ISSN xxxx-xxxx (print) © Firenze University Press 
ISSN 2280-6172 (online) www.fupress.com/bae

Bio-based and Applied Economics 1(1): 1-2, 2012

Presidential Address

This is the first issue of the journal Bio-based and Applied Economics (BAE), pro-
moted by the newly funded Associazione Italiana di Economia Agraria ed Applicata (Ital-
ian Association of Agricultural and Applied Economics). The reasons for the foundation 
of a new association are rooted in the rapid change over time of the purpose and the 
methods of scientific research in the field of agriculture and food. The idea of launch-
ing a new journal is deeply embedded in the awareness of this change. Accordingly, the 
journal will seek to contribute to scientific debate in the most cutting edge and inno-
vative areas covered by the disciplines and themes addressed by the association, with a 
close attention to the developing policy debate and clearly focusing on the international 
dimension of this debate.

It is not by chance that the new journal is launched almost at the same time as the 
recent Communication on the bioeconomy released by the EU Commission on “Inno-
vating for Sustainable Growth: A Bioeconomy for Europe”. The discussion on the bioec-
onomy, now developing exponentially worldwide, allows to make more explicit new chal-
lenges and to foster the debate on the sustainable use of biological resources, as well as to 
explore new dimensions of development and rural economies.

BAE provides a forum for the presentation and discussion of applied research in the 
field of bio-based sectors and related policies, informing evidence-based decision-making 
and policy-making. It intends to provide a scholarly source of theoretical and applied 
studies while remaining widely accessible for non-researchers.

BAE seeks applied contributions on the economics of bio-based industries, such 
as agriculture, forestry, fishery and food, dealing with any related disciplines, such as 
resource and environmental economics, consumer studies, regional economics, innovation 
and development economics. Besides well-established fields of research related to these 
sectors, BAE aims in particular to explore cross-sectoral, recent and emerging themes 
characterizing the integrated management of biological resources, bio-based industries 
and sustainable development of rural areas. Special attention will also be paid to the link-
ages between local and international dimensions.

This first issue provides a set of review papers on selected ‘hot’ issues in and around 
the field of the bio-based economy, and economics. Far from being an exhaustive set of 
papers that shed light on a systematic view of the broad field addressed by the journal, 



2 Presidential Address

they are rather teasers that we hope will provide opportunities for thought-provoking dis-
cussion and stimulating research.

We sincerely hope this initiative will contribute to boost the debate on the bio-based 
sectors and will help to move attention from the policy discussion to vanguard advances 
in the related multiple disciplinary fields.

Prof. Giovanni Cannata
President Associazione Italiana di Economia Agraria e Applicata