THE IMPACT OF THE COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY ON THE AGRITOURISM GROWTH IN ITALY

Nicola Galluzzo

Abstract: Since the early 1970s, the diversifi cation of farm’s activities such as agritourism has represented a new typology of farm’s use and socio-economic enhancement in rural Italian areas. The agricultural enterprise was able both to diversify the productive activity of Italian farms and also to improve the farmers’ income, which has protected the agrarian landscape and the countryside against downsides such as the rural emigration and socio-economic marginalization. The purpose of this research was to assess by a multiple regression model the role of funds allocated by the European Union in promoting rural development throughout the agritourism in Italian countryside. The main findings have pointed out a direct correlation between the development of agritourism and fi nancial subsidies allocated by the second pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy strengthening the pivotal role of fi nancial subsidies disbursed by the EU in protecting the rural space.

Keywords: farm accountancy data network; multiple regression model; panel data; rural development; second pillar

Date published: 2017-10-20