Migrazioni e agricoltura. Pratiche innovative e dinamiche evolutive nelle attività agricole e pastorali della Sardegna

Due to important socio-economic and demographic dynamics, agricultural and pastoral activities in Italy are increasingly carried out by foreigners, often involved in less specialized activities, with basic tasks. But there are also highly specific and specialized labour sectors and activities where immigrant communities play a predominant and fundamental role.
This article is the result of research on changes in Sardinia’s agriculture and the use of foreign workers on farms. The research investigated the determinants of change in the agricultural landscape: the ability of small companies to innovate, the work and organizational paths that involve foreigners and the relationship with the local territorial context. The result of the investigations in in this preliminary phase allowed to open a small gash in a little-studied reality. At the moment, the analysis covered only some agricultural and geotechnical companies located in few areas of the island, among which marked differences emerged, and it provided for the collection of semi-structured interviews with agricultural entrepreneurs and foreign citizens who work for their companies. The interviews were conducted mainly at companies that apply national labor contracts, identified through trade associations. The data analysis has allowed us to reconstruct «business stories» and highlight the paths of integration of foreign workers in Sardinian agriculture.