Animal Husbandry in the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park: An Economic-Structural Analysis for the Protection and Enhancement of the Territory and Local Resources

Abstract

This research seeks to deepen the current economic and structural aspects of the livestock farms in the rural territory “Casacastra” (Cilento area), to identify critical issues and development opportunities with the intention to enhance and protect the territory under study also through strengthening forms of local economy. Information about the consistency and the typology of livestock farms present in the study area, and the trend in the last twelve years, were acquired thought the consultation of the national livestock register of the Italian Ministry of Health. Subsequently, a questionnaire was submitted to a sample of farmers to better know the characteristics of the breeders and of the husbandries. The results showed that in the study area, there are 4% of the cattle and sheep herds of the Campania Region, and 7% of those with goats. The most representative farm size is the class with less than 20 animals per breeding type, and between 2010 and 2022, there has been a reduction in the number of all types of analyzed husbandries. The most represented productive orientation is that for meat, while the specialization in the production of milk in sheep and goat breeding is completely absent. The interviews revealed that the breeders are almost all over 40 years of age, with middle and high school qualifications and consolidated experience. The workforce involved in the farms is mainly the family one and often breeders are people engaged in other non-agricultural activities. Despite the permanence in some cases of archaic husbandry methods, the breeders play a key role in the study area for the protection of the territory, and the conservation and enhancement of local animal and plant genetic resources are at risk of extinction. Moreover, the survival of this rural context is linked to the development of new forms of local economy, such as the definition of an experiential rural tourist offer, in which the presence of institutions plays a fundamental role.