IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i24p13818-d702537.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Importance of Technical Support in the Return of Traditional Crops in the Alps: The Case of Rye in Camonica Valley

Author

Listed:
  • Valeria Leoni

    (Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas-CRC Ge.S.Di.Mont., University of Milan, Via Morino 8, 25048 Edolo, Italy
    Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape and Agroenergy-DiSAA, University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy)

  • Davide Pedrali

    (Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas-CRC Ge.S.Di.Mont., University of Milan, Via Morino 8, 25048 Edolo, Italy)

  • Marco Zuccolo

    (Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas-CRC Ge.S.Di.Mont., University of Milan, Via Morino 8, 25048 Edolo, Italy)

  • Alessia Rodari

    (Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas-CRC Ge.S.Di.Mont., University of Milan, Via Morino 8, 25048 Edolo, Italy)

  • Luca Giupponi

    (Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas-CRC Ge.S.Di.Mont., University of Milan, Via Morino 8, 25048 Edolo, Italy
    Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape and Agroenergy-DiSAA, University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy)

  • Annamaria Giorgi

    (Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas-CRC Ge.S.Di.Mont., University of Milan, Via Morino 8, 25048 Edolo, Italy
    Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape and Agroenergy-DiSAA, University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy)

Abstract

Multifunctional agriculture could be strategic for the recovery of some mountain areas of the Alps, and traditional crops like cereals generated study cases that triggered processes of development, such as rye in Camonica Valley (Northern Italy). However, farmers are often newcomers, and the specificities of low input agriculture make the training in agriculture fundamental. The impact of public workshops/seminars (organized by the Ge.S.Di.Mont. Research Centre of the University of Milan in Camonica Valley) on cereal cultivation between 2016 and 2021 was investigated. Moreover, rye produced in Camonica Valley was analyzed. The results show an increase in participation and a wider use of the streaming service. The percentage of participants not from an agricultural background had always remained about 50%, but decreased to 15.17% ± 5.07 in 2021, in contrast to the increase of professionals in agriculture and forestry. This is probably due to the accreditation of training activities for agronomists and foresters, and to the start of specific training projects regarding cereals. Samples of rye produced in Camonica Valley following the period of training activities were phytochemically/nutritionally characterized and compared to commercial rye. Locally produced rye proved to be comparable to the commercial one; however it showed a remarkable unevenness in secondary metabolite content and productivity, due to environmental differences and diverse agro-techniques.

Suggested Citation

  • Valeria Leoni & Davide Pedrali & Marco Zuccolo & Alessia Rodari & Luca Giupponi & Annamaria Giorgi, 2021. "The Importance of Technical Support in the Return of Traditional Crops in the Alps: The Case of Rye in Camonica Valley," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-16, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:24:p:13818-:d:702537
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/24/13818/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/24/13818/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Luca Giupponi & Valeria Leoni, 2020. "VegeT: An Easy Tool to Classify and Facilitate the Management of Seminatural Grasslands and Dynamically Connected Vegetation of the Alps," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-16, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Matteo Caser & Sonia Demasi & Eric Mozzanini & Paola Maria Chiavazza & Valentina Scariot, 2022. "Germination Performances of 14 Wildflowers Screened for Shaping Urban Landscapes in Mountain Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-12, February.
    2. Robert A. Marchant & Aida Cuni-Sanchez, 2022. "Special Issue Editorial: Mountains under Pressure," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-5, August.
    3. Valeria Leoni & Gigliola Borgonovo & Luca Giupponi & Angela Bassoli & Davide Pedrali & Marco Zuccolo & Alessia Rodari & Annamaria Giorgi, 2021. "Comparing Wild and Cultivated Arnica montana L. from the Italian Alps to Explore the Possibility of Sustainable Production Using Local Seeds," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-19, March.
    4. Davide Pedrali & Cristina Proserpio & Sara Margherita Borgonovi & Marco Zuccolo & Valeria Leoni & Gigliola Borgonovo & Alessia Maria Bernardi & Alessio Scarafoni & Ella Pagliarini & Annamaria Giorgi &, 2022. "Nutritional Characterization and Novel Use of “Copafam” Bean ( Phaseolus coccineus L.) for the Sustainable Development of Mountains Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-20, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:24:p:13818-:d:702537. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.