Europ. Countrys. · Vol. 12 · 2020 · No. 1 · p. 1-29 DOI: 10.2478/euco-2020-0001 European Countryside MENDELU NEO-ENDOGENOUS RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN FAVOR OF ORGANIC FARMING: TWO CASE STUDIES FROM ITALIAN FRAGILE AREAS Angelo Belliggiano1, Alberto Sturla2, Marco Vassallo3, Laura Viganò4 1 Angelo Belliggiano, Università degli studi del Molise, Dipartimento Agricoltura, Ambiente e Alimenti, Campobasso, Italy, ORCID: 0000-0002-0274-5845, e-mail:
[email protected] 2 Alberto Sturla, Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Centro di Politiche e Bioeconomia (CREA-PB), Genova, Italy. ORCID: 0000-0001-5117-5933, e-mail:
[email protected] 3 Marco Vassallo, Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Centro di Politiche e Bioeconomia (CREA-PB), Rome, Italy; ORCID: 0000-0001-7016-6549, e-mail:
[email protected] 4 Laura Viganò, Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Centro di Politiche e Bioeconomia (CREA-PB), Rome, Italy, ORCID: 0000-0002-0622-7316, e-mail:
[email protected]. 1/155 Received 31 October 2018, Revised 12 August 2019, Accepted 30 August 2019 Abstract: This paper analyses two case studies ascribable to neo-endogenous paradigm for rural development experimented by two small municipalities in Northern (Varese Ligure) and Central-southern (Castel del Giudice) Italian Apennines. By means of different approaches, the two towns have been able to provide local development through organic farming that in turn have boosted economic diversification or new forms of territorial aggregation. They have drawn the attention to the neighbouring communities and have stimulated emulation processes.