Wheat has always connected communities and families — and now, it connects them through sustainability.
Across Italy, green cooperatives are transforming agriculture by sharing tools, data, and values: innovation, ecology, and fairness.
From Agricultural to Environmental Cooperatives
Traditional farming cooperatives, once focused on shared machinery and credit, are now evolving into environmental cooperatives.
They combine food production with ecological stewardship.
Examples include:
- GranoSalus (Apulia): promotes transparency and chemical-free durum wheat.
- Cerealia Toscana: manages shared organic fertilizer and soil data systems.
- Terra Viva (Emilia-Romagna): powered by solar energy, practices carbon farming and conservation tillage.
According to the Italian Cooperative Alliance (2025), over 30% of cereal cooperatives now implement at least one CAP eco-scheme practice.
Collective Sustainability
Cooperatives make sustainability economically viable for small farmers.
They share machinery, satellite data, and carbon credit programs, achieving economies of scale.
CREA (2025) reports that cooperative members gain +18% higher profitability and –25% energy use compared to independent farms.
Traceability and Ethical Supply Chains
Through blockchain-based traceability, consumers can track wheat from field to mill.
Ethical contracts guarantee a minimum price tied to sustainability metrics, ensuring social fairness alongside environmental responsibility.
A New Model for the CAP
Under the 2023–2027 Common Agricultural Policy, cooperatives play a central role in EIP-AGRI Operational Groups, co-developing innovative farming solutions.
They act as rural innovation hubs, bridging research and practice.
Social Value of Cooperation
Green cooperatives strengthen rural resilience, creating jobs and preventing land abandonment in marginal areas.
They embody SDG 12: Responsible Production and Consumption, proving that sustainability works best when it’s shared.
Scientific and Institutional References
- CREA (2025). Cooperatives and Sustainability in Italian Cereal Systems.
- Italian Cooperative Alliance (2025). Cereal Supply Chains and the Green Transition.
- FAO (2024). Collective Action for Sustainable Agriculture.
- Rete Rurale Nazionale (2024). EIP-AGRI and Collaborative Innovation in Italy.
- European Commission (2024). CAP Strategic Plans and Cooperative Networks.