Irrigation plays a pivotal role in Southern Europe, and its importance is expected to further increase due to rising climatic variability. Concurrently, the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) mandates the safeguarding of water bodies and the implementation of incentive pricing strategies to promote efficient water management. Within this context, Irrigation Scheduling Decision Support Systems (IS-DSS) could contribute to the achievement of these objectives, although there are still obstacles to their adoption due to uncertainties regarding their potential benefits. This paper aims to derive a pricing model that reflects actual water use through the adoption of an IS-DSS. The innovation of this study lies in showing that adopting an IS-DSS to reduce irrigation volumes can potentially lower concession fees in collective irrigation systems. Thus, it contributes to the fulfilment of the WFD’s objectives regarding incentive water pricing. Notably, the tool is evaluated using the case study of a farm located in the Mediterranean region. The results demonstrate the dual benefits of IS-DSS adoption: on the one hand, it helps preserve water resources with a 24% reduction in irrigation volumes; on the other, it decreases irrigation costs by 20% at the farm level and by 9.4% at the irrigation district level. Therefore, the presented study provides insights into the potential of IS-DSS to enhance water pricing policies to promote efficient water management in Southern European agriculture in alignment with the WFD requirements.

Throughout history, the natural perishability of food and its inconstant supply over the year have influenced family diets and local food traditions worldwide. These critical issues have been managed in two very different ways: by preserving raw foodstuffs, or by processing them. Underground spaces have often been used for both purposes. Their use for the preservation or processing of foods is a case of successful adaptation of local skills and technologies to the management of local resources and environmental conflicts. This paper, after proposing a methodological approach for elements included in the function “food” of the new-born Underground Built Heritage (UBH) class, lists the main characteristics of three different types of artefacts falling within this category: iceboxes, cellars, and traditional food production. For each group, several examples from all over the world are presented. After this overview, the paper turns to a case study of Italian production of cheese in caves and the general level of protection guaranteed by the current European and Italian legislation to the connection between given food specialities and the UBH used in their production. After introducing the general context, the article analyses the production of traditional Italian “cave cheeses” in detail, with particular reference to Taleggio, Fossa di Sogliano, Canestrato di Moliteno, Pallone di Gravina, and Grotte del Caglieron cheeses, in order to determine how and whether UBH is included in dedicated marketing strategies such as the choice of a product’s logo and the product’s branding and storytelling.

Climatic factors have always played a key role in the construction of food-related architecture: mitigation of outdoor temperatures or winds, adoption of raining waters in the productive processes, etc. However, sometimes, climate change has impacted the profitability of those structures and eventually caused their abandonment. Today, historical food-related architectures are significant elements of local rural heritage, and they are also tangible symbols of all the values connected to the corresponding typical food productions. When the cultural value of rural cultural assets and the historical management of climatic factors coexist, this potential can be investigated, and the results can ultimately be included in the corresponding enhancement processes. To exploit this potential, the paper introduces the theoretical concept of food-related architecture as climatic indicators, with reference to the changes in the climate that have occurred during their construction, as well as their abandonment. According to the thesis of the research, the adoption of the concept of climatic indicators can implement the value of selected minor cultural assets, support sustainable rural regeneration plans and integrate missing historical climate series and data. In the Materials and Methods section, two theoretical charts have been introduced, and the pyramid of the Mediterranean diet was analyzed to allow for the selection of some food-related architectures to test the theoretical approach developed. Then, three Italian case studies have been analyzed: the concept of climate indicators was tested, and some potential focus points of actions connected to this aspect were elucidated. The case studies are the Pietragalla wine district in the Basilicata Region, the Apulian rock-cut oil mills and Mills’s Valley in the Campania Region.