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Papers by Elisabetta Novello
Environmental History, 2017
The 1963 Vajont disaster and the devastating floods that hit the Veneto as well as other areas of... more The 1963 Vajont disaster and the devastating floods that hit the Veneto as well as other areas of Italy in 1966 brought about a significant revision of the policies on soil defense and civic protection. This was the last step in a long process of environmental management intending to build a balanced human-environmental system from the early modern period to the present. This essay explores the changing political ecology of soil and water management in the Veneto region in northern Italy. More specifically, the study traces the evolution of land reclamation works in the longue durée—in particular over the last five centuries—and the economic and social consequences of human actions on the territory. In order to fully outline the policies adopted in different historical periods, it is necessary to understand how the concept of land reclamation changed and gradually came to include drainage, hygienic, agrarian, and environmental factors, with attention paid to the specific ecologies of plains, mountains, and lagoon areas. In this long process, the changing relationships between landowners, farmers, and the state have altered human/natural interactions, with implications for land and water use.
The aetiology of malaria, as is well known, remained unexplained until the end of the 19 th centu... more The aetiology of malaria, as is well known, remained unexplained until the end of the 19 th century. In marshy areas, fevers were a reality with which men had coexisted for centuries and the fatalistic spirit widespread in the farming world was also shared by the ruling classes. People were resigned to living with malaria, as happened with the more common colds and flu, for which cures were more or less non-existent (Corti 1984: 656-661; 667-673). Malaria was first and foremost believed to be a 'scourge of the land', i.e. that the marshes and ponds were the focuses of infection: a notable importance was attributed to the putrefaction of the waters and the exhalations that this generated and it was believed that the mixing of fresh and salt waters produced lethal emanations (Serpieri 1991: 296-97; for a concise overview of the numerous beliefs relating to the origin of the malaria infection cf. Camera dei Deputati 1903, Documenti, n. XXV: 50-57). The spread of the disease also undoubtedly depended on the miserable conditions in which the humble classes lived. Angelo Celli, Professor of Hygiene at the University of Rome, speaks of «predisposing social causes of malaria» referring to the unfavourable dietary, clothing and dwelling conditions of the peasants (Celli 1899: 8; on the figure of A. Celli cf. Cantana, De Martinis 1979: 433-437), which had been emphasized by the Inchiesta Agraria Jacini (Jacini Agricultural Investigation) and the successive Inchiesta sulle condizioni igieniche e sanitarie nei Comuni del Regno (Investigation on the hygienic and sanitary conditions in the municipalities of the Kingdom) (Direzione Generale della Statistica 1886). It would anyway be necessary to await the first years of the new century to witness the enactment of measures aimed expressly at improving the living conditions of those who worked on the land (Della Peruta: 713-759)
Since the 1980s increasing attention has been paid to environmental and flood defence in Italy. T... more Since the 1980s increasing attention has been paid to environmental and flood defence in Italy. These issues stimulated the public authorities to find integrated solutions to offer natural sites, amelioration of surface water quality and territorial safety. Following the Regional Law 12/2009, 65% of the territory in Veneto Region (NE Italy) has been controlled by 10 Reclamation Boards (RB, Consorzio di Bonifica), public bodies that unite all the property owners benefiting from land reclamation works in a given area. The RB's main mandates are territorial protection, improvement of water quality, contribution to the integrated management of the water cycle and restoration of the environment. The Adige Euganeo RB has accomplished important works/tasks of constructed wetlands, multifunctional basins, rehabilitation of the drainage network and stimulated the plantations of buffer strips by farmers in its territory. It also has a rich heritage of perfectly conserved historical pumping stations built at the end of the 19 th century or during the fascist era and a vast quantity of documents in its historical archives. This paper gives an overview of the actions of the RB, describing their technical features and the social and environmental benefits pursued.
