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Territory and food, a binomial of italian excellences

TERRITORY AND FOOD, A BINOMIAL

OF ITALIAN EXCELLENCES

by Cesare Patrone

he new code of the State Forestry Corps, issued with the
law 36/2004, provided that food and agricultural and
Tenvironmental safety had to be strategic targets for the
Administration.
The concept of a “Food Landscape”, unique topic in this issue of
Silvae Magazine, shows a fitting terminological synthesis
between these two main functions carried out by the State
Forestry Corps for citizens’ safety, serving the Country.
Landscape and food, territory and environment, biodiversity
and foodstuff peculiarity, constitute a relevant portion of nation-
al wealth, that can be quantified not only in terms of gross
domestic product , but also in terms of environmental benefits
for the national community.
The State Forestry Corps is an expert and a watchful sentry of
hilly and upland territories which, making up more than 70% of
the national territory, have a relevant position in the national
agenda of our Country’s priorities.
Yesterday as well as today, Foresters, as they are sometimes still
identified in the public imagination, or better the State Forestry
Corps’ agents fulfil a role of safeguard in respect of woods, ter-
ritory, environment, landscape and food.
The mission of forestry Administration is to assure environmen-
tal and food and agricultural safety, since citizens need personal
safety not only in terms of protection for themselves and their
own possessions (security), but also with reference to those secu-
rity aspects aimed at a person’s well being, environmental salu-
briousness and food integrity. (safety)
Since the seventies, topics about environmental safety, as well as
food safety and landscape safeguard, have become internation-
ally relevant, because of the geopolitical changes that occurred
in the world. Globalisation is a source of socio-economic devel-
opment for the world’s population, but, at the same time, it

SILVÆ - Anno VI n. 13 - 11