THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE AGRI-FOOD SECTOR TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN ITALY

The increase in world population, the risk of depletion of natural resources needed for production, the intensification of climate change caused by excessive anthropogenic pressure on the environment, ask for urgent changes in the choice of energy sources, the management of natural resource, production technologies, consumption patterns and, more generally, local development patterns. A sustainable development based on bio-economic strategies is closely related to agribusiness and its diversification, rural and local development and the limitations and opportunities inherent in the environmental and social pillars of sustainability. The aim of this paper is to provide a picture of the main opportunities through which the Italian agro-food sector may contribute to the sustainability of local development patterns. After a brief overview of the Italian agro-food system, the paper discusses how to reconcile it with sustainable development, and considers aspects such as the environment, social development and multifunctional agriculture.