Conditions for Operating in Marginal Mountain Areas: The Local Farmer’s Perspective

Duglio, Stefano; Salotti, Giulia; Mascadri, Giulia

doi:10.3390/soc13050107

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Developing economic activity in mountain regions presents several challenges, namely regarding land fragmentation, lack of technical support to local farmers and promoting local production through local origin labels [25]. In the case of Jarmelista bovine breed production, the existence of the producer's association (ACRIGUARDA), which also provides technical support, is an example of how the local policy is involved in the promotion and preservation of this autochthonous breed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meat Value Chain Contribution to Territory Sustainability—The Case of Autochthonous Bovine Jarmelista’s Breed

Paiva,

Coutinho

2023

Sustainability

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In regional contexts and within specific sustainable businesses based on endogenous resources, analysing their value chain is crucial to support the sustainability characteristics and comply with the new consumer’s demand. Short supply value chains are also typical for these types of businesses and bring advantages regarding competitive and sustainability claims. Jarmelista Bovine Breed Meat’s case study complies with the context and characteristics of a short value chain that is important to define and analyse to support and offer a clear sustainability claim and continue to promote territorial values, namely in the mountain and inland regions. This research, based on case study methodology, aimed to define the Jarmelista meat supply value chain considering perceptions of producers and the other actors of the Jarmelista meat value chain, and as a basis for business improvement in this specific mountain and inland territory, adding value to the meat and contributing to the sustainable values of the meat production to deliver a product that preserves its cultural and sustainable heritage. Based on the results obtained from the interview and surveys conducted, a simple and feasible business orientation for the leading players is suggested, as this points out the focus attributes and relevant issues to be considered along the value chain that, in an integrated approach, can offer to the consumer market a sustainable meat product and contribute to the preservation of the territory sustainability.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meat Value Chain Contribution to Territory Sustainability—The Case of Autochthonous Bovine Jarmelista’s Breed

Paiva,

Coutinho

2023

Sustainability

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“…In Italy, municipalities are classified as totally mountainous, partially mountainous, or non-mountainous based on a legislative system (L.991/52 and L. 657/57) [14]. The majority of Italian mountainous regions suffer from land property fragmentation, infrastructure deficiency, and land abandonment, resulting in unused land and forgotten 'terraces' that were previously cultivated [15][16][17]. However, the European Association for Mountain Areas (EAMA) recognizes the importance of mountain agriculture, which accounts for 15% of the agricultural utilized area and agricultural workforce in Europe [18].…”

Section: Mountain Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, some mountain areas are more suitable for fruit trees cultivation and/or other non-food production such as bioenergy crops. Typically, mountain farming is made up of small farms with low input and output systems; however, they produce high-quality foodstuff and various products and services, especially when linked to the tourism industry [17]. Therefore, it is essential to consider socio-economic and environmental factors, particularly in the most marginal mountainous regions, to support development projects and innovative land consolidation policies [14].…”

Section: Mountain Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revitalization Potential of Marginal Areas for Sustainable Rural Development in the Puglia Region, Southern Italy: Part I: A Review

Alhajj Ali,

Tallou,

Vivaldi

et al. 2024

Agronomy

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Feeding nine billion people by 2050 will be a challenge due to climate change. There is a significant portion of abandoned and unused marginal lands across the nation and in the Puglia region, in Southern Italy. Innovative techniques and practices in the frame of climate-smart agriculture can help rehabilitate marginal lands into productive and profitable areas. The objective of this study was to systematically review the literature on marginal areas in Puglia, responding to the lack of information in this context and evaluate their revitalization potential. We systematically reviewed the literature on unused/marginal areas and identified related studies dealing with different types of marginal areas and their potential for sustainable rural development. Marginal areas in Puglia represent a range of historical rural landscapes that support biodiversity, the economy, and ecological services. However, the analysis of the current situation in Puglia’s marginal areas indicates a lack of infrastructure and scarce resources, which led to land abandonment and the migration of local residents, resulting in the deterioration of the ecological system. Therefore, establishing a sustainable policy is crucial for preserving the local heritage and economy of the region. However, policymakers should carefully study the challenges and opportunities arising from local contexts before embarking on ambitious place-based innovation strategies. The analysis indicates that both biophysical and socio-economic factors are strategic elements for improving the revitalization potential of marginal areas for sustainable development. This review provides useful information regarding the revitalization potential of marginal areas for food, feed, and non-food production, which is crucial in the implementation of a sustainable development strategy for rural communities in Puglia but can also be applied to similar areas in other countries. However, the success of the sustainable development strategy in Puglia’s marginal areas should consider the vital function of farmers’ self-organization and social capital as key factors in the adoption of agricultural innovations for the revitalization of these areas.

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“…Intensive farming is the subject of criticism from public opinion, and among the main reasons for this are ecological, environmental, and animal welfare issues [2,3]. Even mountain areas, which account for 15% of the European agriculturally utilized area and which comprise the area where the dairy system is the most important sector, are undergoing a structural change in the agricultural sector with the intensification of production; productive specialization for tourism according to a "food neocolonialism" pattern [4,5]; or the abandonment of the activity [6,7]. Traditional small-scale mountain farms provide multiple ecosystem services from a sustainability perspective, such as the conservation of animal genetic resources, pollination, recreation, and a stand-in opposition to some aspects of intensive livestock farming, such as landscape degradation, biodiversity loss, and the loss of wildlife habitat [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability Indicators for Dairy Cattle Farms in European Union Countries: A Systematic Literature Review

Pavanello,

Franchini,

Bovolenta

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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The European cattle milk sector has rapidly intensified in recent decades. This trend has received widespread disapproval from the public, which highlights the many problems linked to intensification. To address these concerns, agricultural policies commonly impose an agroecological transition. In order to evaluate and monitor the degree of sustainability of dairy cattle farms over time, many sets of indicators have been proposed in recent years. However, these indicators have often referred only to specific aspects of sustainability or have been generically proposed for the entire agricultural sector, and therefore, they are not capable of capturing the peculiarities and the complexity of the dairy cattle sector. A systematic review of the scientific literature was carried out to obtain a complete picture of the indicators proposed for the European context. A total of 325 out of over 6700 papers were selected, and three pillars—environmental, economic, and social pillars—were explored. A total of 70 indicators were identified, which could help build a complete and less sectoral picture of sustainability than that proposed so far. A total of 22 indicators were associated with the environmental pillar, 18 indicators were associated with the economic pillar, and 17 indicators were associated with the social pillar, while 12 indicators were associated with two different pillars. With reference to the measurement methods, considerable variability was highlighted, which did not allow us to identify or propose unique methods for measuring each indicator.

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Conditions for Operating in Marginal Mountain Areas: The Local Farmer’s Perspective

Cited by 6 publications

References 39 publications

Meat Value Chain Contribution to Territory Sustainability—The Case of Autochthonous Bovine Jarmelista’s Breed

Meat Value Chain Contribution to Territory Sustainability—The Case of Autochthonous Bovine Jarmelista’s Breed

Revitalization Potential of Marginal Areas for Sustainable Rural Development in the Puglia Region, Southern Italy: Part I: A Review

Sustainability Indicators for Dairy Cattle Farms in European Union Countries: A Systematic Literature Review

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