Beyond the agricultural sector in Latin America: territorial approaches for rural development

A recent transition in the field of agrarian economics theory for rural development is the move from a narrow agricultural sector approach, to one which adopts broader territorial vision. This passage seeks to interpret interactions between urban and rural worlds in a more comprehensive manner.This relatively new theoretical perspective is of particular interest to academics and politicians in Latin American countries where, since the mid 1990s, the concept of new rurality has been seen as the source of a new approach to rural development. Therefore the theoretical purpose of this research is to clarify the analytical signposts of the new rurality theme in Latin America and to identify the differences between sectoral and territorial approaches considering the socio-economic, institutional and environmental aspects involved. The transition from sectoral to territorial approaches also means, from an operative point of view, the recognition of homogeneous areas for the suggestion of rural development strategies. The operative purpose of this research consists in proposing a methodology to identify these areas with an application in the Maule Region in Chile. The conclusion underlines some critical elements that should be considered in the definition of territorial rural development strategies.sectoral and territorial approaches, rural development policy, new rurality, Latin America, Chile, cluster analysis

Building new income opportunities for small-farmers in Peru: the case of native and naturally colored cotton

In the 90's the agro-export boom of Peru, based on a market-led development, has induced a major conversion of large farms to new agribusinesses (i.e. asparagus, avocados, oranges), leaving room for expansion in the traditional agro-industrial sector (i.e. cotton) for small farmers. This study assesses the new income opportunities deriving from the reinsertion of native and naturally colored cotton (NNCC) in the agricultural production of small farmers, by means of a farm economic data analysis, scenario analysis and sensitivity analysis. The analysis has been performed in a specific case study regarding 50 farms of the Moche district in the North coast of Peru, selected by means of a non-probability sampling technique

Evaluation of social capital promotion in rural development programmes: a methodological approach

The academic literature makes evident that the main immaterial contribution of the LEADER approach (LA) consists in the promotion of social capital in rural areas. Therefore the insertion of LA in the framework of Rural Development Programmes (RDPs) should be considered as a powerful opportunity to promote rural development initiatives by means of a bottom-up methodology, much more focused on social relationships among local actors. These aspects open new opportunities also in terms of evaluations of RDPs and of LA, in the context of the already established Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (CMEF). The objective of this paper is to present a methodology for the definition of the Relative Index of Social Capital Promotion (RISCP) to be used in the ongoing evaluation of RDPs. The RISCP doesn’t represent an impact indicator, but it measures the potential social capital that could be promoted by means of the logic of intervention of selected measures of the RDPs.social capital, rural development programmes, evaluation, index, Agricultural and Food Policy, Z0,

Capitale sociale fattore dello sviluppo rurale

In letteratura sono stati proposti modelli interpretativi delle relazioni tra capitale sociale e sviluppo rurale sostenendo che la marginalit\ue0 delle aree rurali non \ue8 solamente dovuta a condizioni economiche non favorevoli o a risorse mancanti, ma anche a un missing link che nell\u2019ipotesi di Wiesinger (2007) si estrinseca nella mancata valorizzazione delle opportunit\ue0 economiche che le relazioni sociali possono circuitare, ovvero il capitale sociale

Evaluation of development co-operations initiatives: recent evolutions

The paper presents a discussion over various evaluation approaches and criteria in the field of Development Co-operation by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by International Organizations such as FAO, IFAD and the European Commission (Europe-aid). At the beginning the analysis considers the evolution of planning models based on resources supply (human, financial and material), and successively the paper focuses on models much more concerning the sustainable achievement of objectives and results, by means of participative approaches. Specific problems on the evaluation of development co-operation initiatives are presented; conclusions assess the necessities of a systematic utilization of the methods for the economic evaluation of investments which, at present, seem to be underemployed, especially by the Italian Development Co-operation.Evaluation, Development cooperation, Evaluation Criteria, International Organizations

Evolution of the economic agrarian thought : from agribusiness to new rurality

Este artículo presenta una discusión sobre la evolución de la agricultura en diferentes tipologías de economías rurales (economía de subsistencia, economía tradicional, economía agraria, economía rural y economía territorial). Se especifica, desde un punto de vista teórico, las diferentes políticas que deberían ser adoptadas para obtener un sistema rural más diversificado en el marco de la nueva ruralidad. Las conclusiones remarcan la necesidad de modificar la aplicación de políticas en los sectores urbanos de los países en desarrollo, tendientes a profundizar la integración entre las economías urbanas y rurales.This article presents a discussion over the evolution of agriculture of different typologies of rural economies (subsistence economy, traditional economy, agricultural economy, rural economy, territorial economy). Following the introduction we specify, from a theoretical point of view, the different politics that should be adopted to reach a more diversified rural system, as perceived in the framework of new rurality. Concluding remarks underline the necessity to change the application of urban policies in Developing Countries, aiming to a more deep integration of rural and urban economies.Fil: Pisani, Elena.Fil: Franceschetti, Giorgio

Enfoque territorial para el desarrollo rural en América Latina : un estudio de caso en Chile

