Animal Husbandry in the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park: An Economic-Structural Analysis for the Protection and Enhancement of the Territory and Local Resources

Abstract

This research seeks to deepen the current economic and structural aspects of the livestock farms in the rural territory “Casacastra” (Cilento area), to identify critical issues and development opportunities with the intention to enhance and protect the territory under study also through strengthening forms of local economy. Information about the consistency and the typology of livestock farms present in the study area, and the trend in the last twelve years, were acquired thought the consultation of the national livestock register of the Italian Ministry of Health. Subsequently, a questionnaire was submitted to a sample of farmers to better know the characteristics of the breeders and of the husbandries. The results showed that in the study area, there are 4% of the cattle and sheep herds of the Campania Region, and 7% of those with goats. The most representative farm size is the class with less than 20 animals per breeding type, and between 2010 and 2022, there has been a reduction in the number of all types of analyzed husbandries. The most represented productive orientation is that for meat, while the specialization in the production of milk in sheep and goat breeding is completely absent. The interviews revealed that the breeders are almost all over 40 years of age, with middle and high school qualifications and consolidated experience. The workforce involved in the farms is mainly the family one and often breeders are people engaged in other non-agricultural activities. Despite the permanence in some cases of archaic husbandry methods, the breeders play a key role in the study area for the protection of the territory, and the conservation and enhancement of local animal and plant genetic resources are at risk of extinction. Moreover, the survival of this rural context is linked to the development of new forms of local economy, such as the definition of an experiential rural tourist offer, in which the presence of institutions plays a fundamental role.

Evaluation of the Economic and Environmental Sustainability of Livestock Farms in Inland Areas

“…The study was carried out in the Campania region (Italy), precisely in Centola and Casaletto Spartano municipalities (Salerno province), and involved three types of husbandries notably widespread in the Cilento area [2]: one with only sheep and goats; one with only cattle; and one mixed, namely with cattle, sheep and goats. The three analyzed farms were selected without any statistical criteria, and therefore the limits of representativeness are considerable.…”

“…The Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park (Southern Italy), declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998, is very rich in biodiversity, as evidenced by the presence of numerous Sites of Community Importance (SIC) [1]. Here, animal husbandry is of considerable importance both from an environmental point of view, through the functions of fire prevention, forest cleaning, and soil erosion control, and from an entrepreneurial and economic point of view, in support of families for food production [2].…”

“…The MEA distinguished four groups of ecosystem services: (1) provisioning services, referring to products obtained from ecosystems (food, fiber, fertilizer, fuel, etc. ); (2) regulating services, referring to the benefits obtained from the regulation of ecosystem processes (waste recycling, land degradation and erosion prevention, etc. ); (3) supporting services, necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services (maintenance of soil structure and fertility, maintenance of genetic diversity, etc.…”

“…(1) livestock's unique ability to convert non-human-edible feed and organic waste into useful products, through their digestive tracts; (2) the direct nature of thtrophic networkeir interactions with ecosystems (e.g., land, vegetation and soil) through trampling, grazing and browsing, as well as the production of urine and dung; and (3) their mobility and resulting ability to respond to temporal and spatial fluctuations of ecosystems in resource availability. Moreover, the contribution of livestock species and breeds to ES is intimately tied to the production systems they are associated with and hence the diverse human management systems affecting them [5].…”

Can Sustainability and Biodiversity Conservation Save Native Goat Breeds? The Situation in Campania Region (Southern Italy) between History and Regional Policy Interventions

“…Local breeds seem to be an important component of the biodiversity of farms [10], thanks to their excellent adaptation to specific environmental conditions [11]. Since sustainability takes into consideration environmental, social, and economic aspects, and as stated by Esposito et al [12] also animal welfare, the breeding of native breeds preserves the typical and traditional productions of marginal territories, giving these breeding systems (especially those extensive) an added value [11,13]. The conservation of native animal resources and the sustainable development of their products appear to be important actions to save those animal breeds at risk of extinction due to the spread of cosmopolitan and more productive breeds, which often offer a poor-quality product.…”