Farm behavioural model to combat desertification in the Mediterranean: empirical evidence for policy warnings

The study is based on the observation that the processes of land degradation are the combined product of climatic and anthropic factors, and that in the northern Mediterranean context, human factors play the most relevant role. For this reason it is concerned with analysis and modeling of the key factors influencing the choice of alternative agricultural techniques adoptable at farm level, and hence their effects on soil degradation. To establish the risk of soil degradation under different environmental conditions, many research studies in the European Mediterranean context have found it useful to refer to the maps of ESAs(Environmentally Sensitive Areas). Using the results of the MEDALUS project for the Agri basin (Southern Italy), the study starts by grouping the area under investigation into five clusters of risk referring to the analysis of farm behaviours with respect to the land management. According to the socio-demographie data, in the analysis the family-farm is assumed to be the main decisional unit. In this context the family plays a central role in the allocation of all the resources available (natural and human) and, also in the implementation of the main environmental and agricultural policies. Moreover, using this of decisional unit it is possible to link the land use the chosen technology for a specific crop within the local economic system. The technology adopted for the main agricultural crop (wheat), covering the 52% of the sown land of the area, has been comprehensively analysed under different environmental and managerial condition. The analysis of these relationship allows to identify both the key factors that, at farm level, are able to influence or encourage the effective implementation of “best practice” for any specific context, and the suitable techniques for mitigation of desertification processes. The conclusions are both focused on the adopted techniques and on the decisional processes to provide suggestions useful to decision makers.