EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIETAL

The James Hutton Institute

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2nd LSIRD Conference on Livestock production in the European LFAs, Bray, Ireland. Dec '98

Evritania, situated in Central Greece is an autonomous administrative region and the only prefecture comprising 100% mountainous land. The area suffers many of the problems associated with such areas in Greece and in Mediterranean Europe in general. Such problems are:

1. Old age of the population, with few possibilities for regeneration from local births.

The population density of Evritania is extremely low - officially there are 11 inhabitants per square kilometre though in reality this figure is much lower (about 9 inhabitants/km²). Pasture land, which is one of the main productive resources, makes up 40% of the total land area of Evritania. This land is, however, of poor quality. Animal husbandry is still the main activity for many villages in Evritania, making it a priority that development efforts be intensified towards "new" and more productive herds, with the same traditional structures, but with up-to-date methods and ideas that will lead to the production of pure, natural, high-value animal products.

Seasonal problems to supply herds with adequate nutrition occur. Pasture plays an important role in feeding the herds for about 7-8 months, but utilisation of this resource is poor. According to data from the Animal Production Service the land is able to supply sufficient grazing to feed the herds for just 4-5 months of the 7-8 months that the herds stay in the area. The shortfall of resources has to be made up with bought in feeds, with an adverse effect on farm net income.

The primary sector plays an important role in Evritania with three main activities:

These three activities contribute an average of about 60% of total regional income:

Crop farming is limited by the morphology of the land to just 5% of the land area. Annual land use statistics show a decline in cropping, and also in agricultural activity in general. The abandonment of farm land continues to increase and there is little hope for the survival of farming activities.

Livestock systems and local development policy.

In the mountainous regions of Greece in general and in Evritania in particular, livestock farmers form relationships with their land that grow to become more than a simple productive procedure. This gives farming important social significance such as:

In this context, the extensive management of small ruminants in particular plays an important role - requiring large areas of land and using local pasture resources, they manage the landscape and natural wealth.

It is generally agreed that the mountainous Mediterranean areas, including most of Greece, have the necessary comparative advantages for the survival of extensive small ruminant production. However, construction of infrastructure has been limited, while laws forbidding mainly goat herds to enter state-owned forest land are enforced in mountainous areas. This restriction was established at a time when mountain animal production was the main economic activity of the majority of the population. Though the decisions to forbid livestock from state forest land had to be made at the time, there was no concern for the producer's livelihoods. The measures eliminated the herds and the farmers moved out of agriculture.

Today it is necessary to understand animal production at a local level and to take a more realistic approach. The local potential must be identified and encouraged to develop within the existing perspectives of small family farm holdings in the mountains. Mountainous areas now undergo social and economic changes on the basis of experimental or pilot programs that are conceived and enforced by the planners of developmental programs both at national and European level. In addition, the aim at a European and national level, is wholly to develop a given area, activating the human labour and the natural resources and capabilities. Thus, an analysis of more general development planning is needed.

Whatever reservation one may have for the programs, it is the case that the local market has to be won by mountain livestock producers, given that there are problems to sell to distant city markets. The opportunity to secure a quality premium has to be taken in some way, and while the livestock product market is highly competitive, the sale through local markets offer producers, in particular smaller producers, some advantages. Money paid to feed livestock, especially during winter, can be found from higher selling prices as quality-assured products. For this to become reality, consistent and continued education of producers is needed.

The increased levels of tourism development, alternative tourism, and especially rural tourism, provide an opportunity for the entrance of animal production into new marketing channels. It should be noted here that rural tourism (or agritourism) in Greece is conceived differently than in other countries where it has flourished. Agritourism in Greece has nothing to do with offering the experience of farm life to tourists, is in other countries (France, UK, Canada etc.) It is simply the diversification of farm incomes by offering accommodation in rented rooms. The purpose of this paper is, however, to investigate how animal production can benefit from such an activity which will change so dramatically the social, economic and cultural behaviour of the traditional societies of mountainous areas.

Mountain livestock production in Evritania (as in all Greece) has to enter this new and very promising market probably without external support, using the initiative of farmers. This is primarily because there has been little involvement by the state to understand and use the development possibilities offered by the local animal production, education of farmers and their successors, nor how to include traditional production systems in general local development planning.

The regional development agency, Evritania S.A. has been faced by these problems of social and economical abandonment of the area since it was created in 1980. Its role is to promote rural development by mobilising the endogenous human and natural resources.

Since then, the development agency started to enact development plans, and little by little a local development policy was established.

Within the framework of EC programs, such as the Integrated Development Programs, LEADER, and others, the development policy has been oriented towards the secondary and tertiary sector, while the primary sector has been largely left behind. The philosophy behind such programs encourages internal development or self-development, as it is said. These programs are based on the activation of human labour and offer radical solutions for the regeneration of the local economy. They refer mainly to the support of tertiary sector activities, and in particular rural tourism, but also to the secondary sector with emphasis on the start-up and running of small handicraft workshops and other businesses.

