Short Food Supply Chains and Rural Development. Notes from the LEADER Approach and the National Strategy for Internal Areas in the Molise Region (Italy)

Based on a redefinition of certain types of short food supply chain (SFSC) and a reformulation of the concepts of territorial capital and identity, this chapter reflects on the different effects of SFSCs in terms of economic growth and territorial development. In the case of Molise, a region in the centre-south of Italy, short supply chains have become an integral part of various important policy strategies. However, these strategies tend to prioritize economic growth objectives, such as increasing market share and the competitiveness of farms, while territorial development objec-tives remain hidden or at least hard to identify. The local implementation of the National Strategy for Internal Areas and the LEADER LAG strategies seem to be aimed at shortening the food supply chain: the main goal is to keep a larger share of the added value in the local area near the farmers, especially those involved in traditional food production, by reducing the number of intermediaries. In the future, these policy strategies should approach SFSCs from a broader perspective that takes into account the effects they can have on regional development.