No. 1 (2026): Istituzioni e societa’ civile nello spazio urbano. Apprendimento istituzionale, oltre la dicotomia collaborazione-conflitto
Ricerche

Breaking the chains of agro-mafia exploitation: a collaborative approach to support migrant workers in Paternò, Sicily

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  • Venera Pavone,
  • Medea Ferrigno,
  • David Mascali
Venera Pavone
Presidio Partecipativo del Patto di Fiume Simeto, Italia
Medea Ferrigno
Università IUAV di Venezia, Italia
David Mascali
Presidio Partecipativo del Patto di Fiume Simeto, Italia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/contest-17083

Published 2026-08-07

Keywords

  • migrant labour exploitation,
  • civic infrastructure,
  • experimental nichesdissent,
  • public policy coproduction

How to Cite

Pavone, V., Ferrigno, M., & Mascali, D. (2026). Breaking the chains of agro-mafia exploitation: a collaborative approach to support migrant workers in Paternò, Sicily. Contesti. Città, Territori, Progetti, (1), 244–261. https://doi.org/10.36253/contest-17083

Copyright (c) 2026 Venera Pavone, Medea Ferrigno, David Mascali

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Abstract

This paper examines labour exploitation in agriculture (caporalato) as a structural feature of contemporary agri-food systems, sustained by migrant labour, housing precarity and unequal power relations along food supply chains. Focusing on Paternò (Sicily)—a context characterised by long-standing exploitation and institutional fragility—the study analyses the Break Free! project as a policy-oriented experiment aimed at reconfiguring public action beyond emergency and enforcement-based responses. Adopting a practice-based approach, the paper conceptualises the project as part of a longer trajectory of civic institution-building led by the Participatory Presidium of the Simeto River Agreement. Through the analysis of proximity help desks, multi-actor coordination and institutional mediation practices, the paper shows how organised civil society can operate as an intermediary policy actor, translating lived experiences of exploitation into policy-relevant knowledge and fostering collaborative policymaking. The findings highlight both the potential of civic coalitions to stimulate public innovation in weak governance contexts and the limits of project-based interventions in the absence of stable, integrated policy frameworks.

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