It is a determined group representing cutting-edge, highly innovative agriculture. These are farms led by young entrepreneurs for whom the first challenge is technology, from drones to blockchain. 

More than one in three businesses has invested in hi-tech solutions to reduce the consumption of fertilizers, water, and energy. In this way, young people achieve the best results: the value of agricultural production by those under 35 is double the average of their European Union peers (4,800 euros per hectare compared to 2,500), and diversification surpasses that of senior-run companies. 

The concentration of these productive realities, which contribute to the sector's excellent performance (Italy is first in Europe for added value), is in the South. In absolute terms, the leading regions for the number of young businesses are Sicily (5,900), Puglia (4,900), and Campania (4,400). 

This is the agriculture that Coldiretti Giovani Impresa brought to the forefront at the twentieth edition of Oscar Green, reserved for the producers who have stood out the most. Today, doing is as important as telling the story of what you achieve. In the influencer category, the winner was a young entrepreneur from Campania, Emily Turino. She left Connecticut to build a successful business in Pignataro Maggiore, in the province of Caserta. Her brilliant idea? Growing pumpkins. She transformed this into a world of economy, culture, and experiential tourism. She created a garden where guests from Italy and abroad come for Halloween, fairy tale books, and puppets. 

Then there is the sale of pumpkin derivatives, from mayonnaise to syrup, which are exported to foreign markets, strictly online. Her farm also produces kiwis and flowers. Here, too, she made unique choices: chrysanthemums (which in the US are symbols of love) and marigolds of Central American origin. Her story was featured by the French newspaper Lumieres. Her pumpkin world attracts over 80,000 visitors per month. Young people The Campania case is a symbol of an increasingly vibrant new agriculture. 'Especially in the South,' explained Coldiretti president Ettore Prandini, 'where significant responses are seen from measures like the PNRR and the ZES, which introduced simplified contributions and tax procedures. Also, Coltivaitalia (the Ministry of Agriculture's measure under conversion) allocates most resources to the South.' Strengthening agricultural activity in the South also 'increases employment; in fact, according to the latest Istat employment data, young agricultural workers increased by 6% in 2025.' 

Agriculture moving on hi-tech tracks requires new professional figures to operate drones or manage the data needed for new labeling systems. The Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Francesco Lollobrigida, assured that the Government will continue to support the new generation of agriculture. In particular, he recalled that ColtivaItalia, in addition to allocating 300 million for olive growing and 40 million for cereals—southern productions—has provided 150 million for youth credit and 8,000 hectares of farmland, an operation to be managed by Ismea. Like Più Impresa, aimed at young people and women, a response to generational turnover, explained Ismea president Livio Proietti, who also announced that in the coming days Generazione Terra will be launched, another tool to help bring young people without family farms closer to the land. 

Lollobrigida stated that the Government's action, which strongly defended the resources of the Common Agricultural Policy in Brussels, aims to guarantee income to entrepreneurs who, especially in internal and so-called marginal areas, play a fundamental role in maintaining the territory, curbing depopulation and degradation.

For this reason, the ministry wants to manage the new CAP by prioritizing the most difficult areas, as it is necessary to consider in allocating contributions that those who farm or raise livestock in the mountains face higher costs than their colleagues in the plains. And to help farmers facing high energy costs, Lollobrigida recalled that Italy is the only country in Europe (and perhaps in the world) that provides one billion in subsidies for agricultural diesel. Furthermore, he assured strictness in the fight against speculation but also added that with agrisolar tenders, business costs will be cut: 11 billion in lower expenses over 20 years, plus the possibility of earning by selling energy.