Many land use systems in Mediterranean sloping areas risk abandonment because of nonprofitability, while their hydro-geological stability depends on an appropriate management. However, who are the land managers? What are their practices? Our research on the traditional olive groves of the Monte Pisano (Tuscany, Italy) reveals for the first time the quantitatively important role of hobby farmers as land managers in the area. We used a three-step-method: first, a database was constructed using several data sources to identify and map the population of olive growers; then, 35 semi-structured interviews were conducted, and finally, the data were analyzed to highlight the contribution of olive growers to the land management, along with their motivations and constraints. Our results found that hobby farmers constitute about 90% of all land managers in the study area and manage more than half of the agricultural land. They are a very uneven group, and there are no clear categories detectable by analyzing sociodemographic factors, practices and farm characteristics. They are the “same but different”, not following any market rules, as they are not profit-oriented. Their farming practices are quite homogeneous and mainly in-line with professional farming practices of that area, oriented versus a minimum input management.

Nous présentons une démarche de prospective participative – le jeu de territoire – basée sur l’usage des représentations spatiales aux différentes étapes de diagnostic, scénario d’évolution et pistes d’action. Cette démarche a été déployée dans la région urbaine de Pise (Italie) sur les enjeux de gestion de l’eau et de l’alimentation. Au total, 35 acteurs (agriculteurs, conseillers techniques ou décideurs) ont participé aux ateliers participatifs organisés par les chercheurs. L’utilisation et le partage des représentations spatiales ont incité les participants à franchir leurs espaces d’action habituels et à explorer des scénarios prospectifs en déplaçant leur centre d’intérêt individuel vers un point de vue collectif. Le processus d’hybridation des connaissances sous-jacent au jeu de territoire a permis aux chercheurs et aux acteurs locaux de déterminer les objets spatiaux intégrateurs pour le développement durable des territoires ruraux et périurbains.This paper presents a study based on the territory game, a participatory prospective method based on the use of spatial representations in three main steps: the diagnosis statement, the development of scenarios and the implementation of action steps. The method involved local stakeholders in an integrated approach to territorial development in the urban region of Pisa (Italy). In total, 35 actors (farmers, policy-makers and extension agents) participated in the workshops organized by the researchers. The use and the sharing of spatial representations guided the participants to overcome their usual boundaries for action and to draw prospective scenarios by shifting their focus from the individual to a collective viewpoint. The knowledge hybridization process underpinning the territory game allowed both researchers and local stakeholders to identify the most relevant spatial targets to draw shared management goals for the development of rural and urban areas.Se presenta un procedimiento de prospectiva participativa, el juego de territorio que utiliza las representaciones espaciales según las diferentes etapas del diagnóstico, el escenario de evolución y las pistas de acción. Se lo ha desarrollado en la región urbana de Pisa (Italia) para la cuestión de la gestión del agua y de la alimentación. Han concurrido a los talleres participativos organizados por los investigadores, un total de 35 protagonistas (agricultores, consejeros técnicos o decidores). La utilización y el reparto de las representaciones espaciales han estimulado a los participantes, la superación de espacios de acción habituales para explorar escenarios prospectivos, desplazando así sus intereses individuales hacia lo colectivo. El proceso de amalgamar los conocimientos subyacentes del juego de territorio ha permitido el establecimiento de objetos espaciales integradores para un desarrollo sostenible de territorios rurales y periféricos

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Livestock farming systems have an important role in the territorial systems of the Mediterranean, but in the last twenty years the sector has undergone serious changes with an important decrease in the number of farms. The purpose of this study is to show the contribution of a local food certification to the resilience of peri-urban livestock farming system and of its food supply chain at territorial level. The focus is on the “Carne Bovina di Pisa” project, a private label promoted by the local livestock producers’ association, with the purpose of preserving biodiversity and provide farmers with an opportunity to strengthen their local marketing power. The case study is the peri-urban area of Pisa (Tuscany, Italy), representative of the urbanized Mediterranean coastal plains with high urban pressure on agricultural land and increasing agricultural abandonment in the peri-urban area. The analysis is based on the qualitative analysis of interviews to stakeholders and the quantitative figures about the changes in livestock system. Results show that the label has positively sustained both the resilience of farming systems and the local food supply chains.