Given the current state of Italian agricultural production and the period of economic crisis in which we find ourselves, as well as the challenges faced by food and agricultural enterprises, the researchers of the University of Gastronomic Sciences propose the following analysis in response to the 8th INEA Report on the State of Agriculture. This report and the response that follows come at an auspicious time, as Cheese 2011, Slow Food's upcoming biannual gathering focused on one of the most important gastronomic sectors of Italy, prepares to welcome thousands of visitors to Bra (CN). 

Agrifood production represents a key component of the Made-in-Italy category, those high-quality products that are exported around the world and which contribute to our economy and the overall image of Italy as a country with a high quality of life. Like most western countries, Italy is going through a difficult economic period, but the relatively better performance of the food sector demonstrates its strategic role in our economy.

The calendar year 2010 showed an increase of 3.3% in the Italian food industry, relative to 2009, representing a total value of €124,000 million.  Exports led this growth-11.5% over the previous year.  The positive trend continued into the first quarter of 2011, with an increase of 11% over 2010 for the same period.

Confirming these data is the ISTAT industrial production index for food: 102.9 for 2010 (on 2005 basis value of 100), equivalent to 2.4% in growth over 2009, while the general industrial manufacturing index was 88.5, lower than the 2005 comparison basis.  According to Dr.  Valter Cantino, professor of Gastronomic Management and of Management and Control of Complex Systems at the University of Gastronomic Sciences, "At a time in which immaterial assets play an ever greater role, the Made-in-Italy image and that category's food products are not to be squandered, potentially serving as a partial foundation to economic recovery in the years to come, and contributing to the redefinition of the business model for agrifood companies."

But what is Italy actually exporting? It is first necessary to recall that the global demand for Italian products is much larger than what real Italian products can respond to. Certain estimates show that fake or lookalike products comprise 90% of the American "Italian import" market. Italy exports products in those sectors where the effort, in terms of quality, has stayed high. The categories well-suited for export, therefore, are wine, cheese (a sector that has grown by 3.3%), mineral water,  pasta, and tomatoes. Notable also is that processed meats account for more than €800 million of total exports.<

Given this information, the following question presents itself: Which agricultural organizations will be able to withstand the coming future? According to UNISG President Carlo Petrini, a single, unequivocal answer does not exist, although shrewd producers will not forget the call, from a growing number of consumers, to be better informed about what they are eating.

This clearly translates into food products that are good in terms of organoleptic qualities, but also derived from production processes that attend to the issues of environmental sustainability.

The key to unlocking the future of agrifood production may well lie within the still-relevant words of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, who defined gastronomy as the reasoned knowledge of all that concens humans in regard to what they eat. Its goal is to watch over the preservation of humans by means of the best food possible.

This approach from the great French writer underpins not only the philosophy of the University of Gastronomic Sciences, but the training of our future gastronomes: the knowers and disseminators, promoters and educators, of the stories of food and the regions from which it comes

(source: unisg.it)