Start Date
End Date
Project Summary
Residents in a mountain setting formed an association in 2019, leasing agricultural land to members or external parties who manage it sustainably, collaborating with shepherds, natural parks, and forestry consortiums, with rents invested in territory maintenance to prevent floods, create cattle drinking troughs, support the local museum, and organize cultural awareness events, ensuring improved territory and stakeholder engagement.
Themes
Biogeoghraphic Region
Objective
The main objectives are preserving biodiversity, land maintenance, encourage dialogue with the pastors, trail enhancement, and climate change fight
Good Practice Description
In 2019, a group of residents in a mountain setting funded a land association ("Associazione Fondiaria"). The members are asked to lease their agricultural land to members of the association itself or to external parties who undertake to manage it in compliance with good agricultural practices, hydrogeological balances, and environmental and landscape preservation. The land in this case was rented to local shepherds. Cooperation was established with shepherds, natural parks and the foresty consortium. The rent is managed and invested in the territory maintenance to prevent floods, making drinking troughs for cattle herds, investing it in the local museum and organising events to raise awareness on the valorisation of the local culture and the landscape. In general, the practice helps to improve the territory and ensures the maintenance of contacts with the municipality and all the stakeholders. The Land Associations were created with the aim of recovering the productivity of fragmented landed properties and uncultivated or abandoned agricultural land through associated management, enabling the enhancement of land assets, the protection of the environment and landscape, the prevention of hydrogeological risks and fires, as well as the application of compulsory plant pest control measures. This is an important experiment in community land management that is already beginning to bear fruit because, without interfering with property rights, in an intelligent and productive way the association revitalizes agro-silvo-pastoral activities, and ensures the preservation of the landscape. French legislation has long promoted the gathering of abandoned properties through the "Association foncière pastorale" and "Groupements pastoraux", also ensuring the input of producers' associations. This model of community land management was introduced in Italy thanks to the commitment and work of those who believed in the potential of their land.
Tools and Equipment
It is necessary to have abandoned properties.
Personnel
A group of people from the local village, willing to invest their time as volunteers to admin these lands.
Problems and Threats Faced
Replicating the model of Associazione Fondiaria or similar community land management initiatives poses various challenges. These include navigating complex legal frameworks, securing adequate financial resources, fostering community engagement and participation, building organizational capacity, ensuring long-term sustainability through effective planning, fostering collaboration and partnerships, respecting cultural diversity, establishing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, advocating for supportive policies, and managing risks effectively.