Is the agricultural sector playing a special role against the global crisis? or is it the rural setting?

A substantial literature has addressed the many issues relevant to describe, analyse and assess the question of income distribution and its role vis-­‐a-­‐vis economic growth and its sustainability, as well as concerns about poverty and social exclusion in particular when age and gender related. Undoubtedly, building on the EU-­‐SILC information, a much scarcer attention has been paid to the agricultural sector and the rural environment. This paper aims at offering a contribution to fill this gap by presenting some reflections based on empirical data. Although putting forward the entire range of the results obtained defies the space limits posed by a paper, the focus of this contribute is directed to compare the agricultural incomes in two points in time: in 2006 before the Great Recession flared up and in 2011, at the most recent date available today, when the crisis is not yet over. It is, of course, hard to prove that, having compared incomes in the agricultural sector as well as in the rural areas across countries and for two reference years, the observed outcome is certainly due to the financial crisis. Being concerned with the effects following the financial crisis, the analysis looks in particular at those countries belonging to the Euro area and present in the survey at the earliest date. A more even platform across countries permits to better concentrate on the best survivors in the farm sector: those who seem to have suffered less offer a sure example of resilience. Indeed, we do not dare adventuring in any cause-­‐effect relationship. We believe that the very comparison can provide some food for thought and somewhat new elements to be fruitfully added to the discussion