2. Rural life in Sicily What is the climate and land like? What are the major problems and obstacles to development? What is farming like?What changes are happening in farming?

3. What is the climate and land like?  Italy is short of land-only 20% is free of hills and mountain (mainly in the north where relief, climate and water ripe)  Land rugged, steep and mountainous in the South  In summer there is drought (May-September)- rain rarely falls  Land parched by August and rivers shrivel up  Temperatures can hit 40 º C in August  Soil is fertile only on the coast

4. What are the major problems and obstacles to development?  Bureaucracy hinders development- prevents EU investment and funding  Sicily is very traditional and a place of ancient ways-“very backward”  Mafia is active-crime discourages businesses from locating in Sicily  Migration out of the South to the North for better prospects  “Edge of Europe”-distant from markets (isolated)-Strait of Messina a barrier  Traditionally agriculture not profitable because of competition from abroad  Trapani not able to encourage industry-seen as too “old fashioned”  Fishing collapsed in Trapani- used to be 20,000 fishermen, now only 4,000  EU quotas have reduced catches in Trapani (unemployment stands at 25%)  Building motorways costly-roads on stilts/tunnels in mountains (relief unkind)  Many parts of Sicily still inaccessible  Lack of water (low rainfall)-government rationing water

5. What is farming like?  Harsh environment makes farming limited  Olives and grapes are grown as they can cope with the low rainfall and high temperatures  Traditionally hired gangs used on farms-picked at dawn and chosen to work for the day  Now paid farm hands employed on the same farm work for only 6 months a years  Earn £2.85 an hour for a field worker  Field workers have second jobs to make up shortfall in income  Finishing time is 4pm  9 hour day

6. What changes are happening in farming?  Some landowners have tried to get up-to-date and cut costs by modernising  Investment in machines on vineyards to improve farming efficiency (grape harvester-does work of 20 people)  Fields have been re-made, concrete poles and plastic irrigation pipes introduced and vines re-trained  Mechanisation has cut costs by up to 50%- less people now needed on farms  Those living off farming is now less  Flowers, melons and oranges are now being grown instead-seen as more profitable as other crops are over-produced  Growing flowers is not labour-intensive, no money wasted on heating either (mild climate)

7. “Land of the Midday Sun” Southern Italy has many geographical......................... that make it a poor and............../......................... region. The................ is mainly mountainous with little........... land making........................ difficult. This makes access to the region harder and some places are...................... by mountains and sea. In the summer...................... is common leading to........... failure. Businesses are unwilling to................. in the region because of the control of the................. who are linked to.............. and corruption. Progress is slowed by........................... due to too many rules, regulations and procedures. crime isolated invest flat bureaucracy relief drought mafia farming problems crop under-developed