Coldiretti’s Oscar Green awards were presented at the Palazzo Rospigliosi Conference Center in Rome, dedicated to young farmers who with creative and innovative ideas are transforming the way of producing, consuming and offering services in agriculture in the name of sustainability. The event was attended by the president of Coldiretti Ettore Prandini, the general secretary Vincenzo Gesmundo and the national delegate of Coldiretti Giovani Enrico Parisi. Also present, among others, were the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry Francesco Lollobrigida, and the deputy director of FAO Maurizio Martina.
Innovation is growing in Italian fields driven by the ingenuity of the 49 thousand active agricultural businesses under 35, capable of guaranteeing high quality products that contribute significantly to the records of Made in Italy at the table. This is what emerges from a Coldiretti analysis released on the occasion of the Oscar Green final in Rome, which celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year.
An important event to highlight the capacity for resilience and innovation of young Italian farmers that the twenty editions of the Oscar Green award have contributed decisively to bringing into the spotlight, with fifteen thousand entrepreneurial experiences recounted from 2006 to today.
Calabria’s success: the Pianogrande cooperative in the final
Calabria on the national podium with the Pianogrande cooperative of Pietro Aiello, from Decollatura (CZ), finalist in the Campagna Amica – Guardian of biodiversity category: in the Catanzaro Presila, late mountain vegetables, together with spring water, represent an innovative proposal for the sector. Pietro Aiello’s Pianogrande cooperative – already awarded in October 2025 with the regional Oscar Green award from Coldiretti Calabria – has stood out nationally for its ability to enhance local products through the FDA network – Signed by the Italian farmers of Filiera Agricola Italiana – Coldiretti and Campagna Amica, creating a network of producers and a successful territorial cooperation model, capable of bringing a high-end product to markets throughout Italy. Present at the awards ceremony in Rome together with a delegation from Coldiretti Giovani Impresa Calabria.
Productivity and sustainability: the numbers of the Italian record
Young Italian farmers are worth double the EU average, with the productivity of those under 35 reaching 4800 euros per hectare, compared to 2500 for their European colleagues, according to the Divulga study centre. But young companies also win due to their ability to deal with energy shocks and speculation linked to conflicts, from Ukraine to Iran. Over one in three companies (35%) has invested in innovations to cut fertilizer, water and energy consumption, balancing sustainability, cost reduction and independence from external supplies, according to the first Census on the digital maturity of agricultural companies of the Digital Agriculture Innovation Hub of Coldiretti Next.
Generational change: Calabria among the leading regions
With 2,671 farms led by young people, Calabria is among the top ten Italian regions for agricultural entrepreneurship under 35s, in a context that sees Southern Italy as the protagonist of generational turnover in the agricultural sector. A number – comments Coldiretti – destined to grow with the new calls for settlement of young people.
Farmers under 35 are in third place in terms of number, behind only retail trade (73 thousand companies) and construction (60 thousand), but ahead of catering (40 thousand), personal service businesses (33 thousand), wholesale trade (29 thousand) and the manufacturing sector as a whole (23 thousand), according to the Divulga Study Center.
Growing employment: encouraging data for 2025
Meanwhile, employment under 35s in the fields sends encouraging signals: the agricultural sector is the only one that saw growth in young workers in 2025: +6% compared to 2024, but if only permanent contracts are considered, the increase is 19%. On the other hand, industry loses 5% of those under 35 employed, construction 1%, commerce, hotels and restaurants 2% and the same for other services.
The challenges of the future: between bureaucracy and cutting-edge technology
“In this period of great uncertainty and geopolitical instability, young farmers are once again showing themselves to be resilient, claiming their centrality in society thanks also to their ability to innovate, both in production and in services to the community – states the National Delegate of Coldiretti Giovani Enrico Parisi -. We have a great responsibility, that of producing high quality food accessible to all. But to do this, we need adequate policies that promote generational turnover, access to credit and land, as well as break down bureaucracy, which remains the main obstacle in business management today”.
“It is necessary to guarantee resources to encourage technological evolution in our agricultural companies, where young people embody the vanguard of this process – highlights the president of Coldiretti Ettore Prandini -. An impulse towards innovation that is increasingly linked to technological solutions for data management, the use of drones and the integration of sensors, satellites and digital information. Thanks to Coldiretti’s push, Italy is among the first countries to be able to use drones in agriculture and this represents a great evolution for the agricultural sector, since it also accompanies young companies in their commitment to reducing the use of the main production inputs”.