Is mountain farming no longer viable?: The complex dynamics of farming abandonment in the pyrenees

Abstract

In the last decades, particularly since the second half of the twentieth century, European mountains have gone through major socioeconomic and environmental transformations, as a consequence of accelerated integration within the national and international societal systems. This has not only led to an inundation of local cultures with external elements, but it has forced mountain regions to respond to wider social and economic trends, namely: full integration of rural economies into a globalised market economy; expansion of communication technologies; various population movements, both counter-urbanisation and out-migration; gradual environmentalisation of rural policy structures; increasing reconsideration of agricultural policy support; continued afforestation of agricultural land; emergence of new demands and interests on the rural space such as recreation, scenic beauty, biodiversity conservation and cultural museums, throughout a trend of patrimonialisation and commodification of the countryside; and growth of the service-based economy and rural gentrification.