LIFE Svolta Blu: looking for companies to join the water credit market

From 1 to 4 September 2026, Florence hosted the 2nd SIDEA-SIEA-CESET Joint Conference, entitled “Rural Territories in Transition: Policies, Innovations and Possible Futures”. Organised by the University of Florence, the conference provided a platform for scientific exchange on agricultural, agri-food, territorial and environmental economics.

LIFE Svolta Blu also contributed to the debate during the panel “Economic Evaluations for Territorial Sustainability”, which brought together seven speakers and researchers to explore economic tools and approaches supporting more sustainable territories.

The project was represented by Dr Giovanna Piracci from the University of Padua, who presented the scientific paper “Pricing agricultural water saving: Evidence on farmers’ preferences for the design of a voluntary water credit market”, co-authored with Cristiano Franceschinis, Kareem Twal, Tiho Ancev and Mara Thiene.

The research addresses one of the key aspects in the development of a voluntary water credit system: understanding farmers’ willingness to participate in a market for trading credits generated through water savings. In particular, the study analyses farmers’ preferences regarding the structure of such a system and assesses their willingness to accept financial compensation in exchange for participating.

Understanding the conditions that can encourage farmers’ participation is a crucial step towards turning water savings into a concrete tool for territorial sustainability.

The paper also received important recognition: it was selected by CESET – Centro Studi di Estimo e di Economia Territoriale as the winner of the “Best Paper Under 40” award in the category “Methods and techniques for the urban, territorial and environmental assessment of ongoing dynamics in rural areas”.

The conference, which brought together representatives from academia and the research community, provided a further opportunity to share and highlight the results and approaches developed within LIFE Svolta Blu. It also fostered scientific exchange on the role that innovative economic instruments can play in the sustainable management of water resources and in building more resilient territories.

For more information about the conference: https://firenze.sidea-siea-ceset.org/

***

SIDEA: Società Italiana di Economia Agraria

SIEA: Società Agraria di Economia Agroalimentare

CESET: Centro Studi di Estimo e di Economia Territoriale