Characterizing the agroecological transition of Italian farming systems using FADN database

The Common Agricultural Policy 2023–2027 encourages the transition towards sustainable agriculture in line with the goals of the European Green Deal. Agroecology is gaining recognition as a valuable approach to enhance the sustainability of faming systems. However, there is limited understanding of...

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Main Authors: Sarah Stempfle, Simone Russo, Vincenzo Fiore, Ruggiero Sardaro, Piermichele La Sala, Luigi Roselli
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Environmental and Sustainability Indicators
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665972725000376
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author Sarah Stempfle
Simone Russo
Vincenzo Fiore
Ruggiero Sardaro
Piermichele La Sala
Luigi Roselli
author_facet Sarah Stempfle
Simone Russo
Vincenzo Fiore
Ruggiero Sardaro
Piermichele La Sala
Luigi Roselli
author_sort Sarah Stempfle
collection DOAJ
description The Common Agricultural Policy 2023–2027 encourages the transition towards sustainable agriculture in line with the goals of the European Green Deal. Agroecology is gaining recognition as a valuable approach to enhance the sustainability of faming systems. However, there is limited understanding of the status quo of the farming systems and their readiness for transition, especially at large scales such as the national one. This paper investigates the current uptake of agroecology across the Italian farming systems, by adapting the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) methodology to use secondary data from the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN). Besides, a panel between-variance regression was estimated to identify the key determinants of the transition degree. The results indicate that agroecology has not yet been widely adopted by the Italian farms. Additionally, factors such as the type of farming, farm management, farm economic and physical size, farm location, and farmer's socio-demographics play a significant role in explaining the variation in the transition intensity towards an agroecological production system. The findings provide a knowledgebase for developing targeted policies and monitoring progress in agroecological transition. The study confirms the viability of using the FADN to evaluate the degree of agroecological transition, while also revealing information gaps. Although essential environmental and social information will be included in the forthcoming Farm Sustainability Data Network, further integrative sources should be explored to capture multifaced aspects of agroecological transition within broader agri-food systems, while in-depth studies based on primary data collection could offer more detailed and nuanced insights.
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spelling doaj-art-993d799ae4044bfa9b15f7f95a0dfc012025-02-02T05:29:18ZengElsevierEnvironmental and Sustainability Indicators2665-97272025-06-0126100616Characterizing the agroecological transition of Italian farming systems using FADN databaseSarah Stempfle0Simone Russo1Vincenzo Fiore2Ruggiero Sardaro3Piermichele La Sala4Luigi Roselli5Department of Soil Plant and Food Science (DiSSPA), University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Via G. Amendola 165/A, 70126, Bari, ItalyDepartment of Soil Plant and Food Science (DiSSPA), University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Via G. Amendola 165/A, 70126, Bari, Italy; Corresponding author.Department of Soil Plant and Food Science (DiSSPA), University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Via G. Amendola 165/A, 70126, Bari, ItalyDepartment of Economics, University of Foggia, Via A.Gramsci 89/91, 71122, Foggia, ItalyDepartment of Economics, University of Foggia, Via A.Gramsci 89/91, 71122, Foggia, ItalyDepartment of Soil Plant and Food Science (DiSSPA), University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Via G. Amendola 165/A, 70126, Bari, ItalyThe Common Agricultural Policy 2023–2027 encourages the transition towards sustainable agriculture in line with the goals of the European Green Deal. Agroecology is gaining recognition as a valuable approach to enhance the sustainability of faming systems. However, there is limited understanding of the status quo of the farming systems and their readiness for transition, especially at large scales such as the national one. This paper investigates the current uptake of agroecology across the Italian farming systems, by adapting the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) methodology to use secondary data from the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN). Besides, a panel between-variance regression was estimated to identify the key determinants of the transition degree. The results indicate that agroecology has not yet been widely adopted by the Italian farms. Additionally, factors such as the type of farming, farm management, farm economic and physical size, farm location, and farmer's socio-demographics play a significant role in explaining the variation in the transition intensity towards an agroecological production system. The findings provide a knowledgebase for developing targeted policies and monitoring progress in agroecological transition. The study confirms the viability of using the FADN to evaluate the degree of agroecological transition, while also revealing information gaps. Although essential environmental and social information will be included in the forthcoming Farm Sustainability Data Network, further integrative sources should be explored to capture multifaced aspects of agroecological transition within broader agri-food systems, while in-depth studies based on primary data collection could offer more detailed and nuanced insights.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665972725000376AgroecologyTransitionSustainabilityTAPEFADN
spellingShingle Sarah Stempfle
Simone Russo
Vincenzo Fiore
Ruggiero Sardaro
Piermichele La Sala
Luigi Roselli
Characterizing the agroecological transition of Italian farming systems using FADN database
Environmental and Sustainability Indicators
Agroecology
Transition
Sustainability
TAPE
FADN
title Characterizing the agroecological transition of Italian farming systems using FADN database
title_full Characterizing the agroecological transition of Italian farming systems using FADN database
title_fullStr Characterizing the agroecological transition of Italian farming systems using FADN database
title_full_unstemmed Characterizing the agroecological transition of Italian farming systems using FADN database
title_short Characterizing the agroecological transition of Italian farming systems using FADN database
title_sort characterizing the agroecological transition of italian farming systems using fadn database
topic Agroecology
Transition
Sustainability
TAPE
FADN
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665972725000376
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