Books by Elisabetta Novello
Cent’anni di Veneto Agricoltura. Dall’Istituto di ricostruzione e rinascita agraria all’Agenzia veneta per l´innovazione nel settore primario (1920-2020), 2021
Le origini dell’Agenzia veneta per l’innovazione nel settore primario – Veneto Agricoltura risalg... more Le origini dell’Agenzia veneta per l’innovazione nel settore primario – Veneto Agricoltura risalgono al lontano 1920, quando l’élite politica, economica e intellettuale veneta diede vita all’Istituto di ricostruzione e di rinascita agraria di Venezia e Treviso, il nucleo originario di quello che sarebbe diventato qualche anno più tardi l’Ente di rinascita agraria per le Tre Venezie e che avrebbe assunto nel 1939 la denominazione di Ente Nazionale per le Tre Venezie. L’ ENTV, rimasto in vita fino al luglio 1977, si
impegnò in particolare a favore della cooperazione nel settore primario e dello sviluppo agro-industriale, fino ad attuare innovativi progetti di promozione turistica.
Ad assumere molte delle funzioni proprie dell’ENTV fu l’Ente di Sviluppo Agricolo del Veneto (ESAV), istituito nel marzo del 1977. Negli anni Ottanta l’attenzione dell’ESAV venne rivolta soprattutto verso l’utilizzo delle terre incolte e lo sviluppo della conduzione consociata di terreni e allevamenti. Nell’ultimo decennio del secolo scorso si sviluppò un acceso dibattito sulla
funzionalità e l’economicità di questo ente, che portò alla sua soppressione. La Regione decise allora di far nascere, nel 1997, una realtà completamente nuova – l’Azienda regionale del Veneto per i settori agricolo, forestale e agroalimentare “Veneto Agricoltura” – che riassunse in sé, oltre alle funzioni dell’ESAV, quelle dell’Azienda Regionale delle Foreste del Veneto e dell’Istituto lattiero caseario e per le biotecnologie agroalimentari di Thiene. Veneto Agricoltura non era più ora soltanto un ente impegnato nel settore agricolo, ma veniva formalmente destinato a operare nel settore agroalimentare e in quello forestale.
In questo modo, in un’unica Azienda iniziarono a interagire mondi che fino ad allora avevano seguito percorsi separati. L’ultimo passaggio della trasformazione di questo Ente si è avuto nel novembre 2014, quando venne ufficialmente istituita l’Agenzia veneta per l’innovazione nel settore primario – Veneto Agricoltura. Oggi questa Agenzia si impegna in maniera ancor più incisiva che nel passato a diffondere i principi della sostenibilità nel settore
primario veneto attuando le direttive dell’Unione Europea.
Environmental History, 2017
The 1963 Vajont disaster and the devastating floods that hit the Veneto as well as other areas of... more The 1963 Vajont disaster and the devastating floods that hit the Veneto as well as other areas of Italy in 1966 brought about a significant revision of the policies on soil defense and civic protection. This was the last step in a long process of environmental management intending to build a balanced human-environmental system from the early modern period to the present. This essay explores the changing political ecology of soil and water management in the Veneto region in northern Italy. More specifically, the study traces the evolution of land reclamation works in the longue durée—in particular over the last five centuries—and the economic and social consequences of human actions on the territory. In order to fully outline the policies adopted in different historical periods, it is necessary to understand how the concept of land reclamation changed and gradually came to include drainage, hygienic, agrarian, and environmental factors, with attention paid to the specific ecologies of plains, mountains, and lagoon areas. In this long process, the changing relationships between landowners, farmers, and the state have altered human/natural interactions, with implications for land and water use.
