Abstract

In the period 2014-2020, the European Rural Development Policy established the activation of participatory mechanisms under the Community Led Local Development ( CLLD ) strategy, which favored initiatives generated by local actors and focused on the use of local resources. In this study, we investigate the application of this ap- proach in the Local Action Plans ( LAP - PAL ) of the 23 Sicilian Local Action Groups( LAG - GAL ). In particular, we analyze the consistency of GAL s’ strategies with respect to the composition of their partnerships and the characteristics of the reference terri- tories. Results show weak connections linking policy decisions to both territorial specificities and the composition of the partnership. Accordingly, Sicilian GAL s do not represent effective participatory opportunities for territorial collective actions that are able to mobilize assets and to explore new territorial synergies.