Broken Hydrosocial Territories: Water Insecurity, and Agroecological Prefiguration in Sicily

Sammanfattning

This thesis investigates the hydrosocial territory of Sicily through a political ecology lens, analysing how water insecurity is due to climate change, state absence, socio-political fragmentation. Although water is physically present on the island, its mismanagement, shaped by clientelism, infrastructural decay, and political dysfunction, produces a sense of insecurity, exacerbating social inequalities and deepening public mistrust. Drawing from 21 in-depth interviews and participant observation, analysed through grounded theory methodology, this research explores both the structural causes of the water crisis and the emergent bottom-up strategies of adaptation in central and western Sicily, particularly within the agricultural sector. The fieldwork data reveals fragmented and leaking waterscape in which formal governance fails, prompting informal, often precarious and individual solutions. Within this broken hydrosocial territory, the thesis identifies the rise of prefigurative ecological practices—especially small scale agroecological and permaculture projects—that resist traditional agriculture and profit driven paradigms and envision alternative, just, and sustainable futures. These practices link water and land management with broader critiques of capitalism, food sovereignty, and environmental justice, challenging both Global North/South binaries and urban–rural divides. By situating Sicily as a critical site of both crisis and innovation, this research contributes to ongoing debates in political ecology, hydrosocial theory, and Mediterranean studies. It underscores the need for interdisciplinary approaches that connect infrastructure, governance, and lived experience, while highlighting the transformative potential of grassroots networks in addressing climate and resource challenges.