The implementation of a GIS as an effective tool for the valorization of typical food products from marginal areas.

The economy of marginal areas is frequently compromised by the inadequacy of the transport system, lack of co-operation between farms, and insufficient distribution of their typical products, whose valorization may be an important factor for exploiting rural tourism. In those areas, the problem that more frequently arises is the difficulty in planning land development, due to the lacking or poor knowledge and classification of every information, together with the inadequate capability to get new information and to simultaneously analyze several different data. In this paper, a GIS method has been employed for an application in land use planning with reference to an internal area of Basilicata Region (Southern Italy), well known for its typical food products (sheep and goat cheese). This GIS has been implemented, so as to match information of geographical level (terrain height, gradient, slope orientation, soil utilization, structures and infra-structures, etc.) with pasture characteristics (pasture aromatic herbs, grass percent coverage, nutritional values, etc.). It has revealed a very useful tool, allowing to individuate new areas that may be devoted to pasture, with the best characteristic and highest potential performance, able to contribute for an increase of quantity and a standardization of quality in production of “Pecorino” cheese.