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In developed countries agriculture, especially that of the specialized suitable areas, produces goods mainly for the global market and the food industry, so that only 20% of the production is traded locally, as opposed to what happens worldwide where this percentage rises to 80% (EU Committee of the Regions 2011). Starting in the ´90s with the Agenda 2000, pillar of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) multiple functions have been attributed to agriculture, which have an effect mainly in the areas where the farms are located. So, today it is widely accepted that agriculture can be an instrument of control and enhancement of the landscape, conservation of plant and animal biodiversity, protection and transfer of traditional production techniques. In addition, through agritourisms, direct sales and didactic activities the farm has established a contact between the production and the territory by constructing small (or sometimes large) exchange circuits on a local scale. Although now the spread of these activities is broad and known to most customers, remains a source of content and as previously mentioned, the agricultural production is mostly designed for global markets.

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Spigarolo, Roberto
Roberto Spigarolo holds a Master´s Degree in Agricultural Sciences and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Ecology at the University of Milan.

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