New functions for rural spaces in western Europe: a challenge for agricultural techniques

Concentration of production in an evermore limited territory and urbanization have shaped the evolution of "industrial techniques" for agriculture in this century. Consequences of these processes are the segmentation of rural space, the disappearance of indigenous cultures and techniques, and the depopulation of vast areas. Dynamics of rural spaces are discconnected from agricultural development, because space is no longer the physical place where polyvalent forms of production and social organization are composed. Instead, food is produced in the economic space for optimal allocation of resources. The diffusion of industrial techniques in agriculture, while successfully increasing production and yields, nonetheless is limited in its ability to manage excess farmland and to guarantee an efficient reproduction of natural productivity and renewable natural resources. Economic and social crisis, as well as growing urbanization, have allowed new social demands for rural space to emerge, particularly for health and environmental protection and recreational activilies. Even adjusted "Fordist" techniques do not seem able to satisfy them. Finally, the co-evolution of economic, social and technical factors may favor the emergence of a new science-based and information intensive technical paradigm, for the management of diversified and sustainable models of agricultural development.