CHAPTER 18: THE DYNAMICS OF REGIONS (3) – A EUROPEAN PERIPHERAL REGION Human factors
The physical factors also interact with several human factors affecting the Mezzogiorno region. These two types of factors combine to influence the primary, secondary and tertiary activities that occur in theMezzogiorno region. Four main human factors affect the Mezzogiorno region. They are: (i) the historic
systemof land ownership, (ii) education and age of theworkforce, (iii) transport and communications and (iv) government and EU policies. These human factors have created challenges to the development of the region. You will read about these in detail later in this chapter. Aswith Ireland, funding and support schemes provided by the Italian government
and the EU have all played a part in trying to overcome the problems faced by the Mezzogiorno region. Such was the level of poverty and decline in theMezzogiorno that in 1950 the government set up the Cassa Per Il Mezzogiorno (South Italian Development Fund) in an effort to reduce the economic imbalance between north and south. Its aims were to stimulate the economic and social development of the region. It focused on agricultural, then industrial and infrastructural reform. The EU allocates CAP, CFP and structural funds to the region. The Mezzogiorno
has a GDP below 75% of the EU average. Therefore it is an EU Convergence region (see Chapter 15, page 303).
18.2 Economic activities and human processes in the Mezzogiorno
Primary activities in the Mezzogiorno Agriculture
Like all peripheral regions, agricultural development in the Mezzogiorno faces several challenges. Despite the poor soils and mountainous terrain, agriculture is an important source of employment in the region.
Fig. 10 Agriculture is an important source of employment in the Mezzogiorno despite the poor relief.