Recovery and resilience of rural farms in sicily (Italy): The CoVid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Abstract

To strengthen the resilience of agri-food enterprises in response to the crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, various policy levels have introduced a series of extraordinary fiscal, credit, and financial measures. These measures, however, produced different effects depending on the territory, the type of business, the production sector, the level of professionalism of the entrepreneur, etc. In this context, research was carried out, concentrated in Sicily, a typical semi-arid Mediterranean area with a high rurality index, to understand the impacts of these measures against the economic crisis and suggest possible corrective measures to policymakers. The research has shown that despite the availability and variety of the instruments activated, not all enterprises were able to access the extraordinary measures, with a clear differentiation between micro-small and medium-large enterprises; not only that, but among the enterprises that were granted support, this often served to cover current expenditure (debt), rather than to support the enterprise in the path of approaching new markets or opening up to innovation. Therefore, it is suggested that interventions aimed at safeguarding economic sustainability should be developed so as not to compromise the role that these enterprises play for the territory as guardians of the environment, combating climate change, and supporting food security. • The events related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war also triggered a generalized crisis in the agricultural sector. • Farms benefited from an extraordinary support plan to tackle the current inflationary crisis. • Impacts were measured differently according to farm size and the nature of agricultural activity. • Rural areas risk paying a high price. • Valuable suggestions emerge for stakeholders on why policy interventions should be differentiated by type of farm.

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