Goal 2: Zero hunger

n 2023, organic farming in Italy covered 2,456,020 hectares, involving approximately 94,400 organic operators. Organic agriculture accounted for 7.4% of all farms and 19.8% of the utilised agricultural area (UAA), according to the 2021 ISTAT Census, falling 5.2 percentage points short of the 25% UAA target for organic farming. 

Over the past 33 years, the trend has been upward in both the number of operators and cultivated area, countering the long-standing decline in utilised agricultural area in Italy.

 At the European level, Italy ranks among the most virtuous Member States.

The indicator considers fertilisers used in agriculture, i.e. inputs primarily employed to support crop growth. It analyses their spatial and temporal distribution to provide an overall representation of environmental impact, based on the quantities and types of fertilisers placed on the market.

In 2023, more than 4.5 million tonnes of fertilisers were placed on the market.

Mineral fertilisers (including simple, compound, and those based on meso- and micronutrients) accounted for 40.7% of the total. This category has historically been the most sold, with the only exception in 2022, despite a long-term decline (2000–2023).

Organic fertilisers (including soil improvers and organic fertilisers) followed closely, representing 39.8% of total sales, with a long-term upward trend (2000–2023). The most sold subcategory was soil improvers, with over 1.2 million tonnes. Their sales volume has remained relatively stable in recent years and, for the second consecutive year, exceeded that of simple mineral fertilisers, which remain the dominant subcategory within mineral fertilisers (64.7%).

The indicator describes ammonia (NH₃) emissions into the atmosphere produced by the agricultural sector, mainly due to livestock management and fertilizer use. It enables the assessment of the sector's contribution to total national emissions and the achievement of reduction targets.

In 2022, the agricultural sector was responsible for emitting 317.25 kt of NH₃ into the atmosphere, accounting for 90.4% of total national emissions.

The trend in NH₃ emissions is consistent with the targets set by the Gothenburg Protocol and the National Emission Ceiling Directive (NEC Directive). The national reduction target for 2022 has been achieved.

This indicator reports national scale data on the surface area and number of maritime state concession areas for aquaculture use as well as on Allocated Zones for Aquaculture (AZA). AZAs are designated by the competent authority as “Priority Areas for Aquaculture”, meaning areas free from conflicts with other uses and with environmental conditions suitable to ensure sustainable production while minimizing environmental impacts.

In Europe, identifying new marine areas for aquaculture is one of the main objectives of the Strategic Guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for 2021–2030 (COM/2021/236), of the National Strategic Aquaculture Plans 2014–2020 and 2021–2027, and of the corresponding EMFF and EMFAF Operational Programs, under Regulations 508/2014/EU and 1139/2021/EU.

The identification of AZAs is also part of the Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) framework established by Directive 2014/89/EU, transposed into Italian law by Legislative Decree 201/2016, which supports the sustainable growth of maritime economies through a coordinated, integrated, and cross-border approach within Maritime Spatial Management Plans. These aquaculture planning processes are also relevant to climate change adaptation strategies needed to mitigate medium- and long-term sector impacts.

Italy’s maritime space, between the coastline and the 12-nautical-mile limit, covers approximately 14 million hectares. Of this area, only 20,250 hectares are currently occupied by state concessions for aquaculture use, with around 96% (19,445 ha) allocated to shellfish farming and only 3.9% (805 ha) to marine fish farming. As of April 2024, AZAs have been designated in Tuscany, Marche, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, for a total area of about 29,633 hectares. Within AZAs, 8,739 ha are occupied by shellfish farming and 665 ha by fish farming.

The European Farm to Fork strategy sets two targets to be achieved by 2030: a 50% reduction in the use and risk of chemical pesticides and a 50% reduction in the use of the most hazardous pesticides. To measure progress towards these targets, two indicators have been defined based on the sales of active substances contained in plant protection products and the hazardous properties of these substances. The indicators described represent the European and national trends in progress towards the pesticide reduction goals of the Farm to Fork strategy. In 2022, the use and risk of chemical pesticides showed a 36% decrease at the European level compared to the 2015-2017 baseline period. For Italy, the reduction exceeds the European target, reaching 53%, with a 10 percentage point decrease in the last year. Regarding the use of the most hazardous pesticides, the national decrease in 2022 was faster than the European one, amounting to a 34% reduction compared to the European 25% (relative to the 2015-2017 period).