Measuring multifunctional (agritouristic) characterization of the territory

The reform of EU agricultural policy set up by Agenda 2000 was intended to develop a competitive, sustainable and multifunctional agriculture, through instruments of both the market and income support policy and the rural development policy. To design strategies and actions while simultaneously considering the multifunctional character of farming and of rural areas, it is necessary to measure the multifunctionality with reference to the sectorial and territorial dimensions. This research represents a methodological contribution to the analyses whose aim it is to describe the multifunctional character of the territory. The availability of data regarding the functions performed by farms, the private or public nature of goods produced and the location of the business, suggested focusing our research on agritourism enterprises at community level. Data was analyzed using the fuzzy clustering algorithm Fanny, which allowed us to test a procedure in order to create a partition in which the communities (statistical units) of each group were functionally similar and geographically close to each other. Furthermore, fuzzy clustering allowed us not only to classify the units into homogeneous groups, but also offered the possibility of identifying the membership degrees of each unit. As to planning all this information is important in designing sectorial and regional development paths differing with regards to each cluster and in identifying any particular intracluster properties at which to target specific projects. The last one is the case of those communities that, having the characteristics of different groups, can be made to migrate towards one cluster rather than another through specific planning, consistent with the objectives of sectorial and territorial policy.