Search

Protected designations of origin (PDOs) and protected geographical indications (PGIs) are an important aspect of the recent turn towards quality agri-food products in the EU. However, their actual impact on rural development is not clear. This paper contributes to the debate over the impact of PDOs and PGIs by focusing on Ladotyri Mytilinis PDO, a cheese produced exclusively on Lesvos island, Greece. The socio-economic and environmental impact of Ladotyri Mytilinis PDO is based on findings from two field researches. Secondary data by the National Statistical Service of Greece and by other sources are also used. According to the findings the impact of Ladotyri Mytilinis PDO cheese, and of its various actors that construct its supply chain, is on the one hand very important for Lesvos island but on the other hand not radically different when compared to the impact of Graviera, a close substitute and non-PDO cheese, which is also produced in the area by the same actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basic aim of this article is to briefly explore the links between socio-economic dynamics and desertification in western Lesvos, Greece. The area is characterised by certain socio-economic and development disadvantages, dependence on few productive sectors (mainly on livestock breeding) and by severe problems of land degradation and desertification. The linkages between socio-economic profile, characteristics and development trajectory with the state of environment in the area are identified through a series of in-depth qualitative interviews with local producers (livestock breeders). Research findings reveal the major socio-economic driving forces towards unsustainable productive practices, which contribute to the persistence of the problems of land degradation and desertification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]