The organic farming sector Italian continues its expansion trajectory, surpassing 2.5 million hectares of certified organic farmland in 2024, according to the latest report Bio in Figures 2025 published by ISMEA (Institute of Services for the Agricultural Food Market) in collaboration with MASAF (Ministry of Agriculture of Food Sovereignty and Forests) and CIHEAM Bari. This comprehensive annual monitoring tool, now in its twenty-first edition, shows thatItalian organic farming has achieved unprecedented structural consolidation while strengthening its position as the European leader in sustainable agricultural production (ISMEA, 2025).
The organic agricultural area in Italy expanded by 2.4% in 2024, adding about 60,000 hectares to reach a total of 2,565,000 hectares. In the last decade, the sector recorded an increase of 68%, equivalent to one million additional hectares cultivated with organic certification, with an average annual growth rate of 6% (ISMEA, 2025). This expansion positions Italy among the leaders in the European Union in the development of organic farming.
The impact of organic farming on utilized agricultural area (UAA) total reached 20.2% in 2024, with an increase of 0.4 percentage points compared to 2023. This result substantially brings Italy closer to the 25% target set by the EU strategies ‘Farm to Fork’ and ‘Biodiversity’ for 2030. The Italian performance significantly surpasses that of other major European agricultural economies, including Spain (12.3%), Germany (11.5%), and France (9.9%), confirming the commitment of the Bel Paese in the transition towards sustainable agriculture.
Land use distribution and crop categories
The composition of the organic agricultural lands reveals a diversified production system. Arable lands make up 40% of the total organic UAA, while permanent meadows and pastures account for 31%. The permanent crops make up 22.7% of the organic area, vegetables 2.3%. The most significant expansion in 2024 occurred in the meadow and pasture category, which increased by 8.2% (about 60,000 hectares), mainly in Valle d'Aosta, Campania and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano.
Permanent crops showed positive growth (+1.9%), while the arable lands under organic management recorded a slight decline (-2%), as did organic vegetable production (-5.1%). Despite this recent decline, both categories have nonetheless shown substantial long-term growth, with decade-based increases of 72% for arable lands and 93.5% for vegetables.
Livestock sector performance
The organic livestock sector showed positive trends in most categories in 2024, in contrast to the general decline observed in conventional livestock production. The organic populations of cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs all recorded increases. The poultry sector experienced a reduction in the number of organic heads after exceptional growth in 2023; the ten-year outlook however reveals that thepoultry farming organic farming in Italy has doubled, +97% from 2017 to 2024, with an increase of three million birds. THE'beekeeping organic has maintained a stable number of hives after last year's decline.
In terms of incidence of organic livestock heritage on the total national heads, the most significant penetration rates were observed in the goat sector (11.5%), followed by the sheep sector (10.5%) and bovine production (9.1%). These data underline the particular suitability of extensive farming systems for organic conversion and the growing consumer demand for organic products of animal origin.
Operator dynamics and geographical distribution
The number of organic operators increased by 2.9% in 2024, reaching 97,160 units, exceeding the previous year's growth rate. This increase included 2,719 additional operators, mainly exclusive producers (+2,675 units, +3.8%) and producers engaged in both production and preparation activities (+176 units, +1.2%). Importers remained stable, while exclusive preparers decreased by 133 units. In the last decade, the Italian organic sector has registered a 62% increase in the number of operators, equivalent to over 37,000 additional units, with comparable growth rates across all three macro areas.
The farms represent almost 90% of organic operators (+3.4% compared to 2023) and include both exclusive producers and those who combine production with preparation and/or import activities. Exclusive producers make up 74.4% of total operators; the producer-preparer category has significantly increased its share in the last decade, showing how thevertical integration of the supply chain ensures greater economic advantages and market positioning.
Thegeographical analysis reveals that 58% of organic UAA is located in Southern Italy, 23% in Central regions, and 19% in Northern Italy. In 2024, Northern Italy recorded the highest growth rate (+8.4%), while Southern Italy had the largest absolute increase (+50,000 hectares compared to +36,000 hectares in the North). Central Italy experienced a contraction of 28,000 hectares. Sicily, Apulia, and Tuscany collectively represent 38.1% of the national organic UAA, while the top tenregions hold 83.4% of the total organic area.
Market performance and consumer trends
The domestic consumption of organic products has reached historical highs in 2024, with a value increase of 2.9% compared to 2023 (+112 million euros in absolute terms), reaching 3.96 billion euros. The increase of purchases of organic products has exceeded that of the entire agri-food sector (+0.9%), thereby raising the share of organic products in total food expenditure to 3.6% (+0.1% compared to 2023) after two years of contraction (ISMEA, 2025).
