The Italian agricultural system is accelerating on the sustainability front, an element that has now become indispensable for facing the major challenges of the present and the near future. Starting with the geopolitical tensions of recent months, which have upended supply chains and driven up energy costs, and continuing with the increasingly frequent impacts of climate change. Despite Italy being a country that is particularly exposed and vulnerable from a hydrogeological standpoint, even within this complex scenario, the sector is nonetheless demonstrating remarkable resilience, finding in sustainability the cornerstone of its economic stability.

Sustainability in agriculture as a risk management strategy

This picture emerges from the sixth edition of AGRIcoltura100, the initiative by Reale Mutua in collaboration with Confagricoltura, in the 2026 Report produced by MBS Consulting (Gruppo Cerved). The survey – presented in recent days in Rome at Confagricoltura's national headquarters – was conducted on more than 3,800 companies in the sector, in steady growth since 2020. Forty-two per cent of Italian agricultural businesses look with concern at trade conflicts and the imposition of tariffs, which are limiting access to strategic markets such as the United States. Added to this is the more recent Middle East crisis, which has triggered an inflationary cycle and a rise in raw material costs that is hitting profitability hard: 47.5 per cent of companies report a profit of less than five per cent of turnover.

In this context, sustainability is evolving ever more decisively into a genuine risk management strategy. The survey data show that the share of companies with a high level of sustainability has risen to 57.9 per cent – almost ten percentage points more than in 2020 – while the number of companies stuck at only an initial level has halved, falling from 21.6 per cent to 11.9 per cent. Sustainability pays off, not only in terms of environmental benefits but also (and above all) in terms of financial solidity.

Agricultural businesses that have invested most heavily in sustainable practices have shown a greater capacity for growth: 30.6 per cent saw their turnover increase in the past year, compared with just 14.6 per cent of businesses less committed to sustainability. As Luca Filippone, Managing Director of Reale Group, explains, the study "confirms the central role of sustainability and innovation as transformative factors capable of supporting the growth of companies in the sector, enabling them to navigate even a complex scenario such as the current one from a solid foundation. In their journey, insurance coverage can also play a central role, helping to protect the business, strengthen risk prevention capacity and consolidate resilience to face future challenges." In short, the efforts of individual farmers are not enough: what is needed is an ecosystem made up of advanced insurance coverage, streamlined investment policies and hydrogeological risk management that becomes a system-wide priority.

Agricultural businesses focus on geographic diversification and innovation

As further evidence of the close link between sustainability and operational results, the Report reveals that productivity (turnover per employee) grows from €67,770 among companies with a basic and medium sustainability level to €99,206 among those with a high level, with a similar trend observed for profitability. In the comparison between 2025 and 2024, moreover, 30.6 per cent of companies with a high sustainability level recorded turnover growth, versus 14.6 per cent of those with a basic level. Geographic diversification and innovation represent two other important assets along which the strategies of agricultural businesses are developing. More than 70 per cent of companies very active on the export front have already revised their strategies: 45 per cent have sought new destination markets, 20 per cent have renegotiated contracts and commercial terms abroad, while a further 20 per cent have reoriented towards the domestic market.

On the technology front, more than 82 per cent of the most sustainable companies display a high rate of innovation, confirming that digital tools and precision agriculture are fundamental allies in reducing production costs and improving yields under conditions of scarcity. For Massimiliano Giansanti, President of Confagricoltura, "the data emerging from the sixth edition of the study give grounds for optimism, because it is clear that the topic of sustainability, if properly integrated, can become a strategic lever. A strong agriculture sector needs to be able to operate in a global market, and sustainability can be a key element, providing companies with various levers to be stronger in such a competitive environment."

In essence, we are moving towards a new vision of the supply chain in which sustainability and innovation advance hand in hand. As Enea Dallaglio of MBS Consulting highlights, "sustainability is increasingly proving to be a competitiveness factor for agricultural businesses, which invest in this direction for reasons directly related to the development of their own business. Sustainability also means innovation, with ever-growing investments in this direction: a choice made by as many as 70 per cent of Italian companies over the past three years."

The sixth edition of AGRIcoltura100 shows that sustainability levels are fairly homogeneous across the territory, with no major differences between North and South and with significant performances also from small-sized businesses. The area that has grown most is environmental sustainability, in which the share of companies at a high level increased from 49 per cent in 2020 to 63.8 per cent in 2025. Also notable is the increase in quality of development (which includes competitiveness, innovation and quality of employment), up by almost ten percentage points. Furthermore, 47.9 per cent of companies reach a high level of sustainability in the social area, and 43.9 per cent in risk and relationship management.

The message put forward by Reale Mutua and Confagricoltura is clear: the future of Italian agriculture is not played out solely in the cultivated fields, but in the ability to integrate sustainability, innovation and territorial protection into a single, solid economic strategy.