“Green” Investments in Sustainable Farming Systems: A Survey Among Italian Enterprises

In the context of climate change mitigation and/or adaptation, the present study investigated the diffusion of sustainable agricultural practices and technologies among Italian farm enterprises. An online questionnaire was administered to a sample of 456 farm managers and contractors. Participants were asked to evaluate their rate of adoption, intention to adopt and willingness to invest in sustainable practices and technologies aimed at limiting the environmental and climate impacts of their farming activities. Results showed that the majority of the participants have already adopted practices and technologies aimed at reducing agro-chemical inputs, whereas practices and technologies aimed at reducing emissions and generating renewable energies from agricultural biomass had a more limited and recent diffusion. However, 59% and 47% of participants, respectively, expressed the intention to adopt them in the short/medium term, probably due to the positive pressure exerted by the ambitious targets of the European Green New Deal. Only 7.4% of the respondents were prone to invest more than 100 k€ in “green” practices, whereas more than half of the enterprises (54%) would be willing to invest a maximum of 10 k€. This willingness to invest may vary according to the farm operation and farm size. The present study allowed us to glimpse future lines of investments and to identify intervention measures aimed at fostering the “green” transition within the Italian agricultural sector