The passage from the traditional production systems to the new economic activities used in traditional societies is now a milestone in the developmental history of the mountains. For years neglected, the mountain economy is now contributing to the general economic system of the country. However, the implementation of development programs have caused certain problems for the traditional societies and economies that are affected. The dynamics of these effects are so important that they require consideration before any radical changes offered by European and national schemes such as the Integrated Mediterranean Programs (IMP) and L.E.A.D.E.R. should be implemented.

The local development policy adopted by the Agency relates mainly to the promotion of tourism, tourist activities and alternative tourism (including agritourism). Approximately 85% of the money invested aims to improve facilities for tourism, such as in the provision of quality hotel and apartment accommodation. 70% of the investment under LEADER I was directed towards agritourism, representing 50 rooms and 150 beds, while in Leader II , 60% of the investment will create another 100 rooms with 250 beds.

This development policy helped at this stage to create an important tourist demand. Also, a ski centre was developed, and municipal guesthouses and large hotels appeared. But, mainly in the idea of agritourism in the form of rented rooms that local young people were more interested to invest (and not in the primary sector), as there were more advantageous rates of subsidies. Incomes were increased, and families began to stay in the area with their children.

Such alternative productive activities are preferred to the primary sector, as the investment capital is easier and quicker returned and the proportion of subsidy is more advantageous for the beneficiaries of the development programs.

It is worthwhile to point out that this developmental policy created a serious antagonism between the different sectors of the economy at a local level and discouraged the investment of young population in the primary sector. However, whatever reservations one has for the policy, it is true that the expansion of tourism activity increased the demand in the local market for milk and meat products, while the points of selling, i.e. the meat and milk shops, increased considerably between 1990 and 1997. In Evritania, between 1990 and 1997, the number of butchers shops grew from 25 to 34. It is worth noting that, excluding Karpenissi, the prefecture's capital, with 10,000 inhabitants and a total of 8 butcher shops, 26 others are scattered throughout villages, where the average population is 150 inhabitants per village. Such a number of inhabitants is much too low to justify their existence simply to supply the needs of the local population.

The traditional rural hospitality, philoxenia , of Greece has at its core the consumption of lamb and goat.

Figure 1 shows the evolution of tourism capacity, according to records of overnight stays in hotels, municipal guesthouses and agritourism facilities in Evritania during the last 7 years, and demonstrates the importance of this activity in this region.

Figure 1. The evolution of tourism capabilities according to the hotels, municipal guest houses and agritourism lodgings in Evritania from 1990 to 1997

Of the goats and sheep in Evritania, some are located on farms, others are migrant and move around the area. This paper concentrates on the farm situation, as it is considered that their existence and development contributes:

The data indicate the situation of the small family farmers (20 to 50 small ruminants) of some villages of the region that were surveyed. The survey covered 12 villages (out of 81) and examined the situation of these farm units over a ten year interval (1987 and 1997), using a specific questionnaire send to the secretaries of the villages.

Figure 2. The changes in small ruminant populations on small farms (20 to 50 goats and sheep each) in 12 villages of Evritania from 1987 to 1997.

The proportion of meat sold locally by small producers over the same period of time and in the same villages was also evaluated (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Local sales (%) in 1987 and 1997 of small ruminant products (20 to 50 goats and sheep) in 12 villages of Evritania.

Finally, an assessment was made of the annual number of tourists and visitors for the same villages and period of time.

Figure 4. Annual number of tourists in 12 villages of Evritania from 1987 to 1997.

The results of this research demonstrate the strong link between the development of the small herds, the increase in local sales and the expansion of tourist visits to these villages.

In fact, the recent promotional efforts for rural tourism has helped considerably, not only to maintain small producers but also to encourage an increase in the number of animals, and the development of the local retail outlets.

Ten years ago, most of the scientists, but also the local producers, were certain that there was no hope of the small breeders to survive in this area. With the above results, it can be confirmed that a new livestock system has now developed - we can call it maybe "tourism extensive livestock system"-that survives and develops alongside tourist development, encouraged by schemes to promote integrated rural development. It is clear that this is a fragile system in which production depends heavily on the local demand for local products.

The sudden expansion of tourism in Evritania over the last eight years has continued to a point where this one-sided development, and the move to this new economic activity (that is aided by the improved road infrastructure) can be said to have made a positive contribution to mountain livestock farming, rather than follow the course of the Greek island areas. The islands have suffered almost complete abandonment of the primary sector because of the antagonism between the sectors of the economy.

Actions aimed at the support of mountain livestock production should be introduced as soon as possible, before the tourist accommodation activity reaches the catastrophic levels found in the island areas. Mountain herding should be helped to establish and maintain local marketing channels.

Whoever though, cries "help!" and "make it easy for us!" should also "think sensitively", as major changes will influence the rural economy and society in the direct future. The following suggestions are not aimed to give the entire picture for the conclusive development of the livestock sector. However, they do aim to awaken the "sensitivity" of the responsible services to the need for immediate and low cost acts towards supporting this activity. Therefore:

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