65788 - Economy and Development of the Agroalimentary Sector

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide students with adequate tools to understand and analyze the general principles of the agri-food economy understood, also, as a social science. Deepens the study of the characters of the agri-food system and developmental aspects of food demand and food consumption patterns, in particular, it will provide the student with the tools to analyze the issues related to quality in relation to public and private signs that guarantee and strategies and policies of the company. A particular focus will be devoted to the analysis of the market laws and will be analyzed consumer behavior, cultural changes and food innovation. Finally, special attention will be devoted to understanding the phenomenon of food losses and waste along the agro-food chain by providing the student with a key to economic and not, of the reasons that are the basis of the phenomenon

Course contents

UNIT 1 The agro-food system and the agro-food chain (4 hours)

1.1. Definition and characteristics of the agri-food system

1.1.1. The principal changes

1.2. The agri-food system and new services for the society

1.3. Concept of agro-food chain

1.3.1. Origin and evolution

1.3.2. The analysis of the agro-food chain;

1.4. The food supply chain in the Italian economic system

 

UNIT 2 Supply and demand of food products (5 hours)

2.1. Characters in the demand for food products

2.2. The concept of demand elasticity

2.2.1. Price elasticity of food demand

2.2.2. Income elasticity of food demand

2.2.3. Cross-elasticity of food demand

2.3. Related laws to food demand (Engel's law, expenditure's law, substitution's law, energy consumption's law)

2.4. The eating behaviors in the society of satiety

2.5. Characteristics of the supply of food products

 

UNIT 3 Food consumption the different approaches of analysis (5 hours)

3.1. Agro-nutritional availability

3.1.1. Western Agro-Nutritional Model 

3.1.2. International agro-nutritional models 

3.1.3. Water footprint of different agro-nutritional models

3.2. The Food Consumption Model

3.2.1. The triangle of consumer freedom

3.2.2. Trends in aggregate consumption of food products

3.2.3. Features of the western FCA

3.2.4. The Italian FCA

 

UNIT 4  Quality of Agro-Food products(5 hours)

4.1. The quality concept

4.2. The food quality tools

4.2.1. The geographical indications

4.2.2. The traditional specialty

4.2.3. The biological

4.2.4. Environmental certifications

4.2.5. The ethical certification

4.2.6. Nutritional claims

 

UNIT 5 Security and food insecurity and food waste (5 hours)

5.1. Definition of food losses and waste

5.2. Size and localization of the phenomenon

5.3. Conditions that may explain food losses and waste

5.3.1. Microeconomic conditions (and empirical evidence)

5.3.2. Macroeconomic conditions (and empirical evidence)

5.3.3. Non-Economic conditions (and empirical evidence)

5.4. Policies and tools that can lead to the prevention and reduction of food losses and waste

 

UNIT 6 Sustainability (or unsustainability) of the current food production

6.1. Sustainable development

6.2. The environmental sustainability indicators

6.3. The conventional agriculture

6.4. "Other agricultural systems"

6.5. The sustainability of the diet

Readings/Bibliography

During the course the professor will make available to students, on the ALMACAMPUS portal, specific educational material (in electronic format) which supplements the notes taken during the lectures.

The bibliography that we recommend is:

- Messori F., Ferretti F., (2010), Economia del mercato agroalimentare, Edagricole, Il sole 24 ore, Milano.

- FAO (2011), Global food losses and food waste, FAO, Rome.

Articles, reports and other texts will be recommended during the course

Teaching methods

The course is divided into five teaching units. The first two Units are theoretical, consisting of lectures, and the vision of two documentaries. These units offer themselves as preparatory to the next units. The Units from the third to fifth are focused on the economic  analysis of food consumptions  by focusing on phenomena such as quality and wastage closely related to the new trends in the world of production and consumption of food.

Assessment methods

The Learning assessment will be done through an oral examination (lasting about 20-25 minutes) able to verify the expected learning. In particular, the questions of the oral examination, cover topics developed in the teaching units.

Teaching tools

Blakckboard, projector, PC, ppt presentations, internet access, documentaries.

Office hours

See the website of Luca Falasconi