Italy is leading the sustainable change in agriculture: plant protection products are decreasing, biological solutions and innovation are growing
Good news from the primary sector. Today’s plant protection products are increasingly modern, safe and efficientand respond effectively to the growing demand for innovative and environmentally friendly agriculture. According to the last one Agrofarma Observatorythe trend of reduction in agropharmaceutical sales continues. It’s a sign of a sector that aims to optimize the use of technical means to accelerate the transition towards new sustainable models, in line with the Vision for Agriculture and Food, the European Union strategy to make the agri-food sector more stable and competitive. In this context, Italian agriculture therefore confirms itself as a winning laboratory that combines good environmental practices with production efficiencyreconciling food safety, environmental protection and profitability.
The reduction of agrochemicals
But let’s see what the report says in detail. The Observatory data shows that sales of plant protection products in Italy decreased by 18% between the three-year period 2021-2023 and 2012-2014. The reduction is even more marked (-24%) if we consider the volumes of active ingredients used. The most evident decline concerns fungicides, followed by herbicides.
At the same time, it grows the use of active ingredients of biological origin, increased by 133% in the same period, confirming a growing commitment to natural solutions and integrated defense techniques.
“There is a change underway,” he explains Paolo Tassanipresident of Agrofarma-Federchimica. «Innovation, training and the adoption of increasingly modern and safe solutions represent the keys to guaranteeing a competitive future for Italian and European agriculture».
Innovation and safety
Italy also shines in the field of innovation. Enrica Gentile, CEO of Areté – company that takes care of the scientific responsibility of the project – speaks of «a sector which, despite the difficulties and challenges it is called upon to face, has a proactive approach towards change. This is what emerges from the propensity for innovation, from the continuous goals in terms of sustainability and circularity, as well as from a product safety that defines a standard of excellence in Europe and around the world. It is important to underline all this in the context of the extreme richness and cultural variety that characterizes our country, which makes the challenges to which agriculture and agrochemistry are called upon to respond even more multifaceted.”
Today, over 85% of the agrochemicals on the Italian market were approved after 2010, etBetween January 2024 and October 2025, 38 products for organic farming were authorized17 more than in the previous period. Even on the food safety front, Italy continues to stand out: just 1% of foods have residues beyond the permitted limits, one of the best results in Europe.
Emissions and energy
We are also positive leaders when it comes to pollution: the agri-environmental indicators show a constant decline in emissions of greenhouse gases and ozone precursors. Although agricultural ammonia emissions have increased slightly in 2023, Italy has already the reduction target set with the EU for 2030 was achieved well in advance. A special chapter of the new report is dedicated to agroenergy: the share of energy produced from renewable sources went from 17% in 2014 to 20% in 2023, and biogas today represents around 2% of electricity production from renewables, second only to Germany.
And Italy maintains the second place in Europe also for crop varieties (121), behind only Spain. Among the crops considered “minor” are growing courgettes, lentils, pomegranates and early potatoes. However, Pathogen management remains one of the most complex challenges to manage: if diseases increase, authorized molecules decrease. That’s why the industry stands investing more and more in research and developmentto offer solutions that combine productivity, sustainability and safety.
What Agrifarma data tell us
The picture painted by the Agrofarma Observatory therefore tells of a evolving sector, facing challenges climate change and global competitiveness with a scientific and proactive approach.
Here sustainability is no longer an unattainable objective, but a concrete strategy that unites businesses, research and institutions in the name of innovation and responsibility. Because agriculture, in 2025, must adapt to the times without losing its identity. In Italy we are succeeding.
