Rural development: new activities and new

relationships

Paola Scarpellini

Structure of Presentation

Introduction and general features

Transition to new rural context (new activities and new relationships)

Globalization and... which development for rural-local areas?

Social aspects and community

Some conclusions

Objectives

Understand differences between rural and social development processes

Comprehension of participatory process; different ways to understand rural space

Why be afraid of the Why be afraid of the situation of rural areas?situation of rural areas?

• Cultural environment

• Contribution to quality of Contribution to quality of

lifelife

• Relationships between Relationships between

rural areas and urban areasrural areas and urban areas

Not agriculture Agriculture

Urban Rural

Agrobusiness

Agr. familiarNeorural

New relationships and activities in rural areas

Quality of life: to live good in rural context

Rural Areas

Sensibility for rural areas

Social cohesion and services

Innovative capacity

Economic development

Policies Rural development, social development, multifunctionality

Programmes and

activities Governance, cooperation, responsibility of decisions

Evolution of economic-rural studies

Relationship between agriculture and economic development

From poverty of physical resources (marginal lands)

To economic marginality of areas and farms

To the local value system in order to understand marginality

To resistance factors to marginality

To the agriculture-industries integration in territorial systems

To success paths and revitalization of rural areas

To rural development, multifunctionality and employment

Loss of importance of agriculture

Contribution to Gross Domestic Product Employment

generation

Utilization of space

Processes of economic and social cohesion

Connection between human beings and land

Erosion of CAP legitimacy

Principle of productivist agriculture and insecurity of food production

Intensification

Environmental degradation

Negative externalities

Inappropriate use of resources such as land, waterLow quality

production

Food crisis and food safety as a priority

Erosion of CAP legitimacy

Decrease in employment and structural dualism

High unemployment rates

Labor-intensive farming practices realized by immigrants

Competitive farms / Non-competitive farms

Agricultural production / social and environmental functions

Transition in rural Transition in rural areasareas

To search possible paths of coherence To search possible paths of coherence

Globalization and localityGlobalization and locality

Organization of role - state and local Organization of role - state and local administrationadministration

Cultural and no-material economy of Cultural and no-material economy of rural areasrural areas

Erosion of social resources and welfare Erosion of social resources and welfare system in rural areassystem in rural areas

New interest in New interest in communitycommunity

Identity crisis of agricultureIdentity crisis of agriculture

Definition of new “agreements” between agriculture Definition of new “agreements” between agriculture and societyand society

Some background elements of agriculture and rural areas

Modernization Diversification Reflection

Current role for agriculture in the economic system:

- New demand and offer of rurality- New paradigm of multifunctionality- Territorial approach- Bottom-up approach- Sustainability and valorization of rural culture- Creation of new opportunities for work and of new economic opportunities in the local system (culture, landscape, no farm activities - time free) - Good relational production in local system and in national economies - Social capital

There is a new interest in Rural Areas

Importance of Importance of relationships;relationships;Social values in social Social values in social spacespace

ForFor

▫ Agricultural Agricultural productsproducts▫ Traditional Traditional productsproducts▫ Organic Organic productionproduction▫ Rural Rural cultureculture▫ LandscapeLandscape▫ PeoplePeople▫ Way of lifeWay of life

Idea of change in an economic and social context - more than a simple quantitative accumulation of resources

Concept of development

Privileged: areas able to incorporate human capital and network of relationships useful to use and to have access to flow of information and communicationFrom uni-linear model of development to the role of local culture in economies and endogenous local models

Research into new ways of

development

Social and cultural capital

Collective action

Empowerment process

Participation

Network

Dynamics of development

Social space, interactive

and communicativ

e

PlanningReflection about actual situation

Which development?

Lever for developme

nt

Development of communication and participation

Capacity to mobilize resources and to develop capacities that are used poorly

New activities, new development strategies in social and economic values

Network of support for agriculture development (organization)

Community development

Space dimension

Economic dimension

Social dimension

Spacial dimension

Production

Commercialization

Identity construction

Cultural, symbolism and affective aspects

Land division

Infrastructure, houses, common spaces

Organization

Relationships, strategies, actions

“…land is not only land…”

Values and relationships

Construction of social common identity

Participatory processes to join actions

Individuality and collectivity interactions

Social space: symbols, individual and collective identity, integration, connection

Space is a variable related to various dimensions of social life, organized in connections and nets source of integration

Social space has symbols and meanings that contain individual and collective identity

