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%).

In 2022, approximately 103 thousand tonnes of plant protection products (PPPs) were placed on the market, containing around 44.5 thousand tonnes of active substances.

Compared to the previous year (2021), sales of PPPs declined by 11.6%. A similar decrease was recorded in the volume of active substances, which fell from approximately 50 million kilograms in 2021 to 45 million in 2022 (-11.5%). Consequently, the quantity of active substances distributed per hectare also decreased: from 4.0 kilograms per hectare of Utilised Agricultural Area (UAA) in 2021 to 3.6 kilograms in 2022.

Over the broader period from 2014 to 2022, the PPP market experienced a contraction of -20.8%. Active substances declined by 25.0% relative to 2014, the year the previous National Action Plan (PAN) for the sustainable use of PPPs entered into force—currently undergoing advanced revision. Trends vary by product category: active substances in fungicides declined by -21%, insecticides and acaricides by -32.3%, herbicides by -40.8%, and miscellaneous products by -26.5%. In contrast, biological products showed a notable increase of approximately 59% since 2014; however, they still represent only a minor market share of 1.1% of the total.

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.

Systemic food wastage in the Italian food system amounts to 66% of the total food energy produced. There has been a 17% increase in food wastage compared to 2015, measured in kilocalories per person per day. This situation remains far from institutional targets of halving or significantly reducing food wastage by 2030.