This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.

Dr. Maurizio PROSPERI
Department SAFE, University of Foggia, via Napoli 25, 71122 Foggia, Italy

Basic Info


Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Agricultural Economics
0 Rural Development
0 Social Innovation
0 Water Policy
0 bioeconomy

Fingerprints

Social Innovation
Rural Development

Honors and Awards

The user has no records in this section


Career Timeline

The user has no records in this section.


Short Biography

Maurizio Prosperi is an Agricultural Economist specialized in Rural Development. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agriculture, Food, Natural resource and Engineering, University of Foggia (Italy). He completed his bachelor degree in Agricultural Sciences at Unversity of Bologna (Italy), and his master and doctoral course in Agricultural Sciences at Kyoto University (Japan). Currently, he teaches Rural Appraisal and Farm Accounting, and Management of Logistic Networks in the Agri-Food sector. His main research activities are related to: analysis of social innovation initiatives in rural areas; economics of irrigation water systems; strategies for the development of biorefinery schemes; participatory approaches for supporting multi-stakeholder strategy formulation. He has attended several international conferences and has published about twenty articles in reputable Journals.

Following
Followers
Co Authors
The list of users this user is following is empty.
Following: 0 users

Feed

Journal article
Published: 02 August 2021 in Sustainability
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Agriculture can be a possible provider of social services of relevant importance for the whole society. In order to generate a valuable social service, a multi-actor approach is often applied, based on an active collaboration among public institutions, non-profit organizations, and private firms, and capable of generating multiple positive impacts. This new approach may both favorite agricultural diversification and enhance the quality of life of rural communities. However, in order to enable policymakers in motivating the public support to these types of initiatives, an evaluation method capable of disentangling the multiple benefits generated by social agricultural projects is required. In this paper, we adapted the evaluation method previously developed by the SIMRA consortium for Social Innovation initiatives, to a project aimed at the employability of NEETs in the south of Italy. A selection grid, framed by cross-referencing the national policy objectives of social agriculture and the criteria of eligibility adopted in public calls is proposed, to choose the suitable indicators for the evaluation. The evaluation experience allowed the measurement of 34 indicators of performance. The results prove that 12 indicators are positive, while 12 are moderate, and 10 are low and are mainly related to the enhancement of social inclusion. The evaluation exercise may be useful to disentangling the multiple outcomes generated by initiatives based on social innovation, which are highly based on intangible assets, and exert a positive effect on the internal cohesion and the engagement of the civil society.

ACS Style

Antonio Baselice; Maurizio Prosperi; Antonio Lopolito. A Conceptual Framework for the Evaluation of Social Agriculture: An Application to a Project Aimed at the Employability of Young People NEET. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8608 .

AMA Style

Antonio Baselice, Maurizio Prosperi, Antonio Lopolito. A Conceptual Framework for the Evaluation of Social Agriculture: An Application to a Project Aimed at the Employability of Young People NEET. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (15):8608.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Baselice; Maurizio Prosperi; Antonio Lopolito. 2021. "A Conceptual Framework for the Evaluation of Social Agriculture: An Application to a Project Aimed at the Employability of Young People NEET." Sustainability 13, no. 15: 8608.

Journal article
Published: 28 July 2021 in Sustainability
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The European Union promotes social innovation (SI) initiatives for the support of marginalised rural areas through rural and sustainable development policies. These are based on the engagement of local actors and the strengthening of their mutual relationships to boost the fostering of professional collaborations. In this context, the Horizon 2020 Social Innovation in Marginalised Areas (SIMRA) project elaborated a conceptual framework for characterising the engagement in an SI initiative. Accordingly, this paper aims to demonstrate that engagement relies on specific key drivers, such as the existence of unmet social needs and the role of agency. To this end, a two-step Heckman model was applied to an SI initiative case study called Vàzapp’, a rural hub (agency) located in Southern Italy. It promotes relationships among farmers to valorise the marginalised rural areas. The results appear consistent with the theoretical framework, demonstrating that the farmers’ engagement was motivated by the existence of the aforementioned determinants. The implications are relevant for policymakers, consultants, and social innovators who may incorporate these elements in designing specific SI projects in different contexts.

