Sustainability of Dairy Sheep Production in Pasture Lands: A Case Study Approach to Integrate Economic and Environmental Perspectives

Titolo Rivista RIVISTA DI STUDI SULLA SOSTENIBILITA'
Autori/Curatori Alberto Stanislao Atzori, Roberto Furesi, Fabio A. Madau, Pietro Pulina, Pier Giacomo Rassu
Anno di pubblicazione 2015 Fascicolo 2015/1
Lingua Inglese Numero pagine 18 P. 117-134 Dimensione file 242 KB
DOI 10.3280/RISS2015-001008
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Sheep farming plays a large role in some specific economies, maintains strong links with natural resources, and produces multiple functions in rural areas. Its sustainability has to deal with different purposes. This study aims to assess economic and environmental sustainability of extensive dairy sheep farming in Sardinia. A case study approach was adopted in order to directly collect farm data and to integrate assessments on more dimensions of sustainability. We found that farm is not profitable without support of public financial aids. Furthermore, production of nitrogen is under the normative limit and greenhouses gas emission intensity, allocated with economic criteria, was equal to 2,3 and 16,1 kg of CO2eq emitted per kg of produced milk and meat, respectively. Empirical evidences suggest the need to better take into account environmental externalities and into the farmer’s choices. A public financial support system expressively based on minimizing environmental externalities might force farmers to incentive eco-sustainable production and guarantee them profitability.

L’allevamento ovino riveste un’importanza strategica in molte realtà, in quanto è connesso all’uso delle risorse naturali ed espleta una molteplicità di funzioni nei territori rurali. Ciò implica che la sostenibilità delle pratiche deve tenere conto della dimensione multifunzionale. Il presente studio è volto a valutare la sostenibilità economica ed ambientale dell’allevamento ovino estensivo in Sardegna. Al fine di poter basare la valutazione su dati direttamente rilevati in azienda, si è optato per un caso studio. Questo approccio ha consentito di poter meglio integrare le valutazioni sul piano economico ed ambientale. È stato valutato che l’impresa in oggetto risulta in attivo solo grazie all’entità dei contributi pubblici. Sul fronte ambientale, la produzione di azoto è inferiore al limite consentito per legge e l’emissione di gas serra è pari rispettivamente a 2,3 e 16,1 Kg di CO2 equivalente per Kg di latte e carne. Si evince l’importanza di tener conto degli effetti ambientali in fase decisionale e che un sistema di incentivi economici ancorato all’obiettivo di minimizzare tali effetti potrebbe stimolare gli allevatori a produzioni eco-sostenibili e, nel contempo, remunerative.

Keywords:Allevamento ovino, balance sheet analysis, analisi del ciclo di vita, risorse naturali, multifunzionalità, politiche agricole

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Alberto Stanislao Atzori, Roberto Furesi, Fabio A. Madau, Pietro Pulina, Pier Giacomo Rassu, Sustainability of Dairy Sheep Production in Pasture Lands: A Case Study Approach to Integrate Economic and Environmental Perspectives in "RIVISTA DI STUDI SULLA SOSTENIBILITA'" 1/2015, pp 117-134, DOI: 10.3280/RISS2015-001008