New farmers in the south of Italy: Capturing the complexity of contemporary strategies and networks

Dourian, Tara

doi:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.03.003

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Both follow the principles of extensive and organic farming in balance with the resources provided by the mountain environment and without using artificial inputs, such as concentrated feed, pesticides or antibiotics (cf. van den Berg et al., 2018; Dourian, 2021; Milone & Ventura, 2019; Zollet & Maharjan, 2021).…”

Section: Discussing Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite this multitude of obstacles, research has identified a growing number of agricultural newcomers in Europe as Helms et al (2019) illustrate with a collection of 90 case studies. Entering agriculture from scratch is especially evident in amenity-rich locations like coastal regions (Dolci & Perrin, 2018;Dourian, 2021;Gennai-Schott et al, 2020;Hopkins et al, 2020;Pinto-Correia et al, 2015. This is less so in mountain regions (McGreevy et al, 2019;Sutherland et al, 2017;cf.…”

Section: Characteristics Motivation and Innovation Of New Entrantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By relocating to and working in rural environments, newcomers strive for self‐realisation and to leave urban or consumerist society behind (e.g., Benessaiah et al., 2021; Blekesaune et al., 2010; Bock et al., 2020; Halfacree et al., 2022; Pinto‐Correia et al., 2015; Sandström, 2022). A manifestation of their farming lifestyle is the use of local resources and expertise (van den Berg et al, 2018; Dourian et al., 2021; Milone & Ventura, 2019) to gain independence from the global agri‐food industry—characteristics of ‘repeasantisation’ (van der Ploeg, 2018).…”

Section: Introducing Research Background and Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This may also apply in highlands such as the European Alps. However, while there is a vast number of recent international and lowland contributions (e.g., Dourian et al., 2021; Gennai‐Schott et al., 2020; Halfacree et al., 2022; Sandström et al., 2022; Zollet & Maharjan, 2021), studies dealing explicitly with new entrants to Alpine farming are rare and outdated. Research is mostly limited to Alpine Italy and emerges from broader examinations of demographic change (Beismann et al., 2022; Fassio et al., 2014; Garde et al., 2014; Gretter et al., 2019; Löffler et al., 2014; Varotto & Lodatti, 2014; Wilbur, 2014).…”

Section: Introducing Research Background and Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

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Engagement of new entrants in mountain farming through the lens of generativity: Lack of family farming background and its implications in Alpine Austria and Italy

Grüner,

Konzett

2024

Sociologia Ruralis

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While mountain family farmers rely on cultural, financial and material resources passed on from previous generations, new entrants typically lack such intergenerational amenities. Applying the concept of ‘generativity’ to agriculture prove valuable in examining start‐up motives, obstacles, opportunities and impacts regarding generational renewal via newcomers without a family farming background. Following a multilevel approach, we interviewed new entrants, long‐established family farmers and members of agricultural organisations in three Alpine regions of Austria and Italy. We illustrate that family farmers primarily care for their farm's continued existence, while new entrants seek autonomy from the agricultural industry, thus transmitting the relevance of agriculture beyond their offspring. At first sight, land access is a major hurdle for new entrants, as agricultural land is reserved for family farmers. By taking over abandoned farms, new entrants escape constraints imposed by previous farming generations, thus facilitating the introduction of novel operating concepts and the regeneration of traditional practices. Consequently, newcomer farms are transforming from previously exclusive production sites into open spaces of exchange that include non‐agricultural communities, reconnecting land, production and consumption. We conclude that a lack of family farming ties may foster extra‐familial renewal and sustainability in mountain agriculture.

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Section: Discussing Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Characteristics Motivation and Innovation Of New Entrantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introducing Research Background and Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introducing Research Background and Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Engagement of new entrants in mountain farming through the lens of generativity: Lack of family farming background and its implications in Alpine Austria and Italy

Grüner,

Konzett

2024

Sociologia Ruralis

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“…Between 1961 and 2010, the number of farms in rural mountain areas of Italy declined by 75% (Spinelli & Fanfani 2012). Despite these trends, there does remain a contingent of farmers who continue to farm, joined by new farmers who have chosen to take up agriculture in the mountains (Dourian 2021;Lupi et al 2017;Milone & Ventura 2019;Sivini & Vitale 2023). As in mountain areas across Europe, most of these remaining farms are smallholder farms (Kania et al 2014;Spinelli & Fanfani 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of government policies and regulations on the subjective well-being of farmers in two rural mountain areas of Italy

Whitaker

2024

Agric Hum Values

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The sustainable development of rural areas involves guaranteeing the quality of life and well-being of people who live in those areas. Existing studies on farmer health and well-being have revealed high levels of stress and low well-being, with government regulations emerging as a key stressor. This ethnographic study takes smallholder farmers in two rural mountain areas of Italy, one in the central Alps and one in the northwest Apennines, as its focus. It asks how and why the current policy and regulatory context of agriculture affects farmer well-being. Interviews and participant observation were conducted with 104 farmers. Three common scenarios emerged that negatively affect farmer well-being. First, policies and regulations designed for lowland areas do not always make sense when applied in the mountains. Second, when subsidies are put into effect at the local level, the reality of their implementation can veer away from the original goals of the funding program and have unintended effects on farmer well-being, agricultural practices, and the environment. Finally, when regulations are implemented on farms in rural mountain areas, the primacy of a techno-scientific knowledge system over other, local and place-based knowledge systems is exposed. These three scenarios affect well-being by eliciting feelings of stress, frustration, and disillusionment; by reducing farmer control over their work; and by fostering the perception that farming is not valued by society. They also create conditions of inequality and insecurity. The ways in which government policies and regulations play out on mountain farms can erode trust in government institutions, lead to an us versus them mentality, and contribute to the further abandonment of agriculture and rural areas.

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Role of the neo-rural phenomenon and the new peasantry in agroecological transitions: a literature review

Vizuete,

Oteros-Rozas,

García-Llorente

2024

Agric Hum Values

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In the context of agricultural activity intensification and rural abandonment, neo-rurality has emerged as a back-to-the-land migratory movement led by urban populations seeking alternative ways of life close to nature. Although the initiatives of the new peasantry are diverse, most are land related, such as agriculture and livestock farming. A priori, neorural people undertake agri-food system activities in ways that differ from the conventional model, following the principles of environmental and social sustainability. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on the neo-rural phenomenon with the main objective of examining how neo-rurality has been found to support agroecological transitions. The corpus of neo-rural studies was analyzed from a social-ecological perspective, and a Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) was conducted to determine whether neo-rural agri-food system activities follow agroecological principles. The results indicate that neo-rural studies is an emerging research field that has received considerable attention in western countries. Diverse conceptualizations and terms have been used to address the phenomenon, but the literature agrees on political and environmental motivations and several barriers faced by neo-rural people. This population and in particular new peasants, are employing a wide variety of agroecological practices and strategies throughout the agri-food system. Overall, neo-rural people have been reported to contribute significantly to agroecological transition.

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New farmers in the south of Italy: Capturing the complexity of contemporary strategies and networks

Cited by 3 publications

References 25 publications

Engagement of new entrants in mountain farming through the lens of generativity: Lack of family farming background and its implications in Alpine Austria and Italy

Engagement of new entrants in mountain farming through the lens of generativity: Lack of family farming background and its implications in Alpine Austria and Italy

The impact of government policies and regulations on the subjective well-being of farmers in two rural mountain areas of Italy

Role of the neo-rural phenomenon and the new peasantry in agroecological transitions: a literature review

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