Proximity economy and local food chains for the regeneration of inner areas

Abstract

The ecological transition and food and energy crises have revealed the issue of inner areas which, despite their vulnerabilities, seem to have become strategic in Italy. The renewed attention to inner areas highlights their potential for food and energy production and the need for a multidimensional sustainability approach to address issues of depopulation and resource waste. The paper aims to contribute to the debate on these topics and to stimulate research on territorial analysis and policies, also in virtue of the new awareness of the potential of inner areas, rich in human, cultural, natural and economic resources. To find a solution to the economic and social revitalization of these areas, it is necessary to leave the mainstream of global competition and take different paths, based on the enhancement of local resources and the direct involvement of citizens/consumers through the promotion of a model of “proximity economy”. Within this logic, foods from minor supply chains in fragile areas can become the driver for a proximity economy model based on cooperation, participation, reciprocity, inclusion and the sharing of created value.