20:40 Mar 18, 2011 

Thank you for the further input from both peers and answerers on this. Whilst I think that in all likelihood all your answers are accurate in some respects for the word 'portata', the answers 'bearing capacity' and 'carrying capacity' leave the exact translation for 'portata' unanswered.

A related transcription has the same interviewer ask a similar question, but in this instance he asks if the soil is 'soft'.

From this I deduce, rightly or wrongly, that 'portata' is the opposite of soft, in soil bearing capacity terms, however unfortunately I have not yet come across a direct translation for it.

14:55 Mar 18, 2011 

Hello everywhere,
I am not trying to sustain my version but just a hint of what I hear here in Italy. Italian production is mostly based on agriculture. What I hear recently is that because of the heavy rains they have some certain problems with growing crops, vegetables etc. The soil is being letterally washed away. Meanwhile they do know where to direct floods (for ex rivers such as Adige in Verona) they dont know how to improve the situation with fertility.
That's just my idea.

13:12 Mar 18, 2011 

I think you're right, Lorraine, about the bearing capacity. I'm going for 'water holding capacity' ('does the soil hold a lot of water?')as it fits better with the whole sense of the dialogue.

Thanks!

13:05 Mar 18, 2011 

ok, that leaves it inexplicable, unless the interviewer who (presumably) interrupted the interviewee makes it clear what they are talking about. If the subject is agriculture, 'bearing capacity' seems more relevant to building programs, and carrying capacity to exploitation. I think you as the only one with full text will have to decide what it is about

11:55 Mar 18, 2011 

The excerpt is from a transcription I received.
un terreno abbastanza... is the end of sentence!

11:17 Mar 18, 2011 

un terreno abbastanza cosa? If you just finished that sentence it would probably help a lot! I imagine it is talking about drainage capacity (peat absorbs moisture, does the text go on to say the soil is sandy i.e. drains well?)

10:26 Mar 18, 2011 

Except from transcription:

Interviewer: Il terreno… come? Portata?
Interviewee: No, porta, porta, se ha piovuto troppo questo è un altro problema, praticamente ha piovuto anche quest’anno, però, insomma, porta abbastanza, non abbiamo torbe qua, abbiamo un terreno abbastanza

07:43 Mar 18, 2011 

Any chance of having at least some of the actual context in Italian?