Heroic viticulture: Environmental and socioeconomic challenges of unique heritage landscapes
Paolo Tarolli,
Wendi Wang,
Anton Pijl,
Sara Cucchiaro,
Eugenio Straffelini
Affiliations
Paolo Tarolli
Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy; Corresponding author
Wendi Wang
Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy
Anton Pijl
Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy; Cambisol consultancy, Rozenstraat 60, Veenendaal, the Netherlands
Sara Cucchiaro
Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy; Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Italy
Eugenio Straffelini
Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy
Summary: Steep-slope agricultural landscapes cover a small fraction of global agricultural areas.1 Despite the limited coverage, they are relevant for high-quality food and wine production, history, and landscape value. On steep slopes, centuries of effort and tradition have created a unique cultural heritage to be preserved. Here, peculiar traditional local knowledge of soil and water conservation combined with agronomic practices (e.g., dry-stone wall terracing) has been handed down for generations. However, such landscapes are fragile and under threat.
