ITALY - AGRICULTURE & FORESTRY

Like other branches of the Italian economy, agriculture has been characterized by a series of inequalities, both regional and social. Until the Land Reform Acts of 1950, much of Italy's cultivable land was owned by a few leisured noblemen, who did not run it at maximum efficiency, while the majority of agricultural workers struggled under harsh conditions as wage labourers or owned derisory plots of land, too small for self-sufficiency. Agricultural workers had few rights, and unemployment ran high, especially in Calabria, where the impetus for land reform was generated. Reform entailed the redistribution of large tracts of land among the landless peasantry, thereby absorbing greater amounts of labour and encouraging more efficient land use.
Although partially successful, the reform created many farms that were still too small to be viable and plots that were scattered in parcels and were often located in unfertile uplands, thus making them difficult to cultivate. Another negative aspect of the reform was that it had the effect of destroying the social structure of rural communities. The European Economic Community (EEC) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), initially designed to promote efficiency among producers in the EEC, did little to help Italy's small farmers, whose incomes fell substantially against the EEC average in the first few years of the CAP. Subsidies covered cereals and olive oil, but other traditional products of Mediterranean farmers received no price support; as a result, it was the richer farms in the north that benefited from EEC subsidies. In 1975 specific aid was directed at upland farmers, and in 1978 a package was introduced for Mediterranean farmers, providing advisory support and aid for irrigation. However, the heavy hand of Italian bureaucracy, together with a plethora of fund-allocating agencies, reduced the amount of aid filtering through to intended beneficiaries. Since World War II, Italy has maintained a negative trade balance in agricultural products, many of which are channeled into domestic consumption because of Italy's high population density.
Italy is characterized by a wide variety of topography and climatic regimes. According to the National Statistical Institute of Italy (Istituto Centrale di Statistica; ISTAT), 38.7 percent of the land is mountainous, 39.7 percent hilly, and only 21.6 percent plains. The plains constitute only one-quarter of the land under cultivation, indicating widespread cultivation of hilly environments where agriculture has been possible only as a result of modifying the natural landscape and resources through terracing, irrigation, and soil management. The most fertile area is the Po Valley, where precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, but mean rainfall decreases southward. Coastal areas in Puglia, Sicily, and Sardinia may register only 12–16 inches of annual precipitation, compared with 118 inches in Alpine regions.
In general, agricultural land use is divided into four types—arable or field crops, tree crops, pasture, and forestry.

Field crops

Since Mussolini's drive for self-sufficiency in wheat, the land given over to its cultivation has been reduced from more than 12 million acres to just under 5 million acres. Hard wheat used for making pasta is traditionally grown in the south, whereas soft wheat used for making bread, biscuits, and pizza crust predominates in the northern lowlands. Yields in the north can be up to three times those in the south because of improved mechanization techniques and more suitable terrain.
Italy is a major exporter of rice, which is grown mostly on the Po Plain. Corn (maize) also is grown in this area. Of the other field crops, tomatoes are the most important for domestic and export markets. Naples and Emilia-Romagna specialize in this crop. In recent decades the area given over to growing tomatoes has increased more than twofold, although production has quadrupled as a result of improved production techniques.

Tree crops

Olives and grapes are Italy's two most lucrative agricultural exports. Olive production is suited to the arid conditions of Puglia, Sicily, and Calabria, the oil content being enhanced by the long, dry summers. The output is erratic, however, as the olives are susceptible to late frosts. Italy is the biggest exporter of olive oil, although Spain dominates the more lucrative sector of table olives. Although olives are traditionally grown in conjunction with other crops or livestock, nearly half the olive-producing land now excludes other types of cultivation, reflecting the demise of traditional peasant farming methods.
Wine is produced in every region of Italy and, together with olive oil, enjoys a positive trade balance. Competition is stiffening, however, with the burgeoning eastern European market undercutting western prices. Much of the heavier wine from the south is used to produce vermouth or marsala, while the best-known wines, Soave, Valpolicella, Barolo, and Asti are produced in the north.
Sixty percent of Italy's citrus fruit production is Sicilian, with most of the rest growing in sheltered and irrigated lowlands in Calabria and Campania. Deciduous fruits, on the other hand, are widespread. Campania is best known for its cherries, apricots, nectarines, and hazelnuts, while Emilia-Romagna produces mostly peaches, plums, and pears. Sicily and Puglia are noted for almond production.

Pasture

Meat production in Italy is traditionally weak. Postwar increases have not kept pace with rising demand due to improved standards of living. Cattle production has remained relatively stagnant since the 1950s. Dairy farming is mostly confined to the north. Butter production covers domestic consumption, and some cheeses, including Gorgonzola and Parmesan, are made for export. Approximately 50,000 buffaloes are raised in Tuscany and Campania, their milk being used for mozzarella cheese. Goats' milk products are still modest, although they have become more lucrative, being regarded as a luxury item for the urban market instead of peasant fare. The raising of pigs has seen the most dramatic increase, mostly in the northern regions of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna; however, peasant families traditionally keep pigs for their own consumption. Competition from other EC countries threatens the Italian meat market, which suffers from high production costs due to the necessity for irrigation and the uncertainty of continuing low world market prices for cattle foodstuffs.

Forestry

Italian forestry has suffered in the past from overexploitation, first in antiquity by the Romans and then again in the 19th century, when much wood was needed for building mine shafts and railway sleepers. Strenuous efforts to reforest certain areas are gradually producing positive results; for example, between 1978 and 1987, production of roundwood increased by 30 percent.
Most of Italy's forest area is made up of broad-leaved trees, with conifers making up one-fifth. Broad-leaved forests are fairly well spread over the country, with the exceptions of Puglia, Sicily, and Sardinia. Conifers are for the most part concentrated in the Alpine foothills, especially in the Alto-Adige region adjacent to the Austrian border. Chestnut forests are widespread in the northern Apennines and the Calabrian Sila. The North Italian Plain, Puglia, and the southern half of Sicily are virtually devoid of woodland.

By Russell L. King, Melanie F. Knights & Martin Clark in "Italy." Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Edited and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.