30 October 2013
JEDDAH - An interdisciplinary study on historical rural landscapes in Italy has revealed that the preservation and development of these areas are closely linked to the social, economic, and cultural evolution of a country and has given rise to an exhibition on this topic at the Italian Cultural Center in Jeddah.
The photo exhibition, jointly organized by the Italian consulate, the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Italian Business Group, was inaugurated on Monday with a lecture by Prof. Mauro Agnoletti from the University of Florence and head of the Working Group Landscape at the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, the body that carried out the research entitled National Register of Historical Rural Landscape.
It was the first initiative taken by the newly established Italian Business Group (IBG), which aims to "act as a link between Saudi Arabia and Italy in facilitating the mutual understanding and esteem, and offering opportunities for meetings, discussions, and seminars," Bashar Jabban, head of the IBG, commented.
Welcoming the guests, Italian Consul General Simone Petroni spoke of a "very important momentum" of the bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Italy. The beginning of the month witnessed big celebrations in Rome for the 80 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries that "included political meetings between the two ministers of foreign affairs, academic conferences, meetings of students, exhibitions, forums of dialogue, and high-level businessmen meetings," Petroni said, adding that a memorandum of understanding on cultural cooperation between the two countries had been signed on the occasion.
Taking the opportunity to thank all the organizers, Prof. Agnoletti said it was interesting for him to be invited by a chamber of commerce, because preserving and developing rural areas is not only related to the conservation of the cultural identity, but also to the economic development of the territory. While the European Union as a whole is currently focusing on landscape protection and biodiversity, Italy is pushing a bit further, he said. "Brussels is pushing more for renaturalization; instead, Italy prefers an integration of nature and culture in the landscape, because this is more effective for our country." The case of Italy could also serve as an example in other countries, including the Kingdom, Agnoletti added.
In his lecture, Agnoletti told the audience that the shift from a focus on mass production and competing in the global market to one on high-quality products and the unique identity of landscapes across Europe had been noticeable on the whole continent. The European integration had made it important to "take care of the different identities existing in Europe", while the subsidies coming from the EU's Common Agricultural Policy had enabled the focus on rural landscape preservation. The change had also been a result of a shift in consumers, who are now more aware of food safety and are willing to pay extra for good-quality olive oil, cheese, fruits, and vegetables.
In addition to focusing on quality, a new and important source of income for Italian farmers is from 'agritourists', or tourists staying at farmhouses, which in some cases amounts to 60 percent of total revenues, showing the economic importance of landscape preservation.
Agnoletti said an important additional advantage of the preservation and even expansion of traditional rural landscapes was an increase in biodiversity in those areas. He said the agricultural terraces, often created in medieval times, do not only constitute a protection against natural disasters and erosion, but even enhance the quality of some cultivated products due to the increase in temperature of the soil as a result of the stones used to build the terraces.
JEDDAH - An interdisciplinary study on historical rural landscapes in Italy has revealed that the preservation and development of these areas are closely linked to the social, economic, and cultural evolution of a country and has given rise to an exhibition on this topic at the Italian Cultural Center in Jeddah.
The photo exhibition, jointly organized by the Italian consulate, the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Italian Business Group, was inaugurated on Monday with a lecture by Prof. Mauro Agnoletti from the University of Florence and head of the Working Group Landscape at the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, the body that carried out the research entitled National Register of Historical Rural Landscape.
It was the first initiative taken by the newly established Italian Business Group (IBG), which aims to "act as a link between Saudi Arabia and Italy in facilitating the mutual understanding and esteem, and offering opportunities for meetings, discussions, and seminars," Bashar Jabban, head of the IBG, commented.
Welcoming the guests, Italian Consul General Simone Petroni spoke of a "very important momentum" of the bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Italy. The beginning of the month witnessed big celebrations in Rome for the 80 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries that "included political meetings between the two ministers of foreign affairs, academic conferences, meetings of students, exhibitions, forums of dialogue, and high-level businessmen meetings," Petroni said, adding that a memorandum of understanding on cultural cooperation between the two countries had been signed on the occasion.
Taking the opportunity to thank all the organizers, Prof. Agnoletti said it was interesting for him to be invited by a chamber of commerce, because preserving and developing rural areas is not only related to the conservation of the cultural identity, but also to the economic development of the territory. While the European Union as a whole is currently focusing on landscape protection and biodiversity, Italy is pushing a bit further, he said. "Brussels is pushing more for renaturalization; instead, Italy prefers an integration of nature and culture in the landscape, because this is more effective for our country." The case of Italy could also serve as an example in other countries, including the Kingdom, Agnoletti added.
In his lecture, Agnoletti told the audience that the shift from a focus on mass production and competing in the global market to one on high-quality products and the unique identity of landscapes across Europe had been noticeable on the whole continent. The European integration had made it important to "take care of the different identities existing in Europe", while the subsidies coming from the EU's Common Agricultural Policy had enabled the focus on rural landscape preservation. The change had also been a result of a shift in consumers, who are now more aware of food safety and are willing to pay extra for good-quality olive oil, cheese, fruits, and vegetables.
In addition to focusing on quality, a new and important source of income for Italian farmers is from 'agritourists', or tourists staying at farmhouses, which in some cases amounts to 60 percent of total revenues, showing the economic importance of landscape preservation.
Agnoletti said an important additional advantage of the preservation and even expansion of traditional rural landscapes was an increase in biodiversity in those areas. He said the agricultural terraces, often created in medieval times, do not only constitute a protection against natural disasters and erosion, but even enhance the quality of some cultivated products due to the increase in temperature of the soil as a result of the stones used to build the terraces.
© The Saudi Gazette 2013
