New Possibilities for Planning the Recovery of Abandoned Agricultural Land in Mediterranean Mountain Communities: The Case of Troodos in Cyprus

Dimitris Goussios, Dimitra Gaki, Prodromos Mardakis and Ioannis Faraslis ()
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Dimitris Goussios: Department of Planning and Regional Development, University of Thessaly, Pedion Areos, 38334 Volos, Greece
Dimitra Gaki: Department of Planning and Regional Development, University of Thessaly, Pedion Areos, 38334 Volos, Greece
Prodromos Mardakis: Department of Planning and Regional Development, University of Thessaly, Pedion Areos, 38334 Volos, Greece
Ioannis Faraslis: Department of Environmental Sciences, Campus Gaiopolis, University of Thessaly, 41110 Larissa, Greece

Land, 2024, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-23

Abstract: This paper addresses the issue of abandoned agricultural land (AAL) as a phenomenon whose containment is crucial due to its extent, the agro-ecological transition, and the development challenges faced by mountain communities. The research is organised on two levels: (a) the mountain region of Troodos, Cyprus, where the stance of local communities regarding the impacts of abandonment is investigated, and (b) representative communities where the findings from the diagnosis, with the contribution of spatial analysis, are used as a guide in planning the process of recovering AAL. At this scale, an interactive methodology is proposed that incorporates the spatial and production dimensions through a “zone for recovery”. The paper results in a recovery process based on the correspondence between the differentiated agricultural land uses in mountains (intensive/extensive models, self-consumption, management, etc.) and the various user groups (existing and potential farmers, diaspora, etc.). This process indicates that, as long as there is a combined institutional intervention by communities, spatial planning, and local governance, integrating recovery into the local multifunctional production system leads to its differentiation and increased resilience.

Keywords: abandoned lands; recoverability; mountain; communes; agroecological transition; resources; tenure relations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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