Una reciente transición en el campo del desarrollo rural es el movimiento desde un enfoque reducido del sector agrícola hasta uno que adopta una visión territorial más amplia. Este pasaje intenta interpretar las interacciones entre los mundos urbano y rural de una manera más comprensiva. Esta perspectiva teórica relativamente nueva interesa particularmente a los académicos y los políticos en los países latinoamericanos donde, a partir de la mitad de los años noventa, el concepto de una nueva ruralidad se ha visto como la fuente de un nuevo enfoque para el desarrollo rural. Por lo tanto, el propósito teórico de esta investigación es explicitar los indicadores analíticos del nuevo enfoque de la ruralidad en América Latina e identificar las diferencias entre los acercamientos sectoriales y territoriales, considerando los aspectos socio-económicos, institucionales y medioambientales involucrados. La transición del enfoque sectorial a uno territorial significa también, desde un punto de vista operativo, el reconocimiento de la existencia de áreas homogéneas a partir de las cuales pueden proponerse estrategias de desarrollo rural. El propósito operativo de esta investigación consiste en proponer una metodología para identificar estas áreas con una aplicación a la Región del Maule en Chile. La conclusión subraya algunos elementos críticos que se deben considerar en la definición de estrategias del desarrollo rural territorial.A recent transition in the field of rural development theory is a move from a narrow agricultural sector approach, to one which adopts broader territorial vision. This passage seeks to interpret interactions between urban and rural worlds in a more comprehensive manner.This relatively new theoretical perspective is of particular interest to academics and politicians in Latin American countries where, since the mid 1990s, the concept of new rurality has been seen as the source of a new approach to rural development. Therefore the theoretical purpose of this research is to clarify the analytical signposts of the new rurality theme in Latin America and to identify the differences between sectoral and territorial approaches considering the socioeconomic, institutional and environmental aspects involved. The transition from sectoral to territorial approaches also means, from an operative point of view, the recognition of homogeneous areas for the suggestion of rural development strategies. The operative purpose of this research consists in proposing a methodology to identify these areas with an application in the Maule Region in Chile. The conclusion underlines some critical elements that should be considered in the definition of territorial rural development strategies.Fil: Pisani, Elena. Università degli Studi di Padova (Italia). Dipartimento Territorio e Sistemi Agro-ForestaliFil: Franceschetti, Giorgio. Università degli Studi di Padova (Italia). Dipartimento Territorio e Sistemi Agro-Forestal

Probabilistic network analysis of social-ecological relationships emerging from EU LIFE projects for nature and biodiversity: An application of ERGM models in the case study of the Veneto region (Italy)

Considering social-ecological relationships in managing protected areas is fundamental to ensuring effective biodiversity conservation and restoration governance. Network analysis offers valuable methods to disentangle intangible relations between and within the social and ecological systems. In this way, it could be possible to identify and integrate multiple social and ecological variables that inevitably affect collaborative environmental governance's effectiveness. Nevertheless, this research area is still nascent, with few methodologies and concrete applications reported in the scientific literature. With this study, we aim to propose a robust novel application of a network methodology to enrich the evaluation of the effectiveness of collaborative environmental governance for nature and biodiversity, which has been applied through the analysis of social-ecological relationships that emerged from EU-cofounded LIFE-NAT projects. Specifically, we focus on LIFE-NAT projects implemented in the Veneto Region (Italy) financed in the last programming period (2014–2020). Through formulating four research hypotheses to be tested through Exponential Random Graph Models, we analyze 13 LIFE-NAT projects involving 83 social actors and 29 Natura 2000 (N2000) sites composed of 57 protected habitats. Results show that LIFE-NAT projects in Veneto Region stimulate polycentric governance. Nevertheless, they still need to concretize a multi-actor and multilevel governance. Furthermore, the analysis highlights that selected LIFE-NAT projects implement activities in N2000 sites able to support ecological connectivity and synergies across marine, freshwater, and land habitats through the bridging role of forests, especially in estuarine and coastal areas

Collaborations in environmental initiatives for an effective gover- nance of social-ecological systems: What the scientific literature suggests.

Moving from the scientific literature on evaluation of environmental projects and programs, this study identifies how and under which conditions collaborations are considered effective for adaptive gover- nance of SES. The method adopted is a systematic literature review based on the quantitative and qualitative analysis of 56 articles selected through specific queries on the SCOPUS database and published from 2004 to 2020. Results of the quantitative analysis underline conditions able to make collaborations effective for adaptive governance of SES: the importance of transdisciplinary research tackling both environmental and social sciences, the perceived urgency of stakeholders to tackle environmental challenges and consequently their inclusion in projects, the valorisation of different typologies of knowledge, and the adaptation to local culture and lifestyle. Results of the qualitative analysis provides specific recommendations for collaborations to be effective related to communication, equity, foresight, and respect, which need to be further strengthened. Multiplicity in visions and approaches should not be seen as a limit but as a resource able to stimulate creativity in social arrangements and environmental practices, making collaborations instrumental for the effectiveness of adaptive governance

El aporte de la ruralidad al desarrollo

A recent transition in rural development policies is that of a move from a narrow sectoral approach of rural development, to one that adopts a broader territorial vision. This relatively new theoretical perspective is of peculiar interest to academics and politicians in Latin American countries where, since the mid 1990s, the concept of new rurality has been seen as the beginning of a new approach to rural development. The purposes of this research are: a) to clarify the analytical signposts of the new rurality in Latin America; b) to identify the main analytical differences between sectoral and territorial approaches in fostering rural development; c) to analyse how the new rurality approach could be applied in heterogeneous rural economies. The application is realized in Maule Region (Chile), where at present a strong agrarian economy co-exists with a weak rurality. The study is developed by means of a cluster analysis that uses selected agro-environmental, institutional, social and economic variables. Each of these variables considers the specific attributes of the new rurality approach. The results of this analysis will help policy makers identify suitable rural development policies that are conceived for each cluster and the specific extra-urban economies it represents. Finally the research proposes a new index - Peasantry Development Index PDI – conceived as a specific instrument to monitor rural development policies and their impacts on peasantry