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Nature-based solutions (NbS) approach in agriculture aims at establishing some new agri-food systems relationships to bring health co-benefits and achieve global food security similar to agroecology. These similarities are most pronounced in methods (conservation agriculture, agroforestry, nutrient management, C-farming reforestation etc.) that can be used to reach the goals of sustainability in food production and addressing societal challenges. The differences between these two concepts are how they access the problem - while NbS has a top-down approach, agroecology uses using bottom-up direction. The territory is argued to be a decisive point for both NbS and agroecology as a place where these two concepts overlap. Conversely, this could be an advantage for reaching the inclusiveness and synergies necessary for scaling out sustainable systems that lead to multiple benefits in agriculture. This could help the current system of agricultural production encompassing the farm vs. food system approach and foster the integration of methods and mechanisms of transition to establish the new food systems. Identifying where the territorial domain of NbS and agroecology overlap is important and may represent the eatery point where the transition of agriculture can be initiated. Given the agroecological background and socio-economical conditions, we can propose using such an approach to agri-food transformation in Serbia. Developing a coherent policy framework based on a holistic performance covering sustainable intensification and traditional food production based on innovation could be a way forward in agri-food improvement.

Some major future global challenges are linked to more efficient use of water for irrigation to respond to the growing water scarcity coupled with the increasing food demand. Although irrigation advisory services (IASs) are considered effective instruments to increase water use efficiency in agriculture, their diffusion remains limited. This is due to several constraints mainly linked to their low accessibility and high costs. To overcome the bottlenecks associated with IASs’ adoption, this paper proposes a business model (BM) as a tool for scaling up IASs within a business perspective, with the aim of encouraging the diffusion of this technology while enhancing the associated environmental and social benefits. Drawn from the experience of the OPERA project, we structured the business model taking advantage of the opinion of relevant stakeholders and IASs’ potential users to identify specific limitations and understand their needs. It turned out that farmers are willing to adopt IASs but require that the service is easily accessible, with high-quality information that are delivered at an affordable cost. Indeed, here a BM with an innovative way to produce and deliver value is proposed. The value proposition is built upon key features namely, integration, customization, accessibility, and sustainability that reflect users’ needs and preferences. Our BM also provides a detailed revenues strategy that guarantees the financial sustainability of IASs.

Irrigation Advisory Services (IAS) are powerful management instruments aiming to achieve the best efficiency in irrigation water use. So far the literature on farmers’ preferences for a specific scheme design of IAS’ characteristics and the related willingness to pay (WTP) is scant. This study provides evidence on farmers’ preference towards six attributes related to the IAS configuration by using a hypothetical choice experiment. Data were collected from an original survey among 108 farmers from Spain, The Netherlands, Italy, Poland and South Africa. Moreover, we investigated the interplay between these preferences and the individual risk attitude (elicited through a lottery task) as a novel contribution. On average, the results suggest a clear farmers’ preference, especially for receiving weather forecasts from the service and for the feature related to water data recording; as the opposite, on average, crop water requirement seems irrelevant. Finally, we found that farmers’ WTP for the different IAS services varies across countries and, in some cases, also according to the individual risk attitude.

Irrigation Advisory Services (IAS) are powerful management instruments aiming to achieve the best efficiency in irrigation water use. So far the literature on farmers’ preferences for a specific scheme design of IAS’ characteristics and the related willingness to pay (WTP) is scant. This study provides evidence on farmers’ preference towards six attributes related to the IAS configuration by using a hypothetical choice experiment. Data were collected from an original survey among 108 farmers from Spain, The Netherlands, Italy, Poland and South Africa. Moreover, we investigated the interplay between these preferences and the individual risk attitude (elicited through a lottery task) as a novel contribution. On average, the results suggest a clear farmers’ preference, especially for receiving weather forecasts from the service and for the feature related to water data recording; as the opposite, on average, crop water requirement seems irrelevant. Finally, we found that farmers’ WTP for the different IAS services varies across countries and, in some cases, also according to the individual risk attitude.

Lo studio delle interazioni dei fattori meteorologici ed idrologici con l’ecosistema agrario - forestale e con l’agricoltura, intesa nel suo senso più ampio, è oggetto di una particolare disciplina, l’agrometeorologia, che negli ultimi anni ha assunto un ruolo sempre più rilevante nella pianificazione agricola, a causa della maggiore variabilità meteorologica e in particolare della crescente diffusione e intensificazione dei fenomeni estremi. Questo ruolo è stato pienamente riconosciuto nelle recenti normative europee sull’agricoltura, in particolare con le direttive della nuova Politica Agricola Comunitaria (PAC2014-2020) sulla produzione integrata e sull’agricoltura biologica, sistemi agricoli a basso impatto ambientale che prevedono l’uso coordinato e razionale di tutti i fattori della produzione, per ridurre al minimo il ricorso a mezzi tecnici che hanno un impatto sull’ambiente o sulla salute dei consumatori. L’attuazione di tali tecniche agricole si avvale di informazioni che derivano principalmente dalla modellistica agronomica, che utilizza il dato agrometeorologico nelle procedure di elaborazione. La conferma dell’importanza attribuita all’agrometeorologia è data dalla Direttiva europea 2009/128/CE del 21 ottobre 2009 che istituisce un quadro comunitario per l’uso sostenibile dei prodotti fitosanitari, applicata a livello italiano attraverso l’approvazione del Piano d’Azione Nazionale sull’uso dei prodotti fitosanitari (PAN, approvato con DM22/01/2014). La Rete Rurale Nazionale, programma con cui l’Italia partecipa al più ampio progetto europeo (Rete Rurale Europea - RRE) che accompagna e integra tutte le attività legate allo sviluppo delle aree rurali per il periodo 2014-2020, mira a supportare le politiche di sviluppo delle aree agricole, con il fine ultimo di favorire scambi di esperienze e conoscenze tra gli operatori del settore e le istituzioni e tutti i soggetti che operano e vivono nelle aree rurali. Nello specifico ambito, si pone l’obiettivo di su

Le applicazioni agrometeorologiche per la gestione delle colture in pieno campo e l'utilizzo di nuove tecnologie di monitoraggio sono sempre pi̮ diffuse e si concretizzano anche attraverso lo sviluppo di progetti di ricerca internazionali orientati all'implementazione di servizi operativi. Particolare rilevanza assume il programma Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES), che supporta lo sviluppo di capacit̉ e servizi di monitoraggio globale attraverso tecniche di Osservazione della Terra. Irrigation needs estimation at farm and district level by Earth Observation techniquesSIRIUS (Sustainable Irrigation water management and River-basin governance: Implementing User-driven Services) is a research project funded by EU FP7 in the GMES framework supporting the development of monitoring services through remote sensing and ICT technologies to deliver the service to the final users. SIRIUS is developing efficient water resource management services in support of food production in water-scarce environments. It addresses water governance and management in accordance with the vision of bridging and integrating sustainable development and economic competi-tiveness. The project is developing new services for water man-agers and food producers, and a range of additional information products in support of sustainable irrigation water use and management under conditions of water scarcity and drought.