Articles
POLICY IMPACT ON THE DIFFUSION OF ORGANIC HAZELNUT CULTIVATION IN THE MONTI CIMINI AREA
Article number
845_118
Pages
751 – 756
Language
English
Abstract
The Monti Cimini shows environmental and socio-economic characteristics which have determined a noteworthy specialization in nut production.
Hazelnuts are cultivated on about 10,000 farms, with a total UAA of 18,000 ha and an average production of 35-40,000 t/year, equal to 4-5% of the worlds total.
In such a particular situation, organic agriculture has undergone an atypical evolution, which is highly influenced by the product market and, above all, by the presence of EU policies on the environment and agriculture.
In the Monti Cimini area, the hazelnut farms that are managed under an organic regime have reached 4% of the total with a UAA of more than 2,300 ha, equal to 13% of the total, in just a few years.
Organic hazelnut cultivation shows remarkable differences within the area as compared to the conventional cultivation, both from a structural (the average dimension of organic farms is almost four times bigger than the conventional ones) and a territorial diffusion point of view.
This second diversity is due not only to technical and phytopathological reasons, but also to the widespread presence of chestnut fruit trees.
This last cultivation, which is easily managed under an organic regime and benefits from the communitarian aid even if it is part of the forest species, is present in the areas where a dragging effect towards the organic farming is mainly operative on the hazelnut as well.
The aim of the paper, after a detailed description of the evolution of the organic hazelnut cultivation in the Monti Cimini area, is to interpret this phenomenon considering the particular spatial and temporal articulation of policies on aid to organic agriculture.
Hazelnuts are cultivated on about 10,000 farms, with a total UAA of 18,000 ha and an average production of 35-40,000 t/year, equal to 4-5% of the worlds total.
In such a particular situation, organic agriculture has undergone an atypical evolution, which is highly influenced by the product market and, above all, by the presence of EU policies on the environment and agriculture.
In the Monti Cimini area, the hazelnut farms that are managed under an organic regime have reached 4% of the total with a UAA of more than 2,300 ha, equal to 13% of the total, in just a few years.
Organic hazelnut cultivation shows remarkable differences within the area as compared to the conventional cultivation, both from a structural (the average dimension of organic farms is almost four times bigger than the conventional ones) and a territorial diffusion point of view.
This second diversity is due not only to technical and phytopathological reasons, but also to the widespread presence of chestnut fruit trees.
This last cultivation, which is easily managed under an organic regime and benefits from the communitarian aid even if it is part of the forest species, is present in the areas where a dragging effect towards the organic farming is mainly operative on the hazelnut as well.
The aim of the paper, after a detailed description of the evolution of the organic hazelnut cultivation in the Monti Cimini area, is to interpret this phenomenon considering the particular spatial and temporal articulation of policies on aid to organic agriculture.
Publication
Authors
B. Pancino, S. Franco
Keywords
organic agriculture, environmental policies, hazelnut production, hazelnut district
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