Rural Development - Measure 216 on non-productive investments (Alento)

Editor's note 6Jun14: Sources D142-4

Measure 216 provides farmers with a financial incentive for carrying out capital works on agricultural land in the form of Non-Productive Investments. The objectives of the measure are:

• to mitigate impacts of agriculture on the environment
• reduce conflict between agricultural activities and the need for habitat and species safeguards
• conservation of natural spaces, providing the maintenance or reconstruction of landscape elements (also with value as ecological corridors)

These objectives are carried out through five actions:

1. Planting or restoration of hedgerows and woodland strips
2. Restoration and/or extension and dry stone walls, terraces and pre-existing embankments
3. Creation of vegetation buffer zones  along water courses; creation of ecological corridors
4. Requalification of wetlands along river banks or in agricultural matrix
5. Prevention of damages to land caused by wolves and wild boar

Maximum available support is €200,000 for private individual farmers or associations and €500,000 for public bodies. Measure 216 is used in combination with measure 214 on agri-environmental payments.

Measure 216 is implemented under the “Territory Conservation” objective of Italy’s National Strategy Plan for rural development to address land abandonment in rural areas of high natural or traditional landscape value, but with marginal economic gain to farmers (e.g. olive groves in LFAs), particularly after after the decoupling of direct payments to olive farmers (2003 CAP reform). Italy has one of the highest budgets for Measure 216 in the EU 27 with total public expenditure of 250 million euro for the period 2007-2013. However, until 2011, Italy’s total expenditure was a little under 20 million €.The principal reasons for Italy’s (and other countries') low payments 216 are delays in initial implementation and the large amount of pending payments where funding has been granted, but not yet received by farmers (either because they have not yet completed capital works or there are cases of overbooking in their regions).

Output indicators of Measure 216 are number of farms and holdings receiving support and total volume of investment. Impact indicators are % of total UAS characterized by effective land management (biodiversity, water and soil quality, conservation of agricultural and forestry habitats). 

The first call for proposals for the measure (2009) received only one successful application, suggesting that not enough information had reached the farmers in the region. However, after information was disseminated, the number of successful applications was 183 with a total budget of more than €31M € (97% of planned budget, November 2012). However, actual payments for the same period were less than 40% of the funding approved. Most of the funds are directed to action B. Restoration and/or extension and dry stone walls, terraces and pre-existing embankments.

Twenty-one applications have been granted funding within the Alento study site, all under Action B “Restoration and/or extension and dry stone walls, terraces and pre-existing embankments”. Total allocated funding is approx. €2.8M (avg. €133,000 per applicant). The total surface area under the intervention of Measure 216 is 195.50 hectares. Of this area, around 75%, or 146 hectares are classified to varying degrees as areas at risk of landslides.

Given the total volume of investment in the Alento study site under Action B of Measure 216 and the skilled nature of the work and specialist materials required in the reconstruction and maintenance of terraces, it can be anticipated that the construction industry in the study site will see an increase in paid work of skilled manual laborers and the builders' merchants sales of the stones needed for dry-stone terrace reconstruction.

The main policy implementers are

• Agenzia per le Erogazione in Agricultura (AGEA) acting as Paying Agency. In the absence of a regional paying agency, the accredited paying agency for the Campania region is the national agency AGEA. Functions of AGEA are officially delegated to the Campania regional Council making them fully responsible to AGEA for the correct management and execution of all tasks.
• The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MIPAAF) acting as Managing Authority (MA). On the basis of Italy’s National Strategy Plan, the regions set out their own RDPs and appoint a regional “Autorità di Gestione” (Managing Authority) which is responsible for carrying out the physical and financial implementation of the region’s rural development programmes. In the Campania region, the Managing Authority is the President of the Regional Executive Committee who, for efficiency and streamlining purposes, delegated all managerial responsibilities to the Coordinator of the Area
• STAPA Ce.PICA (STAPA -Settore Tecnico Aministrativi Provinciali Agricoltura-Provincial Technical-Administrative Sector and Ce.PICA Centri Provinciali di Informazione e Consulenza in Agricoltura-Provincial Centres of Information and Consultation for Agriculture) acting as implementing body.  STAPA  Ce.PICA has inherited the role of ex-Agriculture Inspectorate of the MIPAAF and is the office to which all applications for financial support are made, with the further responsibility of carrying out administrative controls of the region’s RDP.
• Monitoring Committees, at the national and regional level.

In the case of Measure 216 in the Alento study site, the disproportion between applications for funding and the economic resources assigned to the measure should be highlighted. Requests for funding reconstruction of terraces so greatly outweighed the economic funds assigned to the measure that calls for proposals were closed only halfway through the programming period (2010).

The objectives of rural development polices and their effectiveness at responding to the diverse needs of rural systems could be improved by guaranteeing the participation and inclusion of all potential beneficiary groups which necessitates the inclusion a learning and collaboration process involving all local policy stakeholders. Without full stakeholder participation, there is a risk that funding is directed exclusively towards those powerful actors or that ultimately the interventions would not have a real effectiveness in terms of economic, societal and environmental benefits. The consultation process (with economic and social partners as well as monitoring committees of the policies) provides an arena in which shared objectives and concerns can be aired and, more importantly, allows all actors to become more invested in the successful attainment of the policy objectives. As a result, the regular and open communication between stakeholders and institutions helps improve the coordination of the Rural Development Plan and higher level rural development polices.
Another limitation regarding policy effectiveness is the difficulties in crossing sectoral boundaries in the rural systems during the process of policy delivery. One possible solution to this is the involvement of diverse sectors of government in policy implementation, with a focus on policy coordination and cohesion of policy delivery approaches and procedures. Coordination of the various programs operating at a local level is also vitally important to integrating different policies into the framework of a local development strategy. Local rural development approaches are often based on decentralised models of implementation which require greater competencies and responsibilities of local actors. Provincial level institutions and local partnerships must, therefore, be helped to form strong strategic capabilities though greater support, training and exchange of good practices through local networks. 

Actors in the Implementation of Measure 216 Campania Region

Source: Authors

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