GREEN ECONOMY: THE DEVELOPMENT OF MARGINAL AREAS IN THE HORIZON 2020 STRATEGY

Abstract

Bioeconomy refers to a system based on the smart utilization of biological resources based on sources from land and sea as industrial input and production of food. The Bioeconomy will also contribute to limiting the negative impacts on the environment, reduce the heavy dependency on fossil resources, mitigate climate change and move Europe towards a post-petroleum society. The work aims to investigate how the territorial marginality linked to socio-economic disparities can be a competitive advantage for the challenges proposed by the bioeconomy innovation strategy. An example of a Sicilian bio-cluster is indicated for a significant product differentiation and functional integration of agricultural and non-agricultural land, in which the spatial component rather than the sector-based one, reveals a new sustainable development process.