Agricultural Profitability And Susceptibility To Soil Degradation In A Changing Mediterranean Landscape

This study explores at the local scale the possible linkages observed in recent years between the level of land vulnerability to degradation and selected agricultural systems in Italy. By analyzing agricultural added value and land productivity in combination with additional socioeconomic indicators available at the district scale, we found different environment-economy relationships depending on the local context. The analysis was undertaken in both the early-1990s and early- 2000s on 784 districts with different land degradation vulnerability. Results indicate that, in the early-1990s, land productivity in northern Italy was positively correlated to labour productivity in agriculture, agriculture’s share in total product, and level of land vulnerability. However, during the following years, the increase in land productivity was not associated to a parallel increase in the level of land vulnerability. A contrasting pattern was observed in southern Italy: here, the observed increase in land productivity was accompanied by a rising proportion of land classified as vulnerable to degradation. Based on these results, agro-environmental measures supporting sustainable agriculture in marginal inland areas and contrasting land degradation risk are discussed. Classification-JEL: Q15, Q24, R14, R52