Environmental sustainability in Val di Cornia: the data show a significant reduction in the cultivated areas in the area considered the vegetable garden of Tuscany. The point with the researchers of the Institute of Crop Science
The Val di Cornia, an area known as the ‘vegetable garden of Tuscany’, is experiencing a sharp reduction in the size of some of its cultivated areas. This is what emerges from the data of the Italian Farmers' Confederation and the ARTEA data (Tuscany Region) presented and discussed in the fifth meeting of the Nexus Ecosystem Lab Val di Cornia, as part of the European project ’PRIMA NEXUS-NESS’ coordinated by the University for Foreigners of Perugia in which the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies of Pisa participates under the scientific supervision of Rudy Rossetto, researcher at the Institute of Crop Science.
The reduction in cultivated areas has created tangible concern among farmers and trade associations. In fact, the analysis shows that the crops being grown in Val di Cornia are changing. In 2018, 326 hectares were dedicated to artichokes, a typical crop of Val di Cornia, but just five years later this had been reduced to 190.9 hectares. In the same period the area used for melons decreased from 285 to 148 hectares; spinach even went from 241 hectares to just over 24 hectares, a reduction of over 89% in cultivated land. The only exception is tomato, which has increased from 161 to 246 hectares in five years. The reasons for this are the reduced availability of water, the high production costs that overburden farmers, excessive bureaucracy and the low generational turnover.
To encourage the revival of agriculture, the NEXUS-NESS project aims to propose a model of environmental, social and economic sustainability for the Val di Cornia by 2030 through an experiment in integrated and participatory planning of precious resources such as water and energy, and agricultural production processes.
A true co-planning, as Rudy Rossetto emphasised, for which the analytical framework of the current situation in Val di Cornia was requested and presented. Sustainability is one of the main challenges facing the agricultural world, and with this in mind the project aims to promote solutions for Tuscan companies to increase irrigation efficiency and the international competitiveness of the agricultural sector, to consider agriculture as a central element and to introduce innovative varieties capable of adapting to climate change.
