Shared and Relational Activities in Rural Commonality: Towards a non-Individualistic Conception of Well-Being

The quality of relationships among people is increasingly perceived as a crucial determinant of well-being. Despite this relevant shift, economic analysis is still deeply tied to an individualistic conception of people acting and living together. In this paper we will argue that to better understand the subjective and inter-subjective multiple dimensions of well-being, it is necessary to further deepen its conceptual framework to deal with its genuine relational essence. The forms of civic agriculture and short food supply chains that have emerged in the last decades provide an interesting case to highlight the limits of an individualistic conception of well-being. Within civic forms of agriculture, people follow pathways of personal change that affect the relational dimension of their lives, according to how they use money and spare time. At the same time, these personal pathways contribute to the emergence of rural economies and cultures as participatory or shared goods.