The fundamental role played by agriculture in a global social system and the negative environmental aspects of conventional agriculture have oriented the whole system towards new forms of agriculture. During the past few years we observed a constant trend of positive growth trend of organic agriculture. In the last decade organic agriculture has been able to extend its own dimension to become a significant landmark for agriculture.
In Table 1 the amount of farms and organically cultured areas in different Italian regions are reported. The Mediterranean regions are the leaders in Italian organic farming. The first is Sardinia with 135 797 hectares, followed by Sicily with 125 903 hectares; other significant regions are Tuscany with 22 784 hectares, Emilia Romagna with 46 473 hectares, Puglia with 94 875 hectares and Latium with 25 885 hectares.
We must underline the fast development in these regions; Puglia and Calabria, for example, in one year, have doubled the number of farms involved in organic agriculture.
Table 1. Italian situation as of 31 September 1998 (data from the Ministry of Agriculture)
Regions |
Farms |
OA |
CA |
OA+CA |
OA/CA |
Piemonte |
1 016 |
262 |
16 913 |
17.175 |
1.53 |
Valle d'Aosta |
6 |
1 |
331 |
332 |
0.34 |
Liguria |
105 |
20 |
1 273 |
1 293 |
1.59 |
Lombardia |
553 |
97 |
10 151 |
10 248 |
0.95 |
Trentino A.A. |
168 |
2 |
997 |
999 |
0.25 |
Veneto |
662 |
41 |
5 998 |
6 039 |
0.69 |
Friuli V.G. |
116 |
2 |
730 |
732 |
0.29 |
Emilia R. |
2 212 |
1 784 |
46 689 |
48 473 |
3.84 |
Toscana |
616 |
542 |
22 242 |
22 784 |
2.38 |
Marche |
1 254 |
932 |
21 539 |
22 471 |
4.15 |
Umbria |
382 |
207 |
8 941 |
9 148 |
2.27 |
Lazio |
1 993 |
838 |
25 047 |
25 885 |
3.24 |
Abruzzo |
412 |
47 |
4 857 |
4 904 |
0.97 |
Molise |
255 |
45 |
3 270 |
3 315 |
1.38 |
Campania |
486 |
60 |
6 114 |
6 174 |
0.97 |
Puglia |
4 275 |
6 347 |
88 528 |
94 875 |
6.69 |
Basilicata |
183 |
46 |
5 178 |
5 224 |
0.89 |
Calabria |
1 672 |
990 |
24 151 |
25 141 |
3.94 |
Sicilia |
8 270 |
10 324 |
115 579 |
125 903 |
8.20 |
Sardegna |
4 754 |
13 620 |
122 177 |
135 797 |
10.03 |
Total |
29 390 |
21 636 |
543 277 |
564 913 |
3.83 |
OA= organic agriculture, CA= conventional agriculture in conversion phase
Cereals are the most widespread cultures in Italy, however, economically, horticulture and fruit growing are the most important sectors followed by viticulture and olive culture.
In Italy there are 29 390 organic farms and 820 transformation companies. The total area interested in organic agriculture is 564 913 hectares of which 543 277 is in conversion. On the whole, organic and conversion agriculture areas are 3.83 percent of the total cultured areas in Italy with particular high values in Sardinia (10.03 percent) and Sicily (8.20 percent).
Today the market appears well prepared in this field. A wide variety of foods using products from organic agriculture is available: yoghurt, milk, fruit juices, jam, bakery products, oils, wines, honey, flour, etc. Part of the Italian production is exported to EU countries, particularly Italian pasta.
For these reasons and in order to better characterize organic products and distinguish them from others and in order to satisfy market demand, the Italian Ministry of Agriculture funded the following scientific project.
The research project principally uses two approaches (agronomic and dietary) and is subdivided into four sub-projects. The tested products included for experimental production were:
and for commercial production:
The agronomic approach is used to evaluate how organic agronomic techniques, without use of synthetic chemical compounds, can influence the chemical composition of the products as compared with those from conventional production techniques.
The dietary approach evaluates the influence of a total organic food diet or a partial organic food diet on human nutrition and the relative nutrient contribution.
Among others, the following benefits/results are expected from the project:
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