The MezzogiornoThe Mezzogiorno is part of the periphery of the EU.

Mt. Etna

Mt. Vesuvius

Ionian Sea

Lingurian Sea

Physical Reasons why Mezzogiorno is periphery…

Climate

• Mediterranean, with hot summers of 25 degrees caused by angle of sun, rainfall less than 10mm per month caused by high pressure

•Low rainfall leads to long summer droughts, resulting in poor grazing and high evaporation reduces moisture available for plants and for irrigation

•Summer rain is in heavy convectional showers washing away soil and ruining crops

•Winters mild and wet because of low pressure and prevailing winds from the Atlantic.

Relief

• High mountains mainly permeable limestone, meaning water percolates through and surface water is scarce

•Low surface water and high evaporation mean that there is little soil moisture so plants must be specially adapted like Rosemary or Cypress trees (Garrigue vegetation)

•Soils are thin and alkaline with little humus and are poor in nutrients

•Most land between 200 and 1500m separated by deep, steep sided valleys which are subject to flash floods in summer and convectional storms during winter rainstorms.

•Hillsides have been terraced to increase amount of level land

•Soils are thicker and land is more level on coastal plains; volcanic areas have richer soils

Natural Hazards

• earthquakes and volcanic eruptions common as it is a destructive plate boundary

•May result in flooding and landslides, due to inadequate river channels and heavy summer storms.

Lack of Natural Resources

• No important minerals like coal or iron ore, therefore little industry.

Human Reasons why Mezzogiorno is periphery…•Deforestation - forests cleared for use as fuel wood and building

•Land has been overgrazed by sheep and goats

•Soil erosion, caused by historical farming methods, deforestation, severe storms and flash floods, lack of vegetation in summer to anchor soil

•Latifundi: large estates owned by a landlord who rents plots to peasants, often small and scattered, resulting in mainly subsistence (grow to eat) economy. The peasants had little money left after paying the rent to improve their land or farming methods and there was little incentive to improve land that wasn’t theirs. Landlords didn’t invest in modern techniques.

•Lack of communications: narrow and twisting roads built because of steep relief means that produce takes a a long time to reach markets in the North and deterioration en route means they sell for a lower price.

What was the Mezzogiorno like? Case Study: Aliano

Aliano is in the south east of the state of Basilicata, Southern Italy.

Physical Problems Human Problems

• shortage of raw materials•85% land hilly or mountainous•Water shortages in summer•Poor quality soil and vegetation•Movement of goods difficult due to poor communications and steep slopes

• landlords unhelpful to farmers•Lack of educational opportunity•Few farmers own their own land•Few big banks from which to borrow money•Lack of skilled labour and industry•Poverty and high unemployment

Migration: Push and Pull

Push – Economic

• low income from subsistence farming means people can’t afford housing with modern facilities

•Lack of jobs outside farming to provide alternative

•Lack o investment form government in region

•Farming hard work – long hours little pay

•Pressure on land – sons have too little land to live on

Push – Social

• Lack of schools with high educational standard

• Low quality housing lacking piped water and electricity

Pull – Economic

• Higher paid jobs and more skilled jobs

•More jobs in manufacturing and services

Pull – Social

• Modern hospitals and health clinics

•More entertainment like cinemas and night clubs

Traditional Farming before 1950

•Mostly Calanchi – badly eroded land due to centuries of bad farming practices

•Latifundi

•Deforestation to provide more farm land

•Sheep and goats grazed on pasture until bare

•Too many crops grown, land exhausted and unprotected

•Loose soils washed away by winter storms

•Valleys chocked with alluvium cause rivers to flood

Improvements Made…

1. CAP - single payment has replaced subsidies on individual olive trees after the EU expanded

• Aims to guarantee regular food supplies at affordable prices and ensure fair standard of living for farmers

• Farmers spend less time filling in forms, don’t have to keep a specific number of animals, will be paid depending on amount of land, and must meet standards of animal welfare in order to get the payment

2. Cassa per il Mezzogiorno – Land reforms of Latifundi

• Established in 1950

• Cassa took land from absentee landlords and gave to peasants giving them incentive to improve farms

• Farms could be used as security for loans

• Each farmer had enough land to be self sufficient

• Fragmented fields consolidated meaning less time travelling

Changes in farming Changes in farming practices due to practices due to land reform...land reform...

• Scientific farming: higher yielding varieties of seeds, chemical fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides used to increase yield, irrigation so crops can be grown in summer drought, new crops grown to sell during North Europe’s winter for higher value

• Tractors make farming large area easier

• Bulk purchases by cooperatives reduce cost

• More products are processed to increase profits, eg. Grapes turned to wine before travelling to markets in the North

Other Cassa initiatives:

• build agricultural factories – cooperatives have a factory where goods can be processed before being taken to market

•Build roads linking North to South – produce is more easily transported therefore higher quality giving greater profit

•Improve schools and medical facilities to make people want to stay. Workers are healthier and can work harder, school provide suitable employees for the future. Establish agricultural colleges to improve farming skills

•Provide electricity supply - use dams and relief of land to generate HEP used to work irrigation pumps and sprinklers

•Provide water supply for domestic use so farmers would be healthier and for irrigation so crops crop yields would be higher in summer, increasing income

3. European Investment Fund3. European Investment Fund

Loans form the EU for specific projects, like a steel works, or a hydroelectric power station

Improvements Made…

4. Integrated Mediterranean Programme

• Improve quality of produce to crate more profit

•Improve marketing to improve sales

•Introduce diversification

•Extend forestry to reduce soil erosion

•Educate and train farmers in modern practices

Vineyard tours

Restaurants selling home cooked Italian cuisine

Shops selling wine and olives

Holiday apartments/ villas/ campsites

Improvements after IMP funding…

• productivity and income increased

More people have employment outside of agriculture

Tourism increased

Migration to North decreased

Limitations to IMP funding…

1. Many of the non-Agricultural industries which have developed are state owned and there is little evidence that small scale private industry is growing

2. Much of the money has not reached the farmers but has been diverted to illegal organisations like the mafia.

Cassa per il Mezzogiorno

Scattered Latifundi plots

Consolidated land

European investment fund

Little other industry Steel Works

Integrated Mediterranean

Programme

Deforestation causes eroded

hillsides

Aforestation, reduction in soil

erosion