8 pages., ISBN 978-3-319-92102-0, Via ebook, The idea underpinning EIP-AGRI for linking producers and users of knowledge and promoting their interaction around problem-solving is well grounded on the evidence provided by the ‘innovation systems’ and related literature. Evidence gaps that matter to the implementation of the EIP-AGRI activities comprise the lack of knowledge regarding the best-fit network configuration for different farming systems and farming styles, and the nature and effectiveness of a facilitator function and role to bridge communication between researchers and farmers. This paper contributes with empirical evidence regarding the networks configuration best-fit for different farming system and farming styles, and provide insights on the facilitator relevance and its desirable profile, built on the study of a particular network: the Portuguese Cluster of small fruits (CSF). The small fruit sector is a novel sector in Portugal that has attracted in recent years a large number of new investors, in particular newly-established small-scale inexperienced producers. The insights provided by the CSF analysis emphasises that agglomeration economies based networks, which are very important in some agricultural sectors (e.g. fruit, wine) and in countries or regions where small-scale farms are significant, can in fact be the ground for knowledge and innovation networks in the sense wanted by the EIP-AGRI, since inclusiveness and facilitation functions are accounted for properly.
10 pages., Via ebook., Research on public markets in small provincial towns is scarce,
particularly on the role they play in maintaining a relationship with the local
culture, environment and production. This paper examines consumers’ habits and
preferences for food shopping in three European regions with respect to the
purchase of fish products. The goal is to investigate consumers’ preferences for
local fish to highlight the motivations that lead to different choices. A multiple
correspondence analysis explores the motivations behind purchasing preferences,
showing the complex process that drives individual consumer choices. Based on
504 interviews conducted in cities and areas adjacent to the cities of Girona,
Reggio Calabria, and Lipari, we found no evidence of converging habits and
homogenization on preferences. It supports the perspective in which the interplay
between local culture and consumption of local products is strictly associated.
