Integrated Valorisation of a rural territory: The tourist potential

Working the Landscape

terraces and dry-stone walls between identity and values, Albiano, May 4th, 2013

Mariangela Franch eTourism Research Group - Università degli Studi di Trento

The terraced landscape: a ladder from the ground to the sky

The “intermediate landscapes”

Terraced landskapes are …

located in between “urban growth and territorial

marginality” (G. Scaramellini, M. Varotto, Paesaggi terrazzati dell’arco

alpino. Atlante, Marsilio, 2008)

characterized by functional complexity

Included on EU level in the EEC list of “natural

habitats” of relevant interest (Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC)

Included on national level in the Regulations of

Cultural heritage and Landscape (Leg. Decree 42/2004, -

reviewed in 2008)

Agenda

1. The value of rural landscapes for local

development

2. The role of tourism in the maintenance and

management of terraced landscapes

3. The role of agriculture in landscape valorisation

4. The sustainable development model for the

valorisation of terraced vineyards in the

CembraValley

The value of terraced landscapes

Several national and international studies identify

different levels of value:

landscape

cultural and identitarian

economic

for the prevention of geological hazards

for the recovery of abandoned cultivations

for the plantation of high-quality products

for integration and social cohesion

…..

The value of terraced landscapes for the local development

un'offerta turistica?

From the perspective of local development,

attempts at valorising terraces have

encountered a number of obstacles, primarily

linked to the economic model that has

dominated in the Alpine territories ever since

end of World War II

The transition of Alpine economy

In the past, growth and development have been

primarily linked to the exploitation of natural products

within a multi-functionality framework

in more recent times, some Alpine regions have

completed a transition from multi-functional models

oriented to income support to intensive production

models. The sectors influenced by this variation were

primarily agriculture and tourism.

In many territories, such change, marked the transition

from subsistence farming and small-scale tourism to

agricultural specialization and tourism industry

The main consequences

In agricultural sector, decrease of

competitiveness of local products, and increase

of homogeneity in industrial agriculture (e.g.

French Alps' milk, cereals ...)

In tourist sector, diffusion of mass tourism and

of standardized services (holiday offers such as White

Week Packages)

The value of terraced landscapes in the context of local development

How to combine landscapes valorisation to the

local development model?

As far as "fragile" territories are concerned,

reconsidering the dominant economic model

seems necessary. In so doing, equally

necessary seems to make adoption of

sustainability and welfare measurement

principles

Sustainable development model

Sustainable development model implies:

balanced and integrated management of

economic, social and environmental capital

consciousness the three kinds of capital aren't

fully replaceable, and their exhaustion is

irreversible in many cases

adoption of medium-long term perspective

compliance with the inter-generational contract

with regards to transfer assets/resources

integration among sectors, and specifically

agriculture, crafts and tourism

Preconditions

with respect to the area where the three types of

capital operate, it is important to remember that the

territory and the lanscape are factors that

contribute to the qualitaty of the outputs

(agricultural products and tourist offer)

culture, history, local identity and environment

are common good belonging to the local

communitiy, and secundarily are tourist attractions

local communities should be involved into the

policy-making processes regarding the valorisation

and governance of terraced areas

The role of tourism in maintaining and managing terraced landscapes

The sustainable tourism development model

highlights a landscape peculiarities in order to

differentiate the offer

promotes "diffused hospitality“ and other forms of

tourism respectful of the natural balance

promotes new hospitality networks (e.g. B&Bs,

agriturs, "diffuse hotels, hotels, camping sites)

promotes an integrated tourist offer that also

includes sectors such as oenogastronomy

The role of agriculture in defining a pattern towards sustainable development

The agricultural sustainable development model

can create new opportunities for SMEs (Small

and Medium Enterprises)

sets its sight on typical and high-quality

products

sets its sight on production processes that

are attuned with the landscape environmental

features

The role of agriculture in defining a pattern towards sustainable development

aims to promote local products consumption

(so called "Zero Kilometers products"), which is

more likely to generate positive externalities

integrates the offer of local products with the

offer of “tourist services"

takes into account the fragility of the

environment

The role of agriculture in defining a pattern towards sustainable development

The terraced landscapes represent a potential

source for the local development of a valley, if:

they result integrated within the sustainable

development careful to the delicate historic,

environmental, cultural and economic balance

coherent interventions of political economy and

integrated planning are activated

Landscapes and an equal, sustainable wellbeing

The sustainable development model introduces the

opportunity to measure the outcomes of local

development, also in terms of ESD(Equity and

Sustainable Develoment)

