From FADN to RISA: how agricultural data are changing in the new era of sustainability

by Ilaria Zappitelliin Wheat Productionon Posted on

Within the EcoWheataly project, data are not just a scientific support tool — they are the structural foundation that allows researchers to analyze the past, interpret the present, and simulate the future of wheat production in Italy.
At the center of this work lies the RICA database, the Italian branch of the EU Farm Accountancy Data Network, which has long been essential for both research and agricultural policy evaluation.

A major transition is now underway: the shift from RICA to the new RISA, the Farm Sustainability Data Network for Italy.
This shift, prompted by the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork strategy, and the need to measure sustainability in all its dimensions, marks a profound change in how agricultural information is collected and used.

What RICA Is and Why It Matters

RICA, implemented in Italy by CREA and based on a stratified random sample of about 11,000 farms, gathers:

  • economic data (income, costs, financial accounts),
  • structural characteristics,
  • environmental and social information.

For EcoWheataly, all farms with land cultivated in common wheat and durum wheat between 2008 and 2021 were selected.
The project used a wide range of tables, including subsidies, financial balance sheets, certifications, crop data, fertilizers, plant protection products, and water use.

This rich information base feeds directly into the project’s decision models and simulations.

Why Change: The Transition Toward RISA

New European policies — the Green Deal, Farm to Fork, the Biodiversity Strategy — require a new level of data detail.
It is no longer sufficient to track only economic outcomes: the system must capture the three dimensions of sustainability:

  • economic,
  • environmental,
  • social.

For this reason, the Commission launched the transition from the FADN to the FSDN, the Farm Sustainability Data Network.
In Italy, this transition corresponds to the shift from RICA to RISA.

The goal is clear: creating an information system capable of supporting the evaluation of agricultural policies in all their impacts.

The Transition Timeline: From 2020 to 2026

The idea of a “sustainability network” first appeared in the Farm to Fork strategy.
Starting in 2020, after discussions among all Member States, the FSDN regulations were approved, followed by two years of setting-up activities aimed at:

  • updating national capacities and expertise,
  • adapting data collection methods,
  • strengthening validation and control systems.

In 2026, data referring to the year 2025 will be collected, and the first official RISA/FSDN results will be released.

What Really Changes in RISA

The regulatory package introduces several major changes:

1. A much broader list of topics
Annex 1 of Regulation (EU) 2023/2674 expands the content to cover all sustainability dimensions.

2. The principle “collect once, use many times”
Linking Agencies will have free access to multiple existing data sources (IACS, the organic register, EU-regulated databases, national registers), making data interoperability a central feature.

3. Twenty-six new tables

  • 16 environmental,
  • 6 social,
  • 4 economic.

Many of these indicators are already gathered in Italy; others will be integrated thanks to interoperability improvements.

4. Optional variables and collection deferral
Some categories — such as antibiotics and plant protection products — may be collected later.

5. Increased resources for data collection
Higher contributions per surveyed farm will support a richer dataset and enable more detailed territorial and sectoral analyses.

Challenges: More Variables, More On-Farm Contact

One of the main challenges of the new RISA scheme is the large number of additional variables, especially environmental ones, many of which require direct on-farm verification.
This increases the so-called statistical burden, both for farmers and for surveyors.

To address this, Member States are preparing plans to encourage farmer participation.

Incentives for Farmers

During the setting-up period, several measures will support the transition to RISA, including:

  • a chosen incentive for farmers in the 2025 sample (CREA is considering a free subscription to a specialized agricultural magazine),
  • publication of 5–6 outreach inserts on RISA,
  • development of a potential smartphone app allowing farmers to view their farm data and key sustainability indicators,
  • improved farm reporting,
  • regional events and training sessions on RISA,
  • targeted communication through CREA’s social channels, the National Rural Network magazines, and the “CREA Futuro” web portal.

Conclusion: A New Data Infrastructure for Agricultural Sustainability

The transition from RICA to RISA is not a simple technical update — it is a cultural shift toward a more integrated vision of agriculture, where economic, environmental, and social dimensions must be measured together.

This transformation will allow projects like EcoWheataly to rely on richer, more coherent, and more sustainability-oriented datasets — ultimately enabling the development of smarter, more effective agricultural policies grounded in real-world evidence.

Sources:

  • Cardillo, C. (2025). RICA data used in the EcoWheataly project. Presentation at the EcoWheataly Meeting, Rome. CREA – Policies and Bioeconomy.