towards the valorisation of organic waste by the identification of possible products with a good market perspective. In this paper we consider the possibility of using the organic fraction of municipal waste to produce biodegradable mulching films for agricultural purposes. The aim of this research was to estimate the potential demand of horticultural farms located in the province of Foggia (Italy) for biodegradable films derived from organic waste. We carried out a survey of 107 producers in the area. Findings showed that the adoption of the innovative films does not depend on the nature of the raw material used and that the willingness to pay for such films is higher with respect to the price of similar products already available in the market. In addition, farmers’ preferences towards mulching films’ attributes (strength, durability, mechanical harvesting, transparency, etc.) are identified.

The EU environmental-energy policy for urban areas: The Covenant of Mayors, the ELENA program and the role of ESCos

The Covenant of Mayors (CoM) is an initiative of the European Commission started in 2008 with the aim of involving cities more in the implementation of the 20-20-20 climate-energy package. To this end, a variety of tools to assist the realization of such a policy has been built. The European Local Energy Assistance (ELENA) program of the European Investment Bank (EIB) is one of the most relevant. In this work, we observe some data on the Italian participation in the CoM and ELENA program, while highlighting the role the Energy Service Companies have in these contexts. By referring to the specific experience of the Province of Foggia (an intermediary government body in southern Italy), we also discuss how some recent changes in the Italian legislation, aimed at abolishing the provinces (considered as preferred supporting structure of the CoM), imposed the identification of another supraterritorial entity. This is to substitute the Province of Foggia as coordinator in the dialog between the local territory and the European Union institutions on the climate-energy theme. In this sense, the choice of the Chamber of Commerce represents a novelty. With regard to this, some considerations on the appropriateness of this choice are developed.