AgricultureID

Country agriculture profile · Europe & Central Asia

Italy

Italy has a highly diversified, quality-oriented agricultural sector that ranges from the intensive, irrigated arable and dairy systems of the Po Valley to Mediterranean permanent crops across the centre and south. It is one of the world's leading producers of wine and olive oil, the European Union's largest rice grower, and a major producer of durum wheat for pasta, processing tomatoes, and fruit and vegetables. The sector is distinguished by an exceptional density of protected designation-of-origin (DOP/IGP) products, from cheeses and cured meats to wines. Farming operates within the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and a persistent north-south divide separates larger, capital-intensive northern farms from smaller southern holdings.

Stable overview + dated statistics5 subnational regions →Updated: 2026-07-12

Farming systems (stable overview)

Climate zones

  • Mediterranean
  • Temperate (Po Valley)
  • Mountain (Alpine and Apennine)

Agroecological zones

  • Irrigated northern plain
  • Central and southern Mediterranean hills
  • Insular Mediterranean (Sicily, Sardinia)

Dominant crop systems

  • Durum wheat for pasta across the centre and south
  • Common wheat, maize and rice in the irrigated Po Valley
  • Viticulture across numerous designated regions (Piedmont, Tuscany, Veneto)
  • Olive groves through the centre and south
  • Processing and fresh tomatoes and field horticulture
  • Citrus and fruit in the south and on the islands

Major livestock systems

  • Dairy cattle on the northern plains supplying protected-origin cheeses
  • Pig production linked to cured-meat (PDO ham) supply chains
  • Poultry for meat and eggs
  • Sheep and goats for milk and cheese in the centre, south and islands

Irrigation: Irrigation is essential to the productive Po Valley and to southern horticulture, drawing on Alpine and Apennine water resources.

Latest verified data

Each value is the most recent available observation, shown with its own year and unit. Figures are periodically revised — treat them as dated, sourced statistics, not evergreen facts.

Latest available agricultural indicators, with year and unit
IndicatorValueUnitYear
Agricultural land44.26% of land area2023
Arable land23.96% of land area2023
Irrigated agricultural land19.72% of agricultural land2021
Cereal yield5,059.4kg per hectare2023
Crop production index93.95index (2014–2016 = 100)2022
Livestock production index102.34index (2014–2016 = 100)2022
Agriculture value added2.01% of GDP2024
Employment in agriculture(est.)3.43% of total employment2024

Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12

Commodity market data

5,984 official observations across 62 commodities. Figures are shown on each commodity page with the unit, status and release its source published.

Commodities with official market series for this country
CommodityMetrics recorded
AlmondsArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
AvocadosExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
BananasArea harvested, Production, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Barley GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Black PeppercornsExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Buckwheat GrainExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Cashew NutsExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
ChickpeasIndex value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Cocoa BeansExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Cotton LintBeginning stocks, Ending stocks, Exports, Imports, Export value, Import value
CottonseedExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
CowpeasExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
CucumbersArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
DatesExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Dried ChilliesExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Dried Tobacco LeafArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Dry BeansIndex value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Dry Bulb OnionsArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Dry PeasArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Flax FibreArea harvested, Production, Yield, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
FlaxseedArea harvested, Production, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh ApplesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh BlueberriesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh OrangesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh PineapplesExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh StrawberriesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh SweetcornExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh TomatoesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Green CoffeeExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
GroundnutsIndex value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
HazelnutsArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Head CabbageArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Hemp FibreArea harvested, Production, Yield, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Hen EggsProduction, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Jute FibreExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
LentilsIndex value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Maize GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Milled RiceExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Millet GrainExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Oat GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Pigeon PeasImports, Import value
PistachiosIndex value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
RapeseedArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Raw Cow MilkProduction, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Raw WoolIndex value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Rice PaddyArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Rye GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Safflower SeedExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Sesame SeedIndex value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Sorghum GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
SoybeansArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Sugar BeetArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
SugarcaneExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Sunflower SeedArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Sweet PotatoesIndex value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Tea LeafExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Triticale GrainProduction, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Vanilla BeansExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
WalnutsArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Ware PotatoesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Wheat GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
YamsExports, Export value, Imports, Import value

How these figures are recorded

Cereal yield over time

201220182023
Italy — Cereal yield (kg per hectare). Bars start at zero.
Show data table
Italy — Cereal yield in kg per hectare by year
Yearkg per hectare
20125,315.1
20135,264.6
20145,717.5
20155,402.2
20165,599
20175,174.8
20185,350.8
20195,336.2
20205,626.5
20215,562.8
20224,750
20235,059.4

Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12

Derived indicator

Arable land as a share of agricultural land: 54.1 % of agricultural land (2023)

Derived value — formula arable-share-of-agricultural-land v1.0.0 (calc v1). Inputs: AG.LND.ARBL.ZS (24.0) ÷ AG.LND.AGRI.ZS (44.3). A derived ratio, not an observed statistic. Sensitive to rounding and to differing revision cycles of the two source series; omit rather than extrapolate when a common year is unavailable.

Documented crops & livestock

Agricultural institutions

  • CREA — Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria).
  • MASAF — Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests (Ministero dell'Agricoltura, della Sovranità alimentare e delle Foreste).
  • ISMEA — Institute of Services for the Agricultural and Food Market (Istituto di Servizi per il Mercato Agricolo Alimentare).

Agricultural authorities

Official public bodies verified against government sources. AgricultureID is independent and not affiliated with them.

All agricultural authorities

Data coverage & limitations

Covered by the World Bank WDI snapshots for land, production, yield, economy, inputs, and environment indicators.

What AgricultureID has indexed for Italy
LayerStatusWhat is held
Agricultural authoritiesCovered1 record
Official registriesNot yet indexed—
Compliance requirementsNot yet indexed—
Support programmesNot yet indexed—
Biosecurity listingsNot yet indexed—
Variety registrationsCovered13 records
Input authorisationsNot yet indexed—
Extension resourcesNot yet indexed—
Market statisticsCovered404 records
Soil survey observationsNot yet indexed—
Border requirementsNot yet indexed—
Farm economics figuresCovered670 records
Climate, drought and water valuesCovered39 records

This page describes what AgricultureID has indexed, not what exists. A layer shown as not yet indexed means nobody has looked, and never that the thing is absent in that country. How coverage is worked out.

  • Statistics are dated, versioned and periodically revised; always read the year and dataset version rather than treating a figure as current.
  • National and EU statistical definitions (for example utilised agricultural area and livestock categories) differ from those of other countries, limiting direct cross-country comparison.
  • Much of the sector value lies in protected-origin and quality products that tonnage-based production indicators do not capture.
  • A marked north-south divide in farm structure and productivity is averaged out in national figures.

Sources

This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.

  1. [1]World Bank Open Data — World Development Indicators (opens in a new tab)

    World Bank

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Agricultural statistics (WDI)

    Type:
    Intergovernmental organization
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  2. [2]European Commission — Agriculture and rural development (opens in a new tab)

    European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture

    Authoritative

    Cited for: EU Common Agricultural Policy framework and farm statistics

    Type:
    Government agency
    Jurisdiction:
    European Union
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  3. [3]FAO — Food and Agriculture Organization (opens in a new tab)

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Global agriculture and food production context

    Type:
    Intergovernmental organization
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12