Journal of Food Processing & Technology

The production of energy by agriculture in the Mediterranean basin - Understanding the role of agriculture knowledge and innovation system at the regional level: The case of Tuscany, Italy

Global Food Security and Sustainability Conference

September 05-07, 2016 Beijing, China

Oriana Gava

University of Pisa, Italy

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Food Process Technol

Abstract:

The EU aims at increasing the production of renewable energy by agriculture by 2020 and it is now supported by COP 21â??s Paris Agreement (2015). Biogas-to-electricity plants in farms might help the EU complay with the energy target above, but the diffusion of agroenery in the Mediterranean area is modes and uneven. This study aims to understand the process of biogas diffusion in a region of the Mediterranean area, by dealing with knowledge transfer and the role of networks and considering networksâ?? impacts on the transaction costs associated with agroenergy adoption. The paper depicts the agricultural knowledge and innovation system behind the diffusion of agroenergy and identifies the systemâ??s structural components in Tuscany (Italy), i.e. a proxy for northern areas of the Mediterranean basin, where prospective biogas adopters in Tuscany should radically change farm structures. The methodology involves social network analysis, for pinpointing the role of the different interest groups in knowledge transfer and the extent to which knowledge management has shaped the biogas sector in Tuscany. Preliminary results highlight that knowledge transfer from producers to users (farmers) seems to be a weakness of the network. Apparently, adopters are self-sufficient in terms of knowledge gathering during the innovation-decision phase, while they miss significant intermediaries. Given the irreversibility of biogas adoption, disconnection could significantly affect the costs for daily management. The lack of coordination among the components of the agricultural knowledge and innovation system may hinder the sustainable diffusion of biogas, with the rise of intensive entrepreneurial agro energy farming.

Biography :

Email: oriana.gava@for.unipi.it