The volumes of purchases of organic products they in turn recorded a growth of 4.3%, surpassing the increase based on value and thus confirming a generally more contained price dynamic compared to conventional foods. Vegetable oils and fats showed the most substantial increase in expenditures (+31.8%), followed by eggs (+10.4%) and honey (+5.0%). Organic meat consumption, conversely, decreased, with a drop of 3.5% for fresh meats and 19.1% for cold cuts. Smaller reductions were observed for wines and sparkling wines (-1.6%) and derivatives ofcereals (-1.2%) (ISMEA, 2025).
Consumption by channel
I supermarkets have consolidated their position as the main distribution channel for organic products, reaching a turnover close to 1.5 billion euros with an increase of over 43 million euros compared to 2023 (+3.1%). This positive dynamic was mainly driven by fresh product categories, particularly fruit and vegetables (+22.3 million euros) and eggs (+9.1 million euros).
The hypermarkets in turn recorded a growth up to 830 million euros (+4.1% compared to 2023), representing 21.0% of total domestic organic purchases and surpassing the traditional sales channel (20.4%).
The ISMEA report specifically does not consider specialized stores which, according to the BioBank 2025 Focus, recorded a 9% growth reaching a turnover of 1 billion euros. The discount in turn showed a remarkable annual growth rate, +10.2%, reaching over 590 million euros in turnover (15% of total organic purchases).
Imports from third countries and international trade
The analysis of imports of organic products from third countries showed a 7% volume increase in 2024 compared to 2023. This positive trend was particularly influenced by fruit (+20%) and processed products (+38%). Turkey maintained its position as the main country of origin, accounting for 17.3% of total import volumes from third countries, followed by Pakistan (9.5%) and Ecuador (9.3%). The prominence of Turkey comes from durum wheat, lentils, and processed fruit and vegetables; the Pakistan supplies basmati rice; theEcuador is specialized in bananas. The Tunisia remains a significant partner for olive oil imports, while Peru supplies bananas and cocoa.
Policy framework and strategic development
The Italian organic sector benefits from substantial institutional support through the European Union 2023-2027 programming framework. The SRA29 intervention, dedicated to the adoption and maintenance of organic farming practices, it has a total endowment exceeding 2 billion euros, representing 48% of all agro-climatic-environmental interventions and about 14% of the total public expenditure allocated to rural development. This measure has been activated in all 19 Italian regions and in the two autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano, providing annual payments per hectare to farmers or farmers' associations who commit to converting and maintaining organic farming for five-year periods.
The National Action Plan for Organic Production and Organic Products (PAN 2024-2026) provides a strategic direction for sector development, while Law 23/2022 establishes tools such as certification marks for organic school canteens and the designation ‘Italian Organic’. The government has maintained an allocation of 5 million euros for the Fund for organic school canteens, with 86% dedicated to reducing costs for families (4.3 million euros distributed among the regions based on the number of beneficiaries) and 14% allocated to information and food education initiatives (700,000 euros) (ISMEA, 2025).
Challenges and perspectives
The sector oforganic farming Italian faces several challenges that require political attention. Administrative simplification remains a priority, particularly for small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises with limited resources. The decision to abolish the mandatory Annual Production Programs (PAP) from 2025 represents a step towards reducing certification burdens; however, this change requires strengthened coordination among institutional stakeholders to ensure continuity in the collection of structural and production data. The SINAB (System ofNational Information on Organic Agriculture) maintains its monitoring role, also in light of the entry into force in 2025 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2379 (SAIO) on European agricultural statistics.
Regional disparities in support for organic farming reveal a heterogeneous implementation of funding measures, where some territories experience the withdrawal of operators due to the perceived inadequacy of incentives compared to the complex framework of obligations governing organic production. These requirements add to the mandatory conditionalities already established by European environmental policy. Strengthening consumer trust in Italian organic production requires continuous political support, enhanced financial instruments, infrastructure oftechnical assistance and an effective implementation of branding initiatives that differentiate Italian organic products in both national and international markets.
The Italian organic sector represents a strategic component of the national agri-food system, characterized by high production quality, recognized environmental value, and growing consumer appreciation both in national and international markets. The sector's consolidated reputation for food safety, biodiversity preservation, and organoleptic excellence positions itItalian organic farming in pole position to respond to the growing global demand for sustainable and traceable production systems.
Cover from Being Organic in the EU
Bibliography
- ISMEA & CIHEAM Bari for MASAF. (2025). Organic in numbers 2025. https://www.ismeamercati.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252F9%252Fd%252FD.6a384bd4f41fb8df3b0b/P/BLOB%3AID%3D13718/E/pdf?mode=inline
