In response to climate change, many farmers in Sicily are growing tropical fruit. And some are even doing it organically. In response to climate change, many farmers in Sicily are growing tropical fruit. And some are even doing it organically.
For some years now, Italian farmers have been experimenting with the cultivation of tropical fruit across several regions of southern Italy, from Puglia to Sicily via Calabria. Climate change has indeed made these crops possible in our country too. The first Coldiretti study, "I tropicali italiani", published in 2019, recorded 500 hectares under tropical cultivation — an area that had grown 60-fold in five years, with avocado and mango predominating in Sicily.
Being able to count on an Italian tropical fruit supply means having the opportunity to buy fruit that is more affordable, fresher and more sustainable, since transport-related emissions are reduced, as well as greater food safety: as Coldiretti noted, Italy ranks at the top of global food safety with the lowest number of agri-food products carrying irregular chemical residues (0.8 per cent) — a share 1.6 times lower than the European Union average (1.3 per cent) and fully 7 times lower than that of non-EU countries (5.5 per cent).
With 10,000 hectares potentially destined for exotic fruit production and ever-growing market demand, the lurking risk is that intensive farming practices develop with widespread use of harmful chemical substances. To guarantee a product that is healthy for us and for the environment, the only option is to favour organic methods. And, fortunately, thanks to the awareness of certain farmers, organic Italian tropical fruit already exists.
One example is the avocados from the Azienda agricola Campisi Gaetano in Cassabile (Siracusa). Salvatore, the fourth generation of the family that owns the business, chose to put his economics degree to work in pursuit of the vocation for farming he had felt since childhood, and invested — alongside the traditional production of Femminello siracusano lemon — in growing avocado in several varieties, including Hass and Bacon. The idea came to him after visiting a number of farms in a region of Spain that had switched to avocado cultivation. Salvatore decided to farm using organic methods in order to return to his roots, to the farming of his grandparents who used natural fertilisers, and to offer consumers a wholesome, genuine product. Cutting-edge production and the continual trialling of new cultivars define the farm's day-to-day work.
At the azienda agricola Fratelli Cupane, located in Rocca di Capri Leone (Messina) and specialising in citrus and olive growing, it was Maruzza, the third generation of the farming family, who introduced the cultivation of avocado and mango to the business. "After studying agronomy, completing a doctorate in Mediterranean fruit growing, gaining some experience in Spain and making contact with a group at the University of Palermo working on tropical crops, I decided to try growing these exotic fruits," she tells us. Today Maruzza is carrying the production forward successfully: "These kinds of crops have been favoured, on the one hand, by the tropicalisation of the climate and, on the other, by the characteristics of the Sicilian territory — the winds, the exposure, the soil composition."
And the more suited a territory is to a crop, the less intervention the farmer will need to make. That is why Maruzza chose to farm using organic methods: "We try to respect the natural balance by practising techniques such as green manuring and mulching." The farm produces Hass and Fuerte avocados and many varieties of mango, including Tommy Atkins, "incredibly colourful and fragrant," and Keitt, "remarkable in size, with a yellow-green skin and an intense flavour." Despite the satisfaction these tropical fruits bring her, Maruzza is certain that she will never uproot the traditional citrus plantings. On the contrary, many techniques applied to tropical fruit have proved useful in improving production in the citrus groves. "And if I hadn't grown tropical fruit, I would never have started experimenting with selling fruit online through Biorfarm, and so getting closer to consumers."