ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF EARLY POTATO PRODUCTION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AREA

The interactions between a given commercial enterprise, its territory and development, have become a key issue in recent years. Theories of economic development tell us that a territory may undergo development provided viable, economically sustainable commercial activities exist. Based on the latter postulate, the present paper analyzes the economic sustainability of farming enterprises growing early potatoes in a Mediterranean setting. In particular, the study was conducted in south-eastern Sicily, island in the centre of the Mediterranean. The results underscore their modest profitability, mainly due to a lack of entrepreneurial strategies aimed at enhancing production. This situation leads to shortcomings in terms of economic viability of the considered activities, which according to economic theory underlie an ultimate impoverishment of the territory.