The Cnel-Istat Report Equal and Sustainable

Wellbeing in Italy (Bes), considers landscapes and

cultural heritage

among the indicators of landscape wellbeing the

report mentions the presence of historical rural

landscapes, among which terraces

Does the valorisation of Cembra Valley's vineyard terraces fit into a model of sustainable development?

Vineyard terraces express “local cultural identites,

contribute to maintaining the cultural heritage of

mankind, and translate into the armonic

coexistence of income-generating productive

activitites and in the preservation of the landscape's

environment as well as of many of its traditional

cultural features“ (Terraced Vineyards of the Cembra Valley, in: M. Agnoletti (ed.), Rural and historical landscapes. Towards a

National Catalogue, Laterza, 2011)

Therefore, we can argue that the preconditions for

successfully implementing the sustainable model

exist

Economic Sustainability

Economic sustainability

farming of high-quality and identity-rich

products, to be commercialized through

“specialized” channels

promotion of forms of rural and oeno-

gastronomy tourism

promotion of agricultural experimentation

projects and of process innovation

valorisation of porphyry crafts and integrated

fruition of tourist routes

Environmental Sustainability

Environmental sustainability

Increase of agricultural varieties

Recover of marginal areas

valorisation of terraced landscapes through

forms of rural tourism

Social sustainability

Social sustainability

involvement of local communities in the cultural

recovery of terraces

participation in decision-making processes related

to the valorisation of terraced areas

activation of social cohesion processes

The sustainable development model could offer a

new multifunctional approach to manage

resources within a territory

Model's criticalities

problems of channeling financial resources in

the direction of landscapes valorisation

low awareness of the terraced landscape value

fragmentation among units of production and

difficulty in generating networks of actors

higher production costs

Model's criticalities

Imbalance of contractual power between

productors and intermediaries in both typical

agricultural products and "niche tourism"

distribution

Difficulty to express a shared vision for

governance processes

delays in the introduction of technical and

organizational innovations

Model's opportunities

demand for new professional jobs to satisfy the

requirements of different sectors

oportunities for integration and social cohesion

(e.g. Adopt a Terrace in Valstagna)

experimental agricultural projects (high-quality

local productions)

opportunity to test the Bes indicator

Thank you for your attention!

Working the Landscape

terraces and dry-stone walls between identity and values, Albiano, May 4th, 2013

Mariangela Franch eTourism Research Group Responsible - Università degli Studi di Trento

Principali riferimenti

M. Agnoletti (a cura ) (2011), Paesaggi rurali e storici. Per un

catalogo Nazionale, Laterza, Bari

Direttiva UE Habitats 43/1992

E. Fontanari, D. Patassini (2008), Paesaggi terrazzati dell’arco

alpino. Esperienze di progetto, Marsilio, Venezia

Rapporto Cnel-Istat (2013) Benessere Equo e Sostenibile in

Italia (Bes), Roma

G. Scaramellini, M. Varotto (2008), Paesaggi terrazzati dell’arco

alpino. Atlante, Marsilio, Venezia

T. Tempesta (2006), Il valore del paesaggio rurale, in T.

Tempesta, M. Thiene, Percezione e valore del paesaggio, F.

Angeli, Milano

M. Trentini, M. Romano (2012), Piccola Terra, Docu-film, Cierre

edizioni- Antersass, Università Padova, Comune Valstagna,

Trozdem Film