Paper short abstract:

Alternatives to wheat production are being actively promoted to revitalize Sicily’s rural economy. One recent project uses agricultural heritage to lure consumers to Sicilian farms. Paradoxically, the heritage of traditional latifondo estates is therefore being mobilized to break wheat monoculture.

Paper long abstract:

Sicily was once the breadbasket of the Roman Empire, producing grain on vast estates known as latifundia. However, by the 21st century Sicilian wheat production had declined dramatically due to deforestation and changing climactic conditions. Not even the Fascist "Battle for Wheat," launched in 1925, was able to increase Sicily's agricultural grain output. Alternatives to wheat production have been actively promoted in order to revitalize Sicily's rural economy, especially in the island's interior. One example of these efforts is the Via dei Borghi, an ambitious project proposed by Sicily's Agency for Agricultural Development (ESA) to promote "slow tourism" through the island's center by bicycle, horseback, or on foot. Rather than try and get Sicilian products out to global consumers, ESA believes farmers can lure consumers to Sicily using agricultural heritage — conceived primarily as local landscapes, traditions, and foods— as the hook. Somewhat paradoxically, agricultural heritage is therefore being mobilized to break the wheat monoculture that has dominated Sicilian farming for millennia.