Sviluppo rurale e approccio distrettuale. Analisi e prospettive per un modello di sviluppo economico diversificato

Sviluppo rurale e approccio distrettuale. Analisi e prospettive per un modello di sviluppo economico diversificato ABSTRACT: Food supply is not the present main role of European agriculture, because it is assured by international trade, but the new objective is the sustainable land management. Actually the territory can?t only be considered as a container of economic activities but it is a capital to manage and exploit, by promoting productions and other human activities. This active role of the territory for the socio-economic development is evident in the law of agriculture modernization and orienting, that introduces two different territorial entities: the rural district and the agro-food quality district. The rural district is quite different from the concept of industrial district because it is not based on geographical concentration and specialization of production but its main characteristic is horizontal integration. Mainly, the rural district can be considered as a governance approach to manage the territory based on public and private cooperation. In the rural district approach there is the complexity of a reality, not only economic but social and environmental, so there are elements in conflict with some developing interests of a territory that can block its effective application.