Evoluzione dei sistemi zootecnici e trasformazione del paesaggio

In the last fifty years, the rural landscape of vast areas, historically modelled by livestock farming, has experienced
radical changes. The marginalisation of traditional farming systems resulted in a shift towards intensive systems in
the more favourable areas, and in the abandoning of farming in the less favourable areas. Consequences of these
trends are numerous: intensification and abandoning concurred in determining the disappearance of traditional architectural
styles and in disrupting the historical links between local landscape, way of farming, and variety of products;
intensification of farming caused local excesses of nutrients releases and/or land degradation; abandoning has
permitted an extensive natural reforestation, which in turn has greatly modified the aesthetic value and biodiversity
richness of landscape. Research for a sustainable “livestock farming landscape” will need the ability to integrate
a systemic and geographic description of the interactions of farming systems with landscape quality and biodiversity
with the definition of consequent technologies and farm management options.