Stakeholders' Perception of Bioenergy Projects in Marginal and Underutilized Lands in Italy

Large land areas in European countries can be considered marginal, underutilized, and contaminated (MUC). Many recent studies have shown that bioenergy crop cultivation make this profitable, creating new income opportunities for local citizens without interfering with food production. However, farmers, landowners, communities must become more familiar systems, potential value chains, markets. This paper aims to present the results of stakeholder consultations implemented two case study Italy, i.e., Basilicata Sardinia, about possible establishment systems MUC available at level. Stakeholders' perceptions were collected through interviews conducted on a one-to-one basis multi-stakeholder working group meetings organized context BIOPLAT-EU, an H2020 project aimed promoting efficacy profitability using sustainable By large, findings indicate stakeholders are prone accept innovative chains based lands their regions. The majority them recognized could bring wide range benefits level, not only terms environmental externalities but also economic social development, such as creation business job opportunities, therefore serving alleviate or prevent abandonment population decline currently on-going these areas.