A study on the rural employment structure and rural environment in Gozo : factors which are leading to present day problems in this sector and in the decrease of traditional cultivars and species from the island

Abstract

Gozo is the second largest island in the Maltese archipelago, it is known as the sister island of Malta with a population of around thirty thousand people. Rurality is an important aspect to day-to-day life of this island and still characterises the life of the inhabitants to this day. Agriculture in Gozo was also a strong sector which has significantly declined in terms of farmers and the various practices. When the rural development plan was published, several measures were undertaken to reinforce the Maltese rural environment and its related activities. The rural activity of Gozo and production were facing competition from other European countries and this was one of the main reasons for this decline due in part to the small size of the place which results in a limited level of production when compared with much larger countries. Moreover, the decrease in the number of farmers and related rural activities which Gozo had experienced in the last half century has led to some indigenous cultivars and species decreasing to the point of becoming almost extinct from the island. In fact some of them have already disappeared leading to an increased awareness as of late.