The Metapontum Agro-Food District of Quality

Author(s):  
Francesco Contò ◽  
Piermichele La Sala ◽  
Paolo Papapietro

The aim of this work is to illustrate an innovative pattern of local governance based on the approach of the District at the Rural Development. The territorial context of this model is the Metapontum Agro-Food District of Quality. In line with the needs expressed by area businesses, through the establishment of a Service Centre, able to being as ATM Development and Training Workshop, DID’s project start (Desk for Innovation in the district) in order to transform the district into an innovative tool of governance that can guide the agricultural system and horizontally integrated production food chains. This will mean encouraging, in line with the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2007 - 2013 of the Basilicata Region financed by the European Agricultural Rural Development Fund (EAFRD), sector development through the integration of relations between firms, investment in infrastructure, training, research, food safety promotion, and enhancement of agricultural production in the framework of internationalization of markets and innovation of quality-oriented process and products.

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 514
Author(s):  
Hongzhang Xu ◽  
Jamie Pittock ◽  
Katherine A. Daniell

The adverse effects of rapid urbanization are of global concern. Careful planning for and accommodation of accelerating urbanization and citizenization (i.e., migrants gaining official urban residency) may be the best approach to limit some of the worst impacts. However, we find that another trajectory may be possible: one linked to the rural development plan adopted in the latest Chinese national development strategy. This plan aims to build rural areas as attractive areas for settlement by 2050 rather than to further urbanize with more people in cities. We assess the political motivations and challenges behind this choice to develop rural areas based on a literature review and empirical case analysis. After assessing the rural and urban policy subsystem, we find five socio-political drivers behind China’s rural development strategy, namely ensuring food security, promoting culture and heritage, addressing overcapacity, emphasizing environmental protection and eradicating poverty. To develop rural areas, China needs to effectively resolve three dilemmas: (1) implementing decentralized policies under central supervision; (2) deploying limited resources efficiently to achieve targets; and (3) addressing competing narratives in current policies. Involving more rural community voices, adopting multiple forms of local governance, and identifying and mitigating negative project impacts can be the starting points to manage these dilemmas.


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