Landraces in Sicilian Peri-urban Horticulture: a Participatory Approach to Brassica Production System

Sicilian peri-urban vegetable farms are characterized by a rich biodiversity ofvegetable crops and a very important relevance, especially in the inland areas of theIsland, assuming different forms and types of vegetable Brassica species, which play asignificant role in agronomic, economic and social terms. Our work focuses on the“Cavolfiore Violetto Catanese” (Violet cauliflower) and on the “Cavolo Rapa diAcireale” (Kohlrabi) grown in Eastern Sicily. The investigated products constitutetraditional varieties, highly-differentiated and traditionally grown in the area ofproduction, with peculiar characteristics due to the specific link with environmentaland cultural characteristics of territory. The study – preceded by a preliminaryanalysis on economic and geographic context – examines, through a swot analysis, thestrengths, the weaknesses, the opportunities and threats of two types of horticulturallandraces traditionally located in peri-urban areas. It also suggests some chance for amarket development of these products and tries to identify some strategies in order toincrease the spread of traditional products in local consumer markets.