This website was archived on December 19, 2017 and is no longer updated.
Project coordination
Italy: One million hectares of organic land in 2008
According to the latest data, in Italy more than one million hectares are under organic management (December 31, 2008). However, compared with the previous year, there has been a decrease in the organic land area.
At the occasion of the SANA 
fair in Bologna, the Italian Minister ZAIA presented the latest figures, compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture MIPAF and the Information System for Organic Agriculture SINAB , based on the information of the certifiers.
Land area
The total area under organic mangement (including in-conversion land) is now 1'002'414 hectares. For a long time Italy was the European country with largest area of organic land. Currently Spain has the most organic land, with 1.1 million hectares of organic agricultural land and a total organic area (including forest and wild collection) of 1.3 million hectares.
Land use
Cereals, grassland as well green fodder from arable land account for 50 percent of the organic land, followed by olives and by grapes.
Operators
In total there are 49'654 operators (1.2 percent less than in 2007), consisting of
- 42.037 producers
- 5047 processors
- 195 importers
Most organic producers are in Sicily and Calabira, whereas most processors are in Emilia Romagna and in Veneto.
Italy is still the country with the most organic producers in Europe.
More information
- SINAB.it: L'agricoltura biologica in cifre al 31/12/2009
- Politicheagricole.it: Oggi Zaia inaugura il SANA
- Organic-World.Net: Italy
- Organic-World.Net: Europe