The Cultural Capital of Apple Growers in Upper Vinschgau Alessio Blasi & Mark L. Miller
01 February 2019 GreenMarked.it „...CCF is an approach to analyze communities and community
The Community development efforts from a system Capitals perspective...“ Framework (Flora & Flora,2008)
GreenMarked.it Cultural Capital (CC): Bordieau, The Forms of Capital (1986)
CC exists in three forms:
❖Objectified (i.e. pictures, books, monuments, events, etc.) ❖Institutionalized (i.e. educational degree) ❖Embodied (i.e. interiorizing objectified and institutionalized CC)
CCs reflect the way people “know the world” and how they act within it, as well as their traditions and language.
GreenMarked.it Geopolitical Context
• Upper Vinschgau, South-Tyrol (Italy)
• Municipality of Mals (Malles)
• From 868 m a.s.l. (Laatsch,Lasa)
• 14% of active workers involved in agriculture
GreenMarked.it A little bit of history…
• Before ‘70s → presence of apple fields until Schlern with progressive increasing intensification and using of chemical products • 1975-1985 → 90% covering of the fruit cultivation areas with dense planting in lower Vinschgau • 2000-2010 → starting of apple growing in Upper Vinschgau due to climate changes • July 2015 → popular referendum to ban the use of chemicals in Mals Municipality
….and today
Converted apple growers Organic apple growers Apple growers from Lower (30-40%) (10%) Vinschgau (50-60%) • Local former cattle farmers • Local farmers who decided • Farmers from Lower converted to apple farming to produce apple following Vinschgau buying lands in in the last 2 decades organic methods Upper Vinschgau
GreenMarked.it Understand the institutionalized and embodied CC of Objective: the three apple grower groups in Upper Vinschgau (UV)
i. Stakeholder analysis ii. Net map analysis Methods: iii. Literature study iv. Interviews v. Findings list and cross-validation
GreenMarked.it Key Primary Secondary Name stakeholder stakeholder stakeholder Conventional oriented South Tirolean farmers association (SBB) x Consortium of South Tyrolean Fruit Growers (VOG) x I. Stakeholder analysis Laimburg research institute x Vinschgau apple cooperative (VI.P Gen. landw. x Gesellschaft) Farmer's future x Assomela x Neutral • Actor: name, description, website, contactFarming schools x Province of Bolzano - Department of Agriculture x • Agenda: mandate, strategic mission, objectivesInterpoma fair x Farming machine sharing network (Maschinenring) x Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry x • Arena: field of action Policies Environment-oriented Environmental Protection Group of Vinschgau x • Alliance: relations with other actors (Umweltschutzgruppe Vinschgau - USGV) Alternative Agriculture Association (BAA) x EU (ERDF - European Funds for Regional Development x Scoring system: from 1 to 3 depending on the folllowing 2014-2020) Agrios x aspects Locals Citizens' initiative Adam&Epfl x Major and local administration x Community of Mals (citizens) x Community of Vinschgau (citizens) x ➢Legitimacy (1-3) Families of Mals x Church of Mals x Mals Environmental Advocacy Committee (spokesman ➢Resources (1-3) x pharmacist Johannes Fragner-Unterpertinger) Other ➢Network (1-3) Bioland - Südtirol x Banks of Vinschgau x GreenMarked.it Insurance companies x “…interview-based mapping tool that helps people II. NETmap analysis understand, visualize, discuss, and improve situations in which many different actors influence outcomes…”
- Funny - Low-cost - Participative
GreenMarked.it III. Literature study • On-line research following indications from stakeholders analysis • Main focus on cooperatives, schools, institutions • Aiming at building the context and finding the best characters for the interviews
IV. Interviews • Semi-guided interviews via skype, telephone or e-mail • 12 interviews: 5 apple growers, 1 local forester, 1 local farmer, 3 schools, tourist office, SBB office
GreenMarked.it GreenMarked.it V. Finding list and cross-validation
Relevance to Type of Farmer's Team # Title Description of the finding cultural capital of Mals Source CC group member apple growers 50 years ago some agents from Netherlands started to diffuse History of the Val Vanosta 62 the knowledge about the small apple tree culture. Then, from Alessio A.V. interview apple growers community the Raiffaisen started the cooperative power increasing. A. did the school of laimburg for 3+2 years and then he institutionalize 63 Agidius cultural level Scholarization of farmers orgnaic farmers Alessio A.V. interview followed courses in innsbruck d Many farmers who started to practice new methods learned mainly by themselves pushed from personal reasons since the official channels did not use to tell them about alternative Lack of knowledge from offichial 64 Self-made culture embodied organic Alessio A.V. interview growing methods. ägidius indioendently followed university information channels courses and started to go to informative meeting organized by experts. A.V. interview context - https://www.alto- (pear Very important in Higher VIntschgau (Glorenza) is the Pala Understanding the cultural capital converted, organic, 65 Pala pear fest objectified Alessio adige.com/evento/30 similar to pear, a traditional fruit cultivated from more than 300 years of the local people lower 5/festa-della-pera- apple) 63 pala Most of the farmers know about ecological aspects thanks to Understanding why some of the 66 Ecology awareness the movement. Before it started, they were not aware about apple growers changed their mind embodied organic Alessio A.P: interview the problems related to intensive orchyarding in the last years context of Who grows apples can afford to pay 4000-5000 €/month while Economic possibilities of diferentEconomic possibility farmers a dairy/traditional farmer usually pays 1000 €/month. It is 67 traditional farmers and apple Alessio A.P: interview incomesvs apple growers abvious that land owners are more willing to rent lands to growers are different between apple farmers groups According to Alberto Pritzi, the main differencies between Mals and lower Valley farmers are: 1. Attachment to the land, both Differences between Mals Cultural differences among Mals organic and 68 for the tipical products and for the landscape 2. Awarenes embodied Alessio A.P: interview and lower Valley farmers and lower valley peolple converted (?) deriving from experts and from the observations of the areas under strong apple orchyarding Results: Institutionalized CC
• Most of the apple growers in UV gave at least a 2-year farming school degree • Farming schools and families are the main basis of the farmers’ farming culture • The institutionalized CC of the three groups could not be determined. No evidence that they differ.
GreenMarked.it Results: Embodied CC
a) UV apple growers that converted from cattle farming or hay making
• Embodied fully or partially apple farming culture • Well trained, up-to-date and integrated in the apple business • Conversion mainly for economic reasons, supported by family • Gained more independency • Do conventional, integrated or organic pest control • Different opinion towards more environmentally friendly land management • Landscape appreciation: economic sustainability more important GreenMarked.it b) UV organic apple growers
Second half of the 80’s: • Lack of knowledge sources: self-studying and experimenting • Were ridiculed.
In the last decade switch to organic because • Economic reasons • Increased environmental and health awareness.
Today, organic apple growers: • Have more acumen (to understand the plant’s behavior and needs) • More attached to their land and local products • Landscape appreciated. Must be preserved.
GreenMarked.it c) UV apple growers coming from LV • Have been farming apple for a longer time
• Well trained and up-to-date (attend seminars and fairs, read magazines)
• More open-minded and innovative
• Some do organic farming
• Some opened to environmentally friendly management, but know their limits and want to switch progressively, others skeptical
• Landscape as a workplace to change to increase jobs and wealth.
GreenMarked.it Results: Traces of Objectified CC
• Vinschgau card: apple orchard tour and apple products tasting • Guided tours at apple cooperatives • Apples and apple product in local cosine since the ‘60s (agritourism) • Local apples direct selling (to tourists or in farmer’s market) • Traditional Pala pear festival inspired apple festivals • Apple-orchard rich or poor landscape influences the “normality” perception. GreenMarked.it Discussion
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
▪ Achieved the research objective ▪ Initial unclear comprehension of CC definition ▪ Pesticide-ban bias ▪ Used different systematic methods for an ▪ Initial vague research question, shaped during intangible concept the course of the research ▪ No face-to-face interviews ▪ Practical research on a controversial real- ▪ Approximations and deficiencies due to deadline world case. rush ▪ Weak participation methods due to the small number of participants.
GreenMarked.it Conclusion
• Confirmed presence of three apple growers groups in UV
• No evidence that the three institutionalized CCs are different
• Evidence that the three embodied CCs are different
• Land management of all groups influenced by economic reasons
• Traces of objectified CC (and the landscape) affect the embodied CC
• Apple growers of the three groups have CC analogies (objectified and institutionalized) and differences (embodied). GreenMarked.it GreenMarked.it Follow-ups and Possible Actions
“The great aim of education is not knowledge but action” – Herbert Spencer (1820 – 1903)
Follow-Ups ▪ Deeper research on embodied CC through additional interviews ▪ Integration with research studies on other capital assets in UV.
Possible Actions • Delicate situation: many actions may be inappropriate and counterproductive • Results to understand others perspectives and take actions to minimize conflicts. GreenMarked.it References
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