SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF BIOMASS PRODUCTION WITHIN ECOLOGICAL FOCUS AREAS IN ITALY

摘要

The actual novelty of the CAP for 2014-2020 is the introduction of greening payments, as provided forrnin Regulation No. 1307/2013. Farmers owning over 15 hectares of arable crops, to be entitled to greening payment onrntop of the basic payment, are expected to apply three agricultural practices, deemed beneficial for the climate and thernenvironment: crop diversification, maintenance of permanent grassland and establishment of ecological focus areasrn(EFA). Among the typical EFA that might generate biomass, in this work we considered hedges, buffer strips andrnshort rotation coppice (SRC). The agricultural areas liable to be converted, in particular to SRC and buffer strips, sornas to meet the greening requirements amount to hundreds of thousands of hectares, and may produce more than onernmillion tons per year of energy biomass for direct use within the farm or in short chains for medium power plants.rnThis study aims to evaluate the social impact of the new organization required of farms to adapt to the structural asrnwell as professional changes needed. Indicators of labour and new equipment use are taken into account. In additionrnto the traditional production of cereal crops and livestock, the farms will produce wood and will consequently adoptrnnew methods of energy supply and use, besides improving both landscape and biodiversity. The economicrnconsiderations relating to the production of biomass in SRC are connected to the results of the Suscace and Faesirnprograms.