Disentangling the drivers of marginalisation in Mediterranean inlands: A case study in the Sardinian mountains

Farmland abandonment is a growing issue in many mountainous regions worldwide, particularly in the Mediterranean basin. The central region of Gennargentu-Mandrolisai in Sardinia (Italy) is particularly susceptible to this trend due to its distinctive topography, its remote localisation and the distance from the primary urban centres of the region. In fact, this region was traditionally suited for agro-silvopastoral systems, but it was included in the national strategy for inland areas mainly because of the demographic decline and land abandonment. This paper aims to identify the main drivers of rural marginalisation, abandonment and de-anthropisation by combining qualitative and quantitative spatial data. Qualitative data were collected from 30 farmers’ interviews targeting young, dynamic, innovative farmers in order to identify possible triggers for maintaining agricultural activities. A diachronic analysis of land use from Corine Land Cover maps at five different dates over thirty years (1990, 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2018) was used to understand the main land use changes. The analysis of the surveyed farmland (1602 ha) showed that 21 % of the area was abandoned in the last three decades, and 15 % of abandoned land was recovered as farmland. The drivers of marginalisation identified by the farmers were analysed by a logistic regression model, which revealed that field management was influenced by ‘crop type’, ‘slope’ and ‘road distance from the farm buildings’. The interactions that arose between the natural characteristics and the traditional organisational system contributed to non-competitiveness and abandonment of farms in Gennargentu-Mandrolisai. The present data allow us to propose hypotheses on how agricultural activities could be shaped and how some drivers of marginality could be overcome thanks to the presence and the active work of many young farmers who are willing to further improve agriculture.