Mezzogiorno -- Primary economic activities

Agriculture

• Climate has limiting effect on agriculture - most activity carried out in winter with rainfall.
• Tree crops -- vines, olives and citrus fruits are most common, sheep grazing in upland areas.
• 10% of workforce involved in agriculture.
• High dependency on EU grants as farm incomes are 50% lower than EU average. 1/2 of those employed in agriculture work in Mezzorgiorno.
• Until 1950s, land divided into estates called latifundia, owned by landlords.
• 25% of people owned their land - little incentive to improve practices.
• Small plots rented called minifundia, but most people worked on other's estates as landless labourers called braccianti.
• Land was subdivided ~ 70% of land was > 3 hectares.
• Overgrazing and overcultivation.
• Production levels were low and farming was extensive.

Agriculture: Cassa per il Mezzogiorno

• 1950s, Cassa per il Mezzogiorno was introduced by government and funded by EU to improve farming practices.
• Positive Effects:
• Land reform; land redistributed to local peasants.
• New farming techniques; crop rotation, cash crops and intensive farming styles.
• Investment in mechanisation.
• Irrigation schemes; Apulian Aqueduct.
• Co-operatives.
• Improvements to infrastructure and ports; Autostrada del Sole - transportation.
• Communication links and services.
• Malarial swamps drained -- reclaimed marshes - wheat grown.
• ~~ Huge improvements -agricultural output has increased tenfold. One of the main producers of citrus fruit and olives.

Cassa per il Mezzogiorno contd

• Negative Effects:
• The reforms introduced to the Mezzogiorno have mainly benefited the coastal plains; 85% in upland -- widened income gap between upland areas and coastal plains.
• 200% increase in tomatoes grown in region; seasonal overproduction and dramatic fall in prices when sold to European markets.
• Irrigation schemes; very expensive.
• New farming practices --pastoral farming-- limited in the region.

Forestry

• Mixed hardwoods - oak, cork, cypress & olive trees.
• Many have been cleared for settlement and farming -- land open to soil and raindrop erosion.
• Trees more widely spaced than in other regions.
• Upland slopes covered in a limited amount of scrub vegetation.
• Forestry not an important economic activity.

Fishing

• Not a major activity - Mediterranean not rich fishing ground.
• Sardines, tuna and anchovies.
• Small fishing ports and sold to local tourist trade.
• Fishing trade under threat as Mediterranean is quite polluted.
• Small continental shelf -- breeding of fish is limited.

Energy & Mining

• No coal deposits and HEP production is limited due to permeable nature of limestone bedrock and limited rainfall.
• Small amount of natural gas off coasts of Sicily, Molise, Calabria and Basilicata.
• Most gas is imported through gas pipeline from Algeria.