Catering for Two or Organic Food

Catering for Two

Author: Alice James

Alice James' 1898 "Catering for Two" is designed for the "Inexperienced cook" who wishes to provide economical, delicious meals for a small family.

Book review: 2009 Play With Your Food Wall Calendar or 2009 Wine Lovers Page A Day Calendar

Organic Food: Consumers' Choices and Farmers' Opportunities

Author: Maurizio Canavari

Consumers' attention to food safety issues and environmental issues has increased overwhelmingly in recent decades because of their increased concern about their own health, the environment's health, and the crises and emergencies reported worldwide. Once the only option, organic agriculture has always been a production option followed by at least a few farmers all over the world. These farmers were prompted by ethical and environmental motivations, as well as by committed consumers who supported organic agriculture thanks to a separate but fairly elitist distribution channel. Organic food now has become a viable alternative for an increasing number of consumers that are worried about the presence of chemicals residues and the negative consequence on the environment caused by intensive production methods. Many farmers also now see organic farming as a way to stabilize or even increase their income due to public policy support and growing market demand.

Organic Food: Consumers' Choices and Farmers' Opportunities gives an overview of the organic sector, both in Italy and in the United States, and demonstrates how agricultural economists are performing analyses dealing with organic produce on different points in the supply chain. It deals with economic issues raised by organic farming and takes into account both the consumer's needs and the managerial and budget constraints experienced by the farmers. Farm management methodologies and marketing analyses are also presented with specific research topics involving several industries in the agri-food sector.

Table of Contents:

Contributors     xv
Sector's Overview
From Niche to Market: The Growth of Organic Business in Italy   Edi Defrancesco   Luca Rossetto     3
Overview on Organic Market     3
The Bio-boom in Italy     5
Organic Farming in the Veneto Region: An Analysis Based on the 2000 Italian Census of Agriculture Data     10
References     16
An Overview of Organic Agriculture in the United States   Catherine Greene     17
Introduction     17
U.S. Organic Standards and Certification     18
Economic Characteristics of the U.S. Organic Agriculture Sector     21
Recent State and Federal Policy Initiatives     26
References     27
The Producer's Perspective
A Comparative Profitability Analysis of Organic and Conventional Farms in Emilia-Romagna and in Minnesota   Maurizio Canavari   Rino Ghelfi   Kent D. Olson   Sergio Rivaroli     31
Introduction     31
Objectives and Hypotheses     33
Materials and Methods     33
Results and Discussion     36
Final Remarks     44
References     44
Situation and Perspectives of Organic Meat in Italy   Luigi Galletto     47
Organic Meat Situation in Italy     47
Observations from a Small Sample of Venetian Firms Dealing with Organic Meat     51
Concluding Remarks     59
References     63
Profitability of Organic Cropping Systems in Southwestern Minnesota   Paul R. Mahoney   Kent D. Olson   Paul M. Porter   David R. Huggins   Catherine A. Perillo   R. Kent Crookston     65
Introduction     65
Background     66
Study Location and Design     67
Data Collection and Analysis Methods     68
Results     73
Conclusions     80
References     81
Comparing the Profitability of Organic and Integrated Crop Management   Carlo Pirazzoli   Nicola Stanzani   Alessandro Palmieri   Roberta Centonze   Maurizio Canavari     83
Introduction     83
Materials and Methods     84
Results     85
Final Remarks     89
References     90
Marketing Strategies for Organic Wine Growers in the Veneto Region   Luca Rossetto     93
Wine from Organic Agriculture     94
Overview of the Organic Wine Market     95
The Organic Wine Market in Italy     96
A Survey on Organic Wine Market in the Veneto Region     98
Concluding Remarks     108
References     111
The Consumers' Perspective
Investigating Preferences for Environment Friendly Production Practices   Riccardo Scarpa   Fiorenza Spalatro   Maurizio Canavari     115
Introduction     115
Theory     117
Data     119
Econometric Analysis and Results     119
Conclusions     122
References     123
Potential Demand for Organic Marine Fish in Italy   Edi Defrancesco     125
Introduction     125
Methodology and Data     128
Findings and Comments     132
Concluding Remarks     139
References     141
Italian Consumers' Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Organic Beef   Alessandro Corsi   Silvia Novelli     143
Introduction     143
Data     144
Willingness to Pay for Organic Beef     146
Consumers' Motivations for Not Purchasing Organic Beef     153
Preferences about Selling Modalities      154
Conclusions     155
References     156
The US Consumer Perspective on Organic Foods   Carolyn Dimitri   Luanne Lohr     157
Introduction     157
US Market for Organic Food Products     158
The US Organic Food Consumer     161
Direct Market Sales of Organic Food Products     162
The Future of the US Organic Food Market     165
References     166
Recent Developments and Future Issues
Current Issues in Organic Food: Italy   Maurizio Canavari     171
Introduction     171
Farmer Issues     172
Food Chain Issues     173
Consumers' Issues     174
Policy and Trade Issues     177
Further Emerging Issues     180
References     181
Current Issues in Organic Food: United States   Kent D. Olson     185
Introduction     185
Production Issues     186
Distribution and Marketing Issues     189
Policy and Trade Issues     190
Future Issues     192
References     192
Index     195