ACS Style

Antonio Baselice; Mariarosaria Lombardi; Maurizio Prosperi; Antonio Stasi; Antonio Lopolito. Key Drivers of the Engagement of Farmers in Social Innovation for Marginalised Rural Areas. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8454 .

AMA Style

Antonio Baselice, Mariarosaria Lombardi, Maurizio Prosperi, Antonio Stasi, Antonio Lopolito. Key Drivers of the Engagement of Farmers in Social Innovation for Marginalised Rural Areas. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (15):8454.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Baselice; Mariarosaria Lombardi; Maurizio Prosperi; Antonio Stasi; Antonio Lopolito. 2021. "Key Drivers of the Engagement of Farmers in Social Innovation for Marginalised Rural Areas." Sustainability 13, no. 15: 8454.

Journal article
Published: 07 February 2021 in Sustainability
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Despite the growing interest in social innovation (SI) in agriculture, the literature lacks validated tools for evaluating such initiatives. This paper provides an empirical application of the evaluation approach developed within the H2020 SIMRA project to a pilot experience conducted in a rural area of Southern Italy. The value added by this case study is the application of the five types of criteria used by the OECD for the evaluation of development programs, which are commonly referred to as REEIS: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability. This experiment demonstrates the adequacy of the evaluation framework in identifying strengths and weaknesses of the initiative, according to a multifaceted perspective. The overall evaluation proves that most indicators fall under the high (48%) and medium categories (36%), and only few indicators are low (16%). The usefulness of the evaluation results is manifold. First, this evaluation highlights relevant arguments to support the communication strategy addressed at civil society, therefore reinforcing the civic engagement of the initiative, which is the distinctive feature of SI. Second, it supports project managers in addressing interventions to face emerging weaknesses. Finally, the evaluation provides factual evidence to policy makers to perform cost-effective analysis of rural development policies.

ACS Style

Antonio Baselice; Maurizio Prosperi; Valentino Marini Govigli; Antonio Lopolito. Application of a Comprehensive Methodology for the Evaluation of Social Innovations in Rural Communities. Sustainability 2021, 13, 1807 .

AMA Style

Antonio Baselice, Maurizio Prosperi, Valentino Marini Govigli, Antonio Lopolito. Application of a Comprehensive Methodology for the Evaluation of Social Innovations in Rural Communities. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (4):1807.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Baselice; Maurizio Prosperi; Valentino Marini Govigli; Antonio Lopolito. 2021. "Application of a Comprehensive Methodology for the Evaluation of Social Innovations in Rural Communities." Sustainability 13, no. 4: 1807.

Journal article
Published: 02 June 2020 in Sustainability
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The paper focuses on Agro-food waste valorization conceived as a long-term, complex socio-technical process involving several different actors belonging to multiple levels. Although this process is typically affected by a series of uncertainties, the convergence of stakeholders’ expectations proves to be a means to overcoming barriers, as it acts as the foundation of a shared agenda setting which formalizes the coordination efforts among the actors involved in an innovation process. Applying the strategic niche management (SNM) framework to the case of the Apulia Agro-Food Technology District (DARe), whose mission is to promote a bio-based industry for food-waste valorization, the paper proposes an operational tool capable of designing the strategy based on the entrepreneurs’ knowledge. The DARe aims to promote the technological innovation of agro-food firms located in the South of Italy. The results of a SWOT-SOR analysis led to the establishment of a twofold strategy aimed at (a) promoting the innovation of more active and dynamic firms, and (b) reducing the gap between “pioneer” and “laggard” firms, with the result of promoting integrated innovation throughout the entire district.

ACS Style

Maurizio Prosperi; Roberta Sisto; Antonio Lopolito; Valentina C. Materia. Local Entrepreneurs’ Involvement in Strategy Building to Facilitate Agro-Food Waste Valorisation within an Agro-Food Technological District: A SWOT-SOR Approach. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4523 .