Rural community

New interest by consumers, local populations, and public administration

Economic valorisation of rurality

Communities try to promote

development activities

New strategies for adaptation to global change

Identity and rural values

4 objectives for rural space4 objectives for rural space

To create employment and valueTo create employment and value To respond to real problemsTo respond to real problems To assure the existence of rural community lifeTo assure the existence of rural community life To increase the interest and the importance of rural contextTo increase the interest and the importance of rural context

Know rural development

Farm is related to territory in economic, social and environmental senseProduction is not the only objective for farms

““Emphasize” rural Emphasize” rural resourcesresources

Life times

Welcoming

Relations/ opportunitiesSpace

Specific services Specific services to support local to support local actors: elderly actors: elderly people, young, people, young, disabled, etc.disabled, etc.

Integration of Integration of subjects with “low subjects with “low power”power” Entry-level workEntry-level work TrainingTraining

Resources of Resources of community to community to create new create new capabilities and capabilities and relationshipsrelationships

Welfare local system

Agriculture:Agriculture: old old relationships inside national relationships inside national societysociety

Mass

consumption

Concentration

Welfare systemCAPMass food

production

Urban Urban

contextcontext

Rural Rural

contextcontext

National community

mod

ern

isatio

n

Tech

nolo

gy a

nd

effi

cien

cy

Civic society

Re-organisation

incomepopulation

Public services

production

Fragmentation of local

communities

Exogenous developmentExogenous developmentSource: Di Iacovo, 2005

””local historical local historical background”background”

Authenticity means an Authenticity means an active rural communityactive rural community

””change in change in local values local values

and tacit and tacit knowledge”knowledge”

““interactions withinteractions with external people”external people”

““interactions interactions among local among local

people”people”

““normsnormsrulesrules

criteriacriteria

””

Source: Di Iacovo, 2005

””re-define old re-define old networks in a new networks in a new

way”way”

Working on social resourcesWorking on social resources

““welfare welfare community,community,governance”governance”

““benchmarking with other benchmarking with other areas and people ”areas and people ”

““improve social improve social inclusion in rural inclusion in rural

areas”areas”

““rural-rural and rural-rural-rural and rural-urban dialogue”urban dialogue”

““inter-generations inter-generations and inter-sectorial and inter-sectorial

dialogue”dialogue”

Source: Di Iacovo, 2005

Critical changes in rural Critical changes in rural areasareas

Counter-urbanization tendenciesNew values for rurality

New development opportunities

Changing points

Low density in populationSparse settlement

Transport and roads difficulties

Structural critical points

Aging and depopulationWeakness in traditional selfhelp

Weakness in caring services networksPolarization among principal local centers and the rest of the territory

Dynamical critical points

Source: Di Iacovo, 2005

Some evidences

New relationships inside New relationships inside local systemlocal system

New trends in New trends in the relationship the relationship between between farmers and farmers and local local communitiescommunities

New rural demand

Nostalgia and needs for identity

Relational goodsPositional goods

Urban populationUrban population

Rural populationRural population

New rural offer

Nostalgia, rooths identity, economic opportunities

Competitiveness and market value in life styles

No

sta

lgia

from

nos

tos=

bac

k at

ho

me

algo

s h

ilnes

s

Local communityLocal communityProducts and servicesProducts and services

segmentation, conflicts

Time, space, dialogue, reciprocity

Cultural artifactCultural artifact

Au

tenticity

New

coherence among needs, sources and capabilities

Neo-endogenous developmentNeo-endogenous developmentSource: Di Iacovo, 2005

Levels involved in rural development

1. Global level: global interrelations between agriculture and society. It is also related to a general restructuring of the economy

Rural development is a multilevel process

2. RD means a new development model for agricultural sector

3. RD can be operationalized at individual farm household4. RD defined at level of countryside and its (economic) players

5. Policies and institutions

Multilevel

Multiplayer

Multifaceted

We have to ask

…some conclusions…

1. Which are the main elements of change able to influence in this moment the evolution of production and social system in rural areas?

- main trends in rural areas (economic and social factors)

- institutional level (agricultural and social policies)

- organize factors: participatory praxis?

- technical factors (research of coherent solutions)

2. Which are the elements that assure more coherence in production system and in social services in rural context?

- Possible solutions in order to generate innovation in organization

of services

3. Which are the actions that can facilitate and which are the actions that put restrictions? (in order to create coherent social and rural system with population needs)

4. Which way organize, normative and politics solutions can promote a better solution to needs in rural areas?

Thank you