The aetiology of malaria, as is well known, remained unexplained until the end of the 19 th centu... more The aetiology of malaria, as is well known, remained unexplained until the end of the 19 th century. In marshy areas, fevers were a reality with which men had coexisted for centuries and the fatalistic spirit widespread in the farming world was also shared by the ruling classes. People were resigned to living with malaria, as happened with the more common colds and flu, for which cures were more or less non-existent (Corti 1984: 656-661; 667-673). Malaria was first and foremost believed to be a 'scourge of the land', i.e. that the marshes and ponds were the focuses of infection: a notable importance was attributed to the putrefaction of the waters and the exhalations that this generated and it was believed that the mixing of fresh and salt waters produced lethal emanations (Serpieri 1991: 296-97; for a concise overview of the numerous beliefs relating to the origin of the malaria infection cf. Camera dei Deputati 1903, Documenti, n. XXV: 50-57). The spread of the disease also undoubtedly depended on the miserable conditions in which the humble classes lived. Angelo Celli, Professor of Hygiene at the University of Rome, speaks of «predisposing social causes of malaria» referring to the unfavourable dietary, clothing and dwelling conditions of the peasants (Celli 1899: 8; on the figure of A. Celli cf. Cantana, De Martinis 1979: 433-437), which had been emphasized by the Inchiesta Agraria Jacini (Jacini Agricultural Investigation) and the successive Inchiesta sulle condizioni igieniche e sanitarie nei Comuni del Regno (Investigation on the hygienic and sanitary conditions in the municipalities of the Kingdom) (Direzione Generale della Statistica 1886). It would anyway be necessary to await the first years of the new century to witness the enactment of measures aimed expressly at improving the living conditions of those who worked on the land (Della Peruta: 713-759)
Since the 1980s increasing attention has been paid to environmental and flood defence in Italy. T... more Since the 1980s increasing attention has been paid to environmental and flood defence in Italy. These issues stimulated the public authorities to find integrated solutions to offer natural sites, amelioration of surface water quality and territorial safety. Following the Regional Law 12/2009, 65% of the territory in Veneto Region (NE Italy) has been controlled by 10 Reclamation Boards (RB, Consorzio di Bonifica), public bodies that unite all the property owners benefiting from land reclamation works in a given area. The RB's main mandates are territorial protection, improvement of water quality, contribution to the integrated management of the water cycle and restoration of the environment. The Adige Euganeo RB has accomplished important works/tasks of constructed wetlands, multifunctional basins, rehabilitation of the drainage network and stimulated the plantations of buffer strips by farmers in its territory. It also has a rich heritage of perfectly conserved historical pumping stations built at the end of the 19 th century or during the fascist era and a vast quantity of documents in its historical archives. This paper gives an overview of the actions of the RB, describing their technical features and the social and environmental benefits pursued.
Cent’anni di Veneto Agricoltura. Dall’Istituto di ricostruzione e rinascita agraria all’Agenzia veneta per l´innovazione nel settore primario (1920-2020), 2021
Le origini dell’Agenzia veneta per l’innovazione nel settore primario – Veneto Agricoltura risalg... more Le origini dell’Agenzia veneta per l’innovazione nel settore primario – Veneto Agricoltura risalgono al lontano 1920, quando l’élite politica, economica e intellettuale veneta diede vita all’Istituto di ricostruzione e di rinascita agraria di Venezia e Treviso, il nucleo originario di quello che sarebbe diventato qualche anno più tardi l’Ente di rinascita agraria per le Tre Venezie e che avrebbe assunto nel 1939 la denominazione di Ente Nazionale per le Tre Venezie. L’ ENTV, rimasto in vita fino al luglio 1977, si
impegnò in particolare a favore della cooperazione nel settore primario e dello sviluppo agro-industriale, fino ad attuare innovativi progetti di promozione turistica.
Ad assumere molte delle funzioni proprie dell’ENTV fu l’Ente di Sviluppo Agricolo del Veneto (ESAV), istituito nel marzo del 1977. Negli anni Ottanta l’attenzione dell’ESAV venne rivolta soprattutto verso l’utilizzo delle terre incolte e lo sviluppo della conduzione consociata di terreni e allevamenti. Nell’ultimo decennio del secolo scorso si sviluppò un acceso dibattito sulla
funzionalità e l’economicità di questo ente, che portò alla sua soppressione. La Regione decise allora di far nascere, nel 1997, una realtà completamente nuova – l’Azienda regionale del Veneto per i settori agricolo, forestale e agroalimentare “Veneto Agricoltura” – che riassunse in sé, oltre alle funzioni dell’ESAV, quelle dell’Azienda Regionale delle Foreste del Veneto e dell’Istituto lattiero caseario e per le biotecnologie agroalimentari di Thiene. Veneto Agricoltura non era più ora soltanto un ente impegnato nel settore agricolo, ma veniva formalmente destinato a operare nel settore agroalimentare e in quello forestale.
In questo modo, in un’unica Azienda iniziarono a interagire mondi che fino ad allora avevano seguito percorsi separati. L’ultimo passaggio della trasformazione di questo Ente si è avuto nel novembre 2014, quando venne ufficialmente istituita l’Agenzia veneta per l’innovazione nel settore primario – Veneto Agricoltura. Oggi questa Agenzia si impegna in maniera ancor più incisiva che nel passato a diffondere i principi della sostenibilità nel settore
primario veneto attuando le direttive dell’Unione Europea.