AMA Style

Maurizio Prosperi, Roberta Sisto, Antonio Lopolito, Valentina C. Materia. Local Entrepreneurs’ Involvement in Strategy Building to Facilitate Agro-Food Waste Valorisation within an Agro-Food Technological District: A SWOT-SOR Approach. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (11):4523.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maurizio Prosperi; Roberta Sisto; Antonio Lopolito; Valentina C. Materia. 2020. "Local Entrepreneurs’ Involvement in Strategy Building to Facilitate Agro-Food Waste Valorisation within an Agro-Food Technological District: A SWOT-SOR Approach." Sustainability 12, no. 11: 4523.

Journal article
Published: 28 April 2020 in Social Networks
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The marginalised rural communities are characterised by societal challenges, such as isolation, lack of job opportunities, land abandonment, low quality of life and generally low education. Social Innovation (SI) initiatives may represent an opportunity to strengthen relationships among the members of rural community, by means of the alteration of the existing social networks. In this way, more exchange of information is expected, paving the way for the creation of professional collaborations among firms and other actors. This paper aims at proposing a short-term evaluation framework of effectiveness of a SI initiative in terms of reconfiguration of the social network structure. The described empirical case study is VàZapp’, a rural hub located in Southern Italy, which provides innovative solutions to activate social relations amongst farmers, altering hence their network. A well-referenced SI theoretical model, developed within the H2020 project SIMRA (Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas), and the methodology of Social Network Analysis (SNA) were used to verify and measure quantitative and qualitative indicators affected by network intervention activated by VàZapp’ initiative. Results show that this SI initiative worked effectively, leading to a +308% in the number of relations and +250% in social network density. In addition, an evident improvement in the quality of the social relations was found, especially in cases where there are direct engagements within VàZapp’. Outcomes suggest that supporting and promoting SI initiatives could become a central discussion point for the rethinking of rural development policies focused on regeneration of social relations’ structure.

ACS Style

M. Lombardi; A. Lopolito; A.M. Andriano; M. Prosperi; A. Stasi; E. Iannuzzi. NETWORK IMPACT OF SOCIAL INNOVATION INITIATIVES IN MARGINALISED RURAL COMMUNITIES. Social Networks 2020, 63, 11 -20.

AMA Style

M. Lombardi, A. Lopolito, A.M. Andriano, M. Prosperi, A. Stasi, E. Iannuzzi. NETWORK IMPACT OF SOCIAL INNOVATION INITIATIVES IN MARGINALISED RURAL COMMUNITIES. Social Networks. 2020; 63 ():11-20.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Lombardi; A. Lopolito; A.M. Andriano; M. Prosperi; A. Stasi; E. Iannuzzi. 2020. "NETWORK IMPACT OF SOCIAL INNOVATION INITIATIVES IN MARGINALISED RURAL COMMUNITIES." Social Networks 63, no. : 11-20.

Journal article
Published: 26 October 2018 in Energy Policy
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Social acceptance is a relevant determinant of the development of agro-energy systems because its absence can cause delays or even the abandonment of innovative projects. This paper aims at an ex ante assessment of the socio-political acceptance of small-scale agro-energy systems in rural areas located in southern Italy, according to the bioenergy village approach. Starting from a theoretical model, we investigated the key factors influencing the perception of the risks and benefits of the realization of a biomass combustion plant, by a statistical survey on a sample of 152 members of the local community living in eight municipalities located in a rural area. Through exploratory and confirmatory statistical analyses, we identified two key factors: (a) the economic, environmental, and social benefits for the community and (b) reassurance from the energy company management. This research shows that it is very important to consider these elements in order to facilitate dialogue and the debate within the local community. In this way, the involved actors will be enabled to express their expectations to decision makers and policymakers, thus contributing to the steering of the project. In other words, community involvement and the democracy of the energy policy processes are favoured.

ACS Style

Maurizio Prosperi; Mariarosaria Lombardi; Alessia Spada. Ex ante assessment of social acceptance of small-scale agro-energy system: A case study in southern Italy. Energy Policy 2018, 124, 346 -354.

