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Strategies for sustainable rural development: insights from Local Action Groups in Campania’s agri-food sector

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  • Giuseppina Olivieri,
  • Concetta Menna,
  • Irene Paola Borrelli,
  • Ferdinando Gandolfi,
  • Teresa Del Giudice
Giuseppina Olivieri
University of Naples Federico II
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/rea-17287

Published 2026-11-09

Keywords

  • Community-Led Local Development (CLLD),
  • Agri-food systems,
  • Rural resilience,
  • Local Action Groups (LAGs)

How to Cite

Olivieri, G., Menna, C., Borrelli, I. P., Gandolfi, F., & Del Giudice, T. (2026). Strategies for sustainable rural development: insights from Local Action Groups in Campania’s agri-food sector. Italian Review of Agricultural Economics. https://doi.org/10.36253/rea-17287

Copyright (c) 2026 Giuseppina Olivieri, Concetta Menna, Irene Paola Borrelli, Ferdinando Gandolfi, Teresa Del Giudice

Creative Commons License

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

Abstract

Local development is closely interconnected with agri-food systems, which play a key role in strengthening the resilience of rural communities. Community-led local development represents a strategic approach to fostering balanced and sustainable rural development. This study analyses the local development strategies implemented by Local Action Groups (LAGs) in the Campania region (Italy), focusing on their thematic priorities and alignment with the sustainability objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy. A two-step methodology is applied: first, a descriptive analysis of the thematic areas selected by LAGs; second, content analysis based on topic modelling to identify the main underlying themes. The results show that most LAGs prioritise local food systems, rural districts, and agri-food value chains. Five dominant topics emerge: innovation, cooperation, economic growth, networking capacity, and a population-centred approach, highlighting their potential to address current agricultural challenges.

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