Building Bio-Districts or Eco-Regions: Participative Processes Supported by Focal Groups

Raquel S. Dias, Daniela V. T. A. Costa, Helena E. Correia and Cristina A. Costa
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Raquel S. Dias: Agrarian School of Viseu, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3500-606 Viseu, Portugal
Daniela V. T. A. Costa: CERNAS Research Centre and Agrarian School of Viseu, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3500-606 Viseu, Portugal
Helena E. Correia: Agrarian School of Viseu, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3500-606 Viseu, Portugal
Cristina A. Costa: CERNAS Research Centre and Agrarian School of Viseu, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3500-606 Viseu, Portugal

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 6, 1-14

Abstract: Over the years, rural areas have faced a number of problems and difficulties, such as an increase in the average age of the population, desertification, loss of employment and the abandonment of rural and agricultural activities, which have led to the emergence of new initiatives aimed at revitalizing these territories from a social, economic and environmental perspective, such as the successful Bio-districts or Eco-regions (e.g., Bio-district of Cilento). Understanding and establishing a proper framework for each territory based on agroecology and participatory methodologies is still a challenge. In this sense, based on the analysis of two European examples—Cilento, Italy and São Pedro do Sul, Portugal—we described each of the building processes and defined a set of drivers that might constitute guiding principles to serve as a basis for the creation of Bio-districts or Eco-regions. The drivers’ matrix identified was discussed in three focus groups carried out in Portugal in 2020. Such drivers included a technical and environmental component (the quality of the environment and landscape, the food system and the implementation of organic farming and agroecological practices), a social and economic component (valorization of the farmers, products and territories and a set of different stakeholders—farmers, consumers, schools, tourism entities and restaurants, local authorities) and a political component (the governance model). Most participants agreed that the recognition of a Bio-district or Eco-region should be informal, bottom-up, with farmers as the main pillar, with a fair and representative participation, namely family farmers.

Keywords: Cilento; sustainable territory; organic farming; agro-ecological practices; focal groups (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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