Italy is undergoing a transition towards more sustainable agricultural practices: the Agrofarma Observatory recorded an 18% decrease in the use of plant protection products between 2012-2014 and 2021-2023, along with a parallel 133% increase in the use of organic active ingredients. “A change is underway,” stated Paolo Tassani, president of Agrofarma-Federchimica, “which involves not only providing new solutions, but also the correct application of good crop protection practices. Farmers are aware of this, so much so that they have been working in the fields for years to ensure ever-increasing sustainability.”
In this respect, the role of the organic sector is undoubtedly fundamental, so GreenPlanet asked Giuseppe De Noia, president of Anabio-Cia, Maria Grazia Mammuccini, president of Federbio, Nicoletta Maffini, president of Assobio, and Giuseppe Romano, president of AIAB, to comment on this data.
Giuseppe De Noia, President of Anabio-Cia: “The gradual decline in pesticide use is a positive sign, an opportunity to reaffirm the need for natural and effective alternatives to the synthetic chemicals available on the market. This is a struggle and a concrete commitment of Anabio-Cia, which for years, together with IBMA Italia, has worked locally to disseminate and test biocontrol techniques useful for integrated crop protection. Given the emergence of pests in the fields, it is increasingly urgent that Europe create a preferential channel for biocontrol products, which currently represent less than 10% of the market for technical means to combat pests and diseases. Today, the conditions are right to recognize and concretely support biocontrol at the EU level, continuing the work already undertaken, which recently led to the adoption, by a large majority in the ENVI and AGRI Committees, of the own-initiative report on ways to accelerate the registration and adoption of biological control agents, as requested in the CIA amendments. This is an important turning point that we must support.” To streamline bureaucracy, and to recover, also thanks to biocontrol, the incredible loss of active substances available in Europe, practically halved in 30 years.”
Maria Grazia Mammuccini, President of FederBio: “The 18% reduction in sales of synthetic chemical pesticides and the growing attention to organic active ingredients are a decidedly positive sign, confirming that the transition to agroecology can generate benefits for the health of farmers and citizens, as well as for the protection of the environment and biodiversity. At a crucial juncture like the present, the development of organic farming remains the most effective concrete tool we have to reduce the use of synthetic chemicals and offer innovative, agroecologically based solutions to the entire agricultural sector. Strategic investments in research and innovation are now needed to support crop protection strategies using products based on naturally derived substances, and specific legislation must be defined to provide a regulatory framework with specific procedures for registering biocontrol products, thus avoiding delays in accessing natural alternatives that may already be available to farmers. To further support the expansion of organic farming, we must offer concrete and innovative solutions, based on the principles of agroecology, that can promote the reduction of synthetic chemicals throughout the agricultural sector.
Nicoletta Maffini, President of Assobio: “The data from Agrofarma confirms a further decrease in pesticide use, and the organic sector, which is growing in both cultivated area and consumption, is pleased with this. Reducing pesticide use is essential for the health of our planet, our soil, human health, and the pollinators that are vital for life on Earth. In any case, we must look beyond appearances and investigate the concentration of active ingredients in the pesticides used. Let me explain: if there is a decrease in volume, but the pesticides being used are at higher concentrations, the problem persists.”
Giuseppe Romano, President of AIAB – “We are certainly pleased with this reduction rate. The increased costs, which led to further rationalization of pesticide use, have certainly had an impact, but this is absolutely not enough, and above all, it’s not enough to clear our conscience. For us, even integrated farming isn’t sustainable. The first bastion of sustainability is organic farming. It’s not just a question of more or less pesticide use, but rather a consideration of the agroecosystem, the soil, and the impact that human agricultural activity has on the overall context. So, this data is good, but it doesn’t solve the problem, so much so that we continue to be under pressure in many areas, both in terms of data from the various ARPAs on groundwater and surface water pollution, and in terms of intensive livestock farming with the production of climate-altering gases.”
The article Italia: -18% fitosanitari e boom dei principi attivi bio (+133%). Le associazioni: “Ora servono norme e investimenti”, was originally published in GreenPlanet.
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