Approfondimento

Governet Project - Work Package n. 3

Analysis of spatial, socio-economic and institutional impacts

Authors: Rita Canu, Luca Ciresola, Oreste Del Re, Giuliano Zanon
COSES - Consorzio per la Ricerca e la Formazione
May 2004

Translation by a&b servizi linguistici s.r.l., Padova

Premise

In the WP3 stage of the Governet project we selected, for each study area, some initiatives promoting agriculture that respect the main orientation of the project itself, that is to say those of integrated, supportable and multi-function rural development. In order to measure the effect of these kind of development initiatives on their application area, we created a series of indicators useful for describing the institutional and social contexts, the main economic factors, the use of the territory together with the environmental features of the areas themselves.
For the study referred to the peri-urban area of Mestre, we have chosen a project belonging to the Initiative Interreg III A Italy-Slovenia Axis 2, Measure 2.3, Action 2.3.1, named "Vie del gusto" (Roads of Taste). This project is aimed at territorial valorisation of those areas in the Provinces of Venice and Slovenia involved in the project from the economic, touristic and environmental points of view.
This through the initiative promoting the typical products of the different areas, trying to increase their visibility within such events. The project also promotes the exchange of technical and good practice information between public and private bodies in the province of Venice (for Italy) and the Nova Gorica area (for Slovenia), for the organisation of events and initiatives to promote typical products.
The towns in the province of Venice, involved in the project and part of the Mestre peri-urban area, are Campagna Lupia and Mirano. To measure the indicators (operation foreseen in stage 3 of the Governet project), that form the so-called "Project Area" (PA), where we feel the same can be measured in an easier and more important way.
It is obvious, however, that the benefits coming from these kinds of rural development projects do not exhaust themselves completely within the Project Area borders, but can also interest neighbouring towns. Other towns in the Mestre peri-urban area are also involved in the cultivation of typical products . They extend mainly along the axis that crosses the area itself vertically, from Scorzè, Noale and Martellago (to the north) till Mira and Campagna Lupia (to the south).
The indicators were calculated on the Project Area, as well as on the single town areas, in order to describe the main features of the area itself and assess the impact of the chosen project and of any other initiatives.

Two different municipalities in the Project Area

The two towns both belong to the peri-urban Area of Mestre (study area n.2 of the Governet project) but are very different. Consequently, they are very significant to verify the effects of the project and the parametres developed to evaluate them.
From the start of the last century, Mirano has played an important role compared to the neighbouring centres, for its administration, health and legal system, schooling, services for its citizens and economic activities of the neighbouring areas. It is characterised by typical factors of an urban area, in a context which was once rural and is now the suburbs of a popular town. Following the development of the industrial area of Marghera, Mirano benefited from the expansion of the venetian central area. Today it belongs to the first urban belt of the chieftown. It is affected by the typical popular nature of fordistic big towns and its peculiar life cycle which caused the center to lose its importance and progressively involve the first and second belts of the municipalities.
Campagna Lupia is a typical agricultural center rapidly changing. Starting from the seventies, many workers no longer working in the primary industry found jobs in the factories of Marghera and in the building and service industries of the chieftown. Now it therefore has a mixed system. It offers the big centers of Venice and Padova manpower specialised in the building, transport and industrial sector.

List of indicators used

Institution

Total public funds paid for rural development projects;
Distribution of funds according to: RD Programme, Leader, Territorial pacts, Single Programming Document Objective 2, Other EU initiatives (Interreg), State and Regional policies;
Rural development public funds administered by the top 3 funding institutions;

Land use

Protected areas;

Social

Demographic density;
Annual rate of demographic change;
Index of oldness;
High education graduates (% of total population);
Employment rate (of which gender employment);
Distribution employment per economic sector: agriculture, industry, commerce and service;
Work accidents in agriculture and forestry;
Number of entertaining places (cinemas, theatres, discos);
Roads length;

Economic

GDP (Euro per capita);
Utilized Agricultural Area (UAA);
Distribution of the Total Agricultural Area (TAA) according to the main land uses;
Gross agricultural sales per UAA;
Gross agricultural sales per persons employed in primary sector;
Mechanisation of agriculture;
Annual income in agriculture;
Annual value added in agriculture per person employed;
Annual added value in agriculture per UAA;
Local units in industry (of which artisans);
Average size of local units in industry;
Local units in commerce and service (of which artisans);
Average size of local units in commerce and services;
Tourist day-visits;

Environment

Per capita annual production of urban solid waste and special waste;
Quantity of urban waste: recycled/total (%);
Illegal acts against environment;
Discharge of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from agricultural, industrial and civil (household) uses;
EBI (Extended Biotic Index);
MPL (Macrodescriptors Pollution Level);
Average monthly flow;
Water consumption per uses;
Wood production;
Energy consumption by agriculture, industry, services and households;

The impacts of the "Vie del gusto" project

HIGHER VISIBILITY AND KNOWLEDGE (MARKETING) OF
THE TYPICAL LOCAL PRODUCTS PROMOTED BY THE PROJECT

stimulate the improvement of the organisation of the sector and links with other sectors;
open to public initiatives of collaboration and more knowledge about the products in a larger area (partner municipalities) and potential enlargement of the market;
attracting the operators of the food and wine sector;

Incentive to improve the overall organisation of the agricultural sector (marketing, services, cooperatives, brands, acknowledging the appellation);
further attracting new EC funds;

increasing sales and production of products;
increasing per capita wealth;
maintaining (controlling) the number of workers in agriculture;

opportunity for higher income in agriculture;
stimulate change to specialised farming and higher productivity;

attracting touristic flows;
integration between agriculture and catering, entertainment and trade;
greater identification of the towns involved, "improving" their image and higher quality of life for its residents;

integration with protected green areas;
stimulate the improvement of the quality of the environment and waters.

Fondaco Venezia - Cap. 16 Governet Project