Figura 1 Territorial level of Rure's competence: Provincia di Reggio Emilia

1. Rural population Distinction between farmers, rural and urban population with chronicle description

In Italy there is not a distinction between rural and urban population. This is especially due to the fact that there is no clear definitions of which areas are rural or urban. The unique distinction is between professional farmers and the rest of workers. Nowadays more and more agricultural activities are done by hobby farmers or professional farmers, that in Italy are not well censed.

At the same time it is not possible to notice a concentration of farmers’ activities in the Province.

Public/private institutions representative of the rural population

There are no institutions specifically representing rural populations.

Public/private institutions representative of the farmers

Several unions are organised to support professional farmers which the most important are: Coldiretti, Confederazione Italiana Agricoltori and Confagricoltura. Several farmers complain a lack of an effective representativeness.

2. A part of the farmers are represented by Election

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Guideline for the analysis of rural areas in EuropeProvincia di Reggio Emilia

2. Rural area Explicit distinction between urban, periurban, and rural area in the public governance: explicit

different local policies (action and funds) for different areas?

In the CAP 2007-2013, the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, the main urban area of the Province, was defined as “rural city”, although most of the population is living in urban areas and is not occupied in agricultural sector. As it is possible to see in figure below, also the most important Municipality, Reggio Emilia, is

characterised by important agricultural area, which doesn’t make possible to characterize this area as urban one.. Nevertheless the Region has assigned Leader program only mountain area in the south of the Province, stating that it has more serious problem of development. These issues are mainly due to the distance with the most important urban centres.

Public institutions for the governance of rural area (water, soil, administration ...)

No separate institutions between urban and rural areas. Provincial institutions are working with specific actions, that take into account the specific characters of the area: for example, Consorzio di Bonifica dell’Emilia Centrale works for natural and territorial management of agricultural and rural areas; other

public services are organised as school and healthy services, with a provincial coordination. Specific of the mountain is the Leader program, which Local Action Group is shared with Province of Modena; this causes issues of local representativeness.

The “Parco Appennino Tosco-Emiliano” groups several municipalities of mainly Reggio Emilia Province, Parma Province, and Lucca in Tuscany. The National Park was born in 2007 with initiative of local stakeholders and it became in 2015 a “Man and Biosphere” UNESCO area.

Forms of participation of the rural and agricultural population to the governance of rural areas.

At the moment there are not specific areas of participation for rural population.

Local, national, European funds for the agriculture and rural development and role of agricultural representation in defining the application of the rules

In Italy most of funding for rural development are from CAP. Since 2013 Italian government has approved a funding program for “Internal areas” (“Programma aree interne”) which aim is to sustain the local development of marginalised areas. Nevertheless in Italy, the final deciders are the Regions. So European funds are mainly filtered by regions.

Forms of aggregation of rural population (religion, culture, environmental associations, etc..)

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Figura 2 Regional classification of rural and urban areas.

Figura 3 Parco dell' Appennino Tosco Emiliano

In the Province local associations, civic groups, social cooperatives are very important. Among the 9 Provinces of the Emilia Romagna region, Reggio Emilia is the third Province in terms of number of social associations, with almost 400 ones (https://wwwservizi.regione.emilia-romagna.it/teseofe/associazioni-promozione-sociale.asp). These association cover all topics: environment, education, religion, etc. RURE is the unique explicitly rural association.

Especially at our knowledge there are not cultural or religion associations which are specific of rural areas; nevertheless we can find associations which are grouped around villages’ parishes or we can find local no profit groups of people, which aim is the village’s animation; usually they organize spot events.

3. Education in rural areas to rural population (professional education, participation, others kinds of education)

No distinction is organized in education’s policy in the Province for “rural people”.

to farmers (professional education, participation, others kinds of education)

Several high schools in the Province have activated specific courses for farmers and agricultural activities. These courses have both a basic profile with professional courses, and more advanced profiles, with technical and courses. In the area there is also a specialized Agrarian high school to which it is associated a farm.

Adult formation is organised for farmers and technical professionals in agriculture by local organisation. Moreover unions organize formation.

University of Reggio Emilia and Modena have activated a Faculty of Agronomy that mainly calls local students. Also university of Bologna calls several students from these Province.

4. Farming system Public identification of the farmer’s profession

Italian law (2003) defines professional farmer (“Imprenditore Agricolo Professionale”), a farmer who spent at least 50% of his labor time in farmers activities, as well as he gains at least 50% of personal income.

Following this law most of CAP fundings are granted. Nevertheless more recently part-time and hobby farmers are more more working the fields, even if it is difficult to have complete census of such experiences.

Most of the farmers owned their land (68%), and some farmers combine rental contract with owned land (23%).

Principal farmers’ production activity (%)

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Figura 4 Land property and other forms of contract

The agriculture in the area is highly specialised and connected to certified local productions. The principal products are linked to livestock production, cereals, industrial crops and vineyards.

Figura 5 principal data on agriculture

Livestock production is mainly linked to dairy farms. Most of them are concentrated in the municipality of Reggio Emilia and in Casteluovo ne’ Monti: in the moost urbanised area and in the most important municipality in mountains (fig.6).

