COMUNITÀ E SPOPOLAMENTO: due cooperative che affrontano lo spopolamento delle colline tosco-emiliane

The “Valle dei Cavalieri” community cooperatives of Succiso and "Briganti di Cerreto" of Cerreto Alpi, in province of Reggio Emilia are included in the park of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, and were born to give a response to the depopulation of inland areas. In fact, the socio-economic situation of the regional mountains, the birthplace of the two cooperatives, has suffered from the late 1950s onwards, a strong process of emigration to the areas of the plain. Consequently, the mountain areas have been depleted of resources human activities resulting in a contraction of many activities, in particular agriculture and pastoralism, which they have always represented the key sectors of the economy Montana. This strong depopulation has put in discuss the presence of many services of social as well as economic value, such as the bar, the shop groceries and restaurants. Both cooperatives, thanks to their peculiar and unique business model, in the last decades have been able to create sustainable activities to support the rebirth and development of the area and its population. It is in this context that the initiative of the European project LIVERUR, in which the two cooperatives participate, involves them with the aim of enhancing theirs experience as an innovative social and economic development model and support them in defining further tools and paths to strengthen this model