Signals of Agroecological Transition in a Mediterranean Rural Landscape: Integrating Structural Dynamics, Rural Heritage Infrastructure, and Farmers’ Perceptions

The agroecological transition represents a key challenge for Mediterranean agricultural systems affected by demographic decline, agricultural contraction, land abandonment, and production reorganisation. This study analyses rural-landscape transformations in the Lucanian sector of the Murge-Alto Bradano Agroecological District through the lens of socio-ecological systems and landscape agroecology. A convergent mixed-methods case-study design was adopted, integrating agricultural census, land-use and livestock data, institutional information on organic farming, GIS analysis of historical rural infrastructures, and a survey of farms belonging to the district. The results show that agricultural contraction is accompanied by selective land-use reorganisation and changing relationships between crop and livestock systems. The diffusion of organic farming and specific production dynamics may support agroecological pathways, although they cannot be considered direct evidence of transition. Historical rural infrastructures highlight the persistence of agro-pastoral territorial patterns, while farmers’ perceptions reveal the dynamic and multidimensional nature of landscape change. The study provides an integrated framework for analysing Mediterranean rural landscapes by distinguishing observed transformations, signals compatible with agroecological pathways, enabling conditions, and evidence that remains insufficient to demonstrate transition outcomes.