New Relationships in Rural Development: Impacts and Strategies

1. Rural development: new activities and new relationships Paola Scarpellini

2. 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

3. Objectives • Understand differences between rural and social development processes • Comprehension of participatory process; different ways to understand rural space

4. Why be afraid of the situation of rural areas? • Cultural environment • Contribution to quality of life • Relationships between rural areas and urban areas

5. New relationships and activities in rural areas Agriculture Not agriculture Urban Rural Agrobusiness Neorural Agr. familiar

6. Rural Areas Quality of life: to live good in rural context Economic development Social cohesion and services Innovative capacity Sensibility for rural areas Rural development, social development, multifunctionality Policies Programmes and activities Governance, cooperation, responsibility of decisions

7. Evolution of economic-rural studies 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 Relationship between agriculture and economic development

8. Loss of importance of agriculture Contribution to Gross Domestic Product Employment generation BUT Utilization of space Processes of economic and social cohesion Connection between human beings and land

9. Erosion of CAP legitimacy Environmental degradation Intensification Negative externalities Principle of productivist agriculture and insecurity of food production Food crisis and food safety as a priority Inappropriate use of resources such as land, water Low quality production

10. Erosion of CAP legitimacy Labor-intensive farming practices realized by immigrants High unemployment rates Decrease in employment and structural dualism Competitive farms / Non-competitive farms Agricultural production / social and environmental functions

11. Transition in rural areas • To search possible paths of coherence • Globalization and locality • Organization of role - state and local administration • Cultural and no-material economy of rural areas • Erosion of social resources and welfare system in rural areas • New interest in community • Identity crisis of agriculture • Definition of new “agreements” between agriculture and society

12. Some background elements of agriculture and rural areas • 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 Current role for agriculture in the economic system: Modernization Diversification Reflection

13. There is a new interest in Rural Areas • For • Agricultural products • Traditional products • Organic production • Rural culture • Landscape • People • Way of life Importance of relationships; Social values in social space

14. Concept of development Idea of change in an economic and social context - more than a simple quantitative accumulation of resources Privileged: areas able to incorporate human capital and network of relationships useful to use and to have access to flow of information and communication From uni-linear model of development to the role of local culture in economies and endogenous local models

15. Dynamics of development Social and cultural capital Empowermentprocess Social space, interactive and communicative Research into new ways of development Participation Collective action Network

16. Which development? Reflection about actual situation Planning Network of support for agriculture development (organization) Capacity to mobilize resources and to develop capacities that are used poorly Lever for development New activities, new development strategies in social and economic values Community development Development of communication and participation

17. Space dimension Identity construction Organization Cultural, symbolism and affective aspects Production Commercialization Relationships, strategies, actions Economic dimension Social dimension Spacial dimension Land division Infrastructure, houses, common spaces

18. “…land is not only land…” Social space: symbols, individual and collective identity, integration, connection Values and relationships Construction of social common identity Participatory processes to join actions Individuality and collectivity  interactions 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

19. Rural community New strategies for adaptation to global change Identity and rural values Communities try to promote development activities Economic valorisation of rurality New interest by consumers, local populations, and public administration

20. Know rural development Farm is related to territory in economic, social and environmental sense Production is not the only objective for farms 4 objectives for rural space • To create employment and value • To respond to real problems • To assure the existence of rural community life • To increase the interest and the importance of rural context

21. “Emphasize” rural resources Life times Relations/ opportunities Welfare local system Space Welcoming

22. Agriculture:old relationships inside national society Concentration population income National community Urban context Public services Mass consumption modernisation Technology and efficiency Mass food production Welfare system CAP Fragmentation of local communities Rural context Civic society production Re-organisation Exogenous development Source: Di Iacovo, 2005

23. Authenticity means an active rural community ”local historical background” “interactions among local people” ”change in local values and tacit knowledge” “norms rules criteria” “interactions with external people” Source: Di Iacovo, 2005

24. Working on social resources ”re-define old networks in a new way” “inter-generations and inter-sectorial dialogue” • “welfare community, • governance” “improve social inclusion in rural areas” “rural-rural and rural-urban dialogue” “benchmarking with other areas and people ” Source: Di Iacovo, 2005

25. Aging and depopulation Weakness in traditional selfhelp Weakness in caring services networks Polarization among principal local centers and the rest of the territory Low density in population Sparse settlement Transport and roads difficulties Structural critical points Dynamical critical points Counter-urbanization tendencies New values for rurality New development opportunities Changing points Critical changes in rural areas Some evidences Source: Di Iacovo, 2005

26. New relationships inside local system New trends in the relationship between farmers and local communities Competitiveness and market value in life styles Urban population Nostalgia and needs for identity New rural demand Nostalgia from nostos=back at home algos hilness Autenticity New coherence among needs, sources and capabilities Positional goods Relational goods Cultural artifact New rural offer Products and services Local community Nostalgia, rooths identity, economic opportunities Rural population segmentation, conflicts Time, space, dialogue, reciprocity Neo-endogenous development Source: Di Iacovo, 2005

27. Levels involved in rural development Rural development is a multilevel process 1. Global level: global interrelations between agriculture and society. It is also related to a general restructuring of the economy 2. RD means a new development model for agricultural sector 3. RD can be operationalized at individual farm household Multilevel Multiplayer Multifaceted 4. RD defined at level of countryside and its (economic) players 5. Policies and institutions

28. …some conclusions… We have to ask 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)

29. 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?

30. Thank you