Italian agriculture: nearly 500,000 fewer farms in ten years
Italian agriculture is undergoing a profound transformation. According to the ISTAT General Census of Agriculture, between 2010 and 2020, the number of farms decreased from approximately 1.62 million to 1.13 million , a reduction of almost 488,000 businesses, or 30% .
Over the same period, the average utilized agricultural area per farm grew from approximately 7.9 to 11.5 hectares, highlighting a progressive process of concentration of agricultural activities.
Added to this transformation are increasingly evident problems: underutilized land, rising costs, difficulty finding labor, uncertain profitability, and the lack of successors in family businesses.
For many owners of farms, wineries, and wine estates, the choice seems to boil down to three options: continue the business, sell, or abandon it.
But there is a fourth option: retain ownership and entrust management to those with the skills, entrepreneurial ability, and a concrete development plan.
The FORBUS proposal: a modern sharecropping system to create new value
From this need was born the FORBUS modern sharecropping project, an initiative developed by Quidquid Srls to encourage new forms of collaboration in the agricultural and wine-growing sectors.
The idea draws on a principle of Italian farming tradition: connecting those who own the land with those who wish to cultivate, manage, and enhance it.
It's not about reinstating the old sharecropping contract, the new stipulation of which is prohibited by Italian law, but about developing modern, sustainable management agreements that comply with current regulations , tailored to the characteristics of each farm.
The owner can offer land, vineyards, farm buildings, cellars, and production facilities. Management can be entrusted to young agricultural entrepreneurs, Italian or foreign families, cooperatives, agricultural businesses, or qualified operators.