Aspirazioni e riconoscimento nel nuovo paradigma dello sviluppo rurale. Il caso di Coldiretti Giovani Impresa Veneto

The thesis deals with the transformations of the agriculture sector according to the new EU policies, increasingly focused on investment on rural development, valorisation of the territory and integration of instruments. If firms are undergoing profound organizational changes, assuming new models of diversification and multifunctionality, agricultural entrepreneurs - young people, in particular - appear to be engaged in a cultural turning point, based on reflexivity, new “biographical projects” and a more central use of human and social capital. From an empirical point of view, was considered the project of Coldiretti "per una filiera agricola tutta italiana", analyzing assumptions and practices in relation to the concept of "capacity to aspire" (introduced by Arjun Appadurai) that the association would developing, and "struggle for recognition" (from the perspective of Axel Honneth) as the key to understanding how the economic relations in the agricultural supply chain can not be reduced only to an issue redistributive. By adopting an exploratory research design (triangulation multilevel) in-depth interviews were conducted with provincial delegates “Coldiretti Giovani Impresa Veneto”; a questionnaire, designed ad hoc, was administered to a sample (no. 241) of farmers (Coldiretti Veneto members, under 39), to investigate which endogenous aspects (motivations, beliefs, attitudes, affiliations and relationships) influence the perception of its role, the strategic choices and aspirations for the future. The result is a different perception of themselves (and status) between “farmer” and “entrepreneur”; the search for new forms of autonomy, the definition of medium-to long-term projects and the development of "artisan sensibility" would constitute the salient features of youth entrepreneurship, taking emancipatory character. Innovation is driven to approach the markets, shorten supply chains, to valorise productions and supply services. To industrial and "deterritorialized" models, farmers respond by investing in social relationships and local distinctiveness, promoting forms of guarantee on a trust basis. A few difficulties appear in terms of intergenerational relationships, typical of family management, and cooperation between companies. The new "social pact" between farmers and citizens, promoted by Coldiretti, besides introducing a different approach to the delegation, would provide a "framework of meaning" for change, assuming a more central role of agriculture in society.