Journal of Food Processing & Technology

Common agricultural policy and traditional Italian food: Pathways for the sustainability

4^th International Conference and Exhibition on Food Processing & Technology

August 10-12, 2015 London, UK

Francesco Zecca

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Food Process Technol

Abstract:

Food prices, as a main tool of market regulation, play an important role in the world’s economy: on the one hand it provides an
availability of food for consumers; on the other hand it is a farmer’s income, crucial for their sustainability. Price changes directly
affect producer and consumer welfare and may trigger demands by these groups for policy interventions (Pinstrup -Andersen 2015).
In contemporary turbulent time, when sustainable development of rural areas became more and more important, farmers should
consider many factors before food pricing, for compensation their costs, and for sustaining the competition of their products (Tosano
2013). This contribution highlights the Italian traditional food, its production, valorisation and its meaning for rural areas sustainable
development. Traditional food is an essential part of cultural and gastronomic heritage and local traditions (Kuhne 2010), and is a
part of image of Italian rural territories, attractive for tourists. Traditional foods are thus restricted by the current conditions in the
market but they have good perspectives for growing in the future if some challenges are accomplished (Jordana 2000). For traditional
food products, the link to the locality of production represents an attribute with added value that marketing and labelling trends to
increasingly valorise, including in a global context (de Noronha et al. 2009). CAP(Common Agricultural Policy) changed it’ s focus
from market orientation to the new economic, social, environmental, climate-related and technological challenges facing our society.
It provides many possibilities for sustaining of traditional food production and enabling of rural areas.

Biography :

Francesco Zecca is Associate Professor of Economics and Agricultural Policy. He carries out its teaching and research activities at the Department of Management of
the University of Rome La Sapienza. His fields of scientific interest are the sustainability of AgriFood production processes, policies of agricultural and rural development,
economics of organic produce. He has been Director of MIPAAF (Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies). Member of the ENEA Scientific Council.
Representing Italy within the Steering Committee on Agricultural Research of the European Commission. Member of the OECD Governing Body of the programme
Biological resource management for sustainable agricultural systems.