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Figura 6 Number of farms for dairy production and for pigs at municipality's level

Few farms put beside productive activity, multifunctional activities, only 7%. Most of these companies perform contract work for agricultural activities (21%), agriturismos (10%) mainly as restaurants, educational farms (10%), processing and on-farm direct sale of vegetables (mainly wine) and animal products account for only 7% and 6%.

Labor importance of agriculture in the rural area (% of family farms, cooperatives etc.) and the agro-food system

Only a small percentage works in agriculture. In 2010 around 3% of people have been working in agriculture.

Nevertheless the sector has been able to maintain its occupation rate more than other sectors especially Industrial and building sector.

In the area exist several small and local cooperatives and organisations that combine activities of social inclusion with professional agriculture. Such activities can be included in Social Farming.

Protection of peasant property in inheritance/in the transfer

At the moment the property goes from fathers to children in equal way, despite the fact of being farmers. This cause problems of fragmentation of property and management.

Constraints that farmers and rural population face in their everyday work

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Figura 7 labor in agriculture and other sectors

Territorial problems: urbanization which arise the price of land both for renting and buy; soil erosion especially in the mountain; scarce control of flood which causes flood in all the province, and especially close to the urban areas and in the plain.Social conflict: lack of dialogue between farmers and local political deciders.Economical issues: mostly linked to price volatility: need for reorganization of food chains

5. Forms of protection or development of agricultural land use in rural area Evolution of land use change around the city (or the main important urban centre)

Reggio Emilia’s province has followed the principal national trends linked to urbanisation and land use change. Most of the Italian territory is characterised by “shrinking cities”, since urbanisation is highly dense.

Considering the high profit for municipalities in land use change from agricultural to urbanized areas, and the very low level of regulation, urban sprawl is dramatically affecting Italian territory.

So each small municipality has its own industrial areas, and land use change is decided just at municipal council. As many national authorities have denounced in the last 20 years this process has led to dramatic land speculation, which has affected both the urban sustainable development and agricultural development,

since the price of land both to rent and to buy are led to be incredibly high.

Nevertheless in the Province of Reggio Emilia the urban sprawl has mainly followed the “compacted” city’s trend, following the main street.

As it is possible to see in Fig. 7 the municipality is characterised by both urban (residential and industrial) areas, and natural and mainly agricultural areas.

Projects and partnerships for the protection of agricultural land use

The unique project that exists is at the moment “Terre di Reggio Emilia”. The purpose of the project is the acquisition of agricultural land, to be subtracted from overbuilding and real estate speculation, and used for production of agricultural products, creation of job quality, stable and environmental protection. The project it is promoted by federation of local associations.https://desreggioemilia.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/il-progetto-verso-terre-di-reggio-emilia/

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Figura 8 Urban sprawl at national level

Figura 9 Urbanisation in Reggio Emilia municipality

6. Agrifood market Relationships between agricultural production and agri food industry definition of the quality of products forms of associations for the quality’s valorization of the food production (cooperatives, transformation,

trade) and the price

Agricultural production has been mainly organised around three most important food chains: dairy farm for Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese; pigs for Parma ham; vineyards for Lambrusco Reggiano wine. The 3 productions are highly certified with POD and PGI labels. It means that agriculture production needs to follow specification which rules the production techniques (rotation of crops, animal’s nutrition, environmental sustainability), as well as it rules where production and processing could be done.Historically Parmiggiano Reggiano and Lambrusco have been organized with producers cooperatives which were responsible for the processing, while the distribution was delegated to local Consortium of both producers and processors. Parma ham food chain has been organized differently: pigs are sold to private processors which the specification have imposed they need to be located in a specific are of Parma province close to Reggio Emilia.

Figura 10 Parmiggiano Reggiano's areas of production and processing

Figura 11 Lambrusco's areas of production

Nowadais, the progressive reduction of producers’cooperatives, the lack of efficiency and effectiveness in market pèolicy of Consortium, and the price crises, has led farmers top private initiatiatives bioth fort he processing and the distribution, even if in the framework oft he same labels. (data)

7. Settlement of immigrant populations in rural areas Labor force in rural and agricultural activities

Immigration labor is becaming an increasing trend in agriculture, especially in the north area of the Province.

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8. Application of RDP Individual participation in tender Participation of groups Role of agricultural representation in the definition and implementation of the measures of the

RDP

Rural development programs are applied at regional level. In the CAP 2007-2013 Italy has got 21 RDPs, considering the 20 regions plus the one for the national Rural Development Network. Emilia Romagna decides with measures are the priorities, the areas specification (for example Local Action Group’s areas), and the principal local and regional stakeholders that need to be called in the negotiation process.

The Province administration was responsible for the application of RDP for its territory, especially deciding how and when organize the calls for fundings. Moreover Province institutions have the direct knowledge of the territory of application, and at regional level they have been recognized as most important the responsible for the observation of agriculture’ dynamics and and representativeness of agriculture’s interests.

The national decision of removing the Province administrative level, had caused several problems in the process of negotiation for agricultural policies and fundings.

9. Application of food security rules

Food security rules mainly follow the European rules HCCP. Each Region decides how to apply the rules considering the different agricultural productions, while the controls are made my local municipal healthy authorities. This has caused fragmentation between rules and local controls.

10. Knowledge of rural and agricultural area and population developed for urban population

In the local television (Telereggio) specific programs are organized for agricultural activities.

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