AMA Style

Maurizio Prosperi, Mariarosaria Lombardi, Alessia Spada. Ex ante assessment of social acceptance of small-scale agro-energy system: A case study in southern Italy. Energy Policy. 2018; 124 ():346-354.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maurizio Prosperi; Mariarosaria Lombardi; Alessia Spada. 2018. "Ex ante assessment of social acceptance of small-scale agro-energy system: A case study in southern Italy." Energy Policy 124, no. : 346-354.

Journal article
Published: 01 July 2018 in RIVISTA DI STUDI SULLA SOSTENIBILITA'
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Maurizio Prosperi; Roberta Sisto; Mariarosaria Lombardi; Xueqin Zhu. Production of bioplastics for agricultural purposes: A supply chain study. RIVISTA DI STUDI SULLA SOSTENIBILITA' 2018, 119 -136.

AMA Style

Maurizio Prosperi, Roberta Sisto, Mariarosaria Lombardi, Xueqin Zhu. Production of bioplastics for agricultural purposes: A supply chain study. RIVISTA DI STUDI SULLA SOSTENIBILITA'. 2018; (1):119-136.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maurizio Prosperi; Roberta Sisto; Mariarosaria Lombardi; Xueqin Zhu. 2018. "Production of bioplastics for agricultural purposes: A supply chain study." RIVISTA DI STUDI SULLA SOSTENIBILITA' , no. 1: 119-136.

Journal article
Published: 20 March 2018 in Water
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Volumetric pricing as envisaged within the Water Framework Directive (60/2000) is a considerable challenge in terms of irrigation in Mediterranean regions, since a large share of the water source is groundwater. Enforcing this pricing scheme involves systematic metering and control (M&C) systems with subsequent high costs. This paper aims to fill the gap in the literature related to the assessment of costs for the metering and control of irrigation groundwater. The full operational cost of all activities related to the hypothetical services provided by a public agency is assessed for Apulia (a region in southern Italy). The results show that point-to-point metering services are quite costly, ranging from 38.5 to 59 euros per delivery point. New questions arise regarding whether the M&C of groundwater abstraction should be fully charged to end users (i.e., farmers), or also shared with the whole society as a public service aimed at environmental enhancement.

ACS Style

Armando Ursitti; Giacomo Giannoccaro; Maurizio Prosperi; Emilio De Meo; Bernardo C. De Gennaro. The Magnitude and Cost of Groundwater Metering and Control in Agriculture. Water 2018, 10, 344 .

AMA Style

Armando Ursitti, Giacomo Giannoccaro, Maurizio Prosperi, Emilio De Meo, Bernardo C. De Gennaro. The Magnitude and Cost of Groundwater Metering and Control in Agriculture. Water. 2018; 10 (3):344.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Armando Ursitti; Giacomo Giannoccaro; Maurizio Prosperi; Emilio De Meo; Bernardo C. De Gennaro. 2018. "The Magnitude and Cost of Groundwater Metering and Control in Agriculture." Water 10, no. 3: 344.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2017 in Journal of Cleaner Production
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Roberta Sisto; Edgardo Sica; Mariarosaria Lombardi; Maurizio Prosperi. Organic fraction of municipal solid waste valorisation in southern Italy: the stakeholders' contribution to a long-term strategy definition. Journal of Cleaner Production 2017, 168, 302 -310.

AMA Style

Roberta Sisto, Edgardo Sica, Mariarosaria Lombardi, Maurizio Prosperi. Organic fraction of municipal solid waste valorisation in southern Italy: the stakeholders' contribution to a long-term strategy definition. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2017; 168 ():302-310.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Roberta Sisto; Edgardo Sica; Mariarosaria Lombardi; Maurizio Prosperi. 2017. "Organic fraction of municipal solid waste valorisation in southern Italy: the stakeholders' contribution to a long-term strategy definition." Journal of Cleaner Production 168, no. : 302-310.

Chapter
Published: 28 April 2017 in Food Waste Reduction and Valorisation
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The valorisation of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) represents a relevant matter for local governments that may result in significant economic and environmental benefits. In particular, defining the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly OFMSW management strategy should be based upon the active involvement of local stakeholders in order to allow policymakers to take into account all possible environmental, social, technological, and financial OFMSW-related problems. In this framework the present chapter aims at outlining a long-term management plan for OFMSW in the case of the south-eastern Italian municipality of Foggia. To this end we have employed an adapted participatory backcasting experiment based upon a double-step procedure. By means of a focus group with experts on OFMSW management issues at the municipal level, we firstly identified the desired end point and the relative expected obstacles and opportunities. These were then discussed during a workshop organised with a group of local stakeholders, who identified and proposed all possible actions to be carried out in the short, medium, and long term to reach the identified end point. Such a participatory approach should contribute to reducing the bounded rationality and the subjectivity affecting decision-making processes as well as to broaden the knowledge base and to achieve a greater transparency in the definition of OFMSW management strategies.

ACS Style

Roberta Sisto; Edgardo Sica; Mariarosaria Lombardi; Maurizio Prosperi. Participatory Planning in Organic Solid Waste Management: A Backcasting Approach. Food Waste Reduction and Valorisation 2017, 23, 261 -278.

AMA Style

Roberta Sisto, Edgardo Sica, Mariarosaria Lombardi, Maurizio Prosperi. Participatory Planning in Organic Solid Waste Management: A Backcasting Approach. Food Waste Reduction and Valorisation. 2017; 23 ():261-278.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Roberta Sisto; Edgardo Sica; Mariarosaria Lombardi; Maurizio Prosperi. 2017. "Participatory Planning in Organic Solid Waste Management: A Backcasting Approach." Food Waste Reduction and Valorisation 23, no. : 261-278.

Conference paper
Published: 22 November 2016 in Proceedings of The 1st International Electronic Conference on Water Sciences
Reads 0
Downloads 0

As pointed out by Field and Field [1] there is a natural tendency among people to think that enacting a law automatically leads to the rectification of the problem to which it is addressed. The implementation and effectiveness of a groundwater use limit as well as pricing policy crucially depends on enforcement capacity, sanctioning systems, and the need for the generation of information and its management. Key issue in groundwater management is the size of the groundwater user community. Groundwater aquifers can be very small, with only tens or hundreds of users, but generally there is a large extent of individual users. Enforcement ultimately requires energy and resources thus it turns into a costly activities. Implementing an on-farm monitoring and control system typically involves a fixed component such as installing measuring devices, setting up administration and facilities, and a variable component that increases with the water proceeds (i.e. monitoring and collection activities). Monitoring/detection, may include both measuring the performance of water users and monitoring their compliance with regulation, as well as the development of monitoring technologies [2]. The aim of this research is to define a framework analysis of groundwater monitoring and control in agriculture in order to assess its cost. In Mediterranean region, irrigation water accounts for the largest volume of groundwater withdraw by many individual small users. The magnitude of cost for an individual monitoring may oversize the expected economic return of groundwater control. The case of Capitanata irrigation basin (Apulia region, South of Italy) is used to carry out the cost assessment of at-farm-gate monitoring and control systems on irrigation groundwater. Reference Field, B.C.; Field, M.K. Environmental economics: An introduction. McGraw-Hill: New York, 2002. McCann, L.; Colby, B.; Easter, K.W.; Kasterine, A.; Kuperan, K.V. Transaction cost measurement for evaluating environmental policies. Ecological Economics 2005, 52, 527-542.

ACS Style

Giacomo Giannoccaro; Armando Ursitti; Maurizio Prosperi. The magnitude and cost of groundwater monitoring and control in agriculture. Proceedings of The 1st International Electronic Conference on Water Sciences 2016, 1 .

AMA Style

Giacomo Giannoccaro, Armando Ursitti, Maurizio Prosperi. The magnitude and cost of groundwater monitoring and control in agriculture. Proceedings of The 1st International Electronic Conference on Water Sciences. 2016; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giacomo Giannoccaro; Armando Ursitti; Maurizio Prosperi. 2016. "The magnitude and cost of groundwater monitoring and control in agriculture." Proceedings of The 1st International Electronic Conference on Water Sciences , no. : 1.