Xylella fastidiosa: spread risk indicators, damaged landscape valuation and socioeconomic impacts

The doctoral research aims to score the risk of the potential entry, establishment and spread of Xylella fastidiosa into new countries in Europe and the Mediterranean, and to estimate the economic impacts on olive farms as well as on the landscape in Puglia. In addition, it will simulate the potential economic impact of X. fastidiosa if it were established and widespread in Lebanon. Horizon scanning and econometric models will be used for these purposes. The first conceptual framework will make it possible to calculate an overall risk score for each country, which will be used to rank their risk levels from lowest to highest in terms of entry, establishment and spread of X. fastidiosa. On the other hand, the econometric models will profile the impact of X. fastidiosa on the communal livelihood of stakeholders in terms of income source, types of losses, extra costs and reduction in production and landscape value.