Sample Answer for Primary Activities in a European Region

The factors which have influenced the development of agriculture in the Mezzogiorno include physical features and government interventions.

Physical

Agriculture in the Mezzogiorno has traditionally been unproductive and subsistent, due to unfavourable physical factors such as the mountainous topography, infertile soils, and the Mediterranean climate. This climate causes frequent droughts as in the summer months, dry Northeast Trade winds and Sirocco winds (originating in the Sahara) blow over the region. Precipitation in the region averages 900 mm per annum, but only falls in the space of 2-3 months which leaves the remainder of the year quite dry.

80% of the relief in the Mezzogiorno is classified as hilly or mountainous. This topography has hindered the mechanisation of agriculture. The region is dominated by the Apennine Mountains, which formed during the Alpine Fold 30 million years ago. Soils in this region are exposed and vulnerable to wind and water erosion. Irrigation is similarly difficult due to the region's underlying bedrock of permeable limestone.

Government Intervention

The Cassa per il Mezzogiorno (Fund for the South) began in 1957 to reform the region's agricultural sector. The latifundia (Large landlord estates) were broken up and redistributed equally among farmers. There was an emphasis placed on changing from traditional agriculture to "cash crops" (citrus fruits or tobacco). Mixed cultivation (or coltura promiscua) began taking place in areas such as the fertile Campania Plain and Mt Vesuvius. Large funds were invested in irrigation schemes (e.g., Apulia Aqueduct) and in the development of reservoirs. The Italian motorway (Autostrade del Sole) improved northern transport links, allowing perishable goods to reach wealthy northern markets (Milan) quickly.

Almost 40% of the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno budget was spent on improving agriculture. This amounted to over 5 billion euros. Despite improvements made by the Cassa, the physical environment in the Mezzogiorno remains the biggest obstacle to agriculture.