Towards a re-conceptualisation of farm types in the urban fringe: empirical evidence from the Regional Park of "Campi Flegrei" in the metropolitan area of Naples (Italy)

The paper analyzes the effects of urbanisation on organisational and productive processes of a farm. The theoretical framework used belongs to Heimilich and Anderson (2001) and Van der Ploeg and colleagues (2002). An adapted version of it allowed for describing and evaluating the relationships between urbanisation and modification of farm-styles in the city belt. The study refers to the area of the Regional Park of Campi Flegrei, in the metropolitan region of Naples (Italy). Specifically, the “adaptive” capacity of farms when reacting to changes in the socio-economic context has been analysed. A conceptual model, which re-evaluates the “farm-style approach” developed for the rural area, has been used to represent the behaviour of the farmers in relation to the degree of adaptation/rejection to urbanisation processes. Subsequently, among the most effective and efficient measures of intervention for supporting agricultural activities in the urban fringe, one of the most innovative development initiative is the Community Supported Agriculture, which has been taken into consideration for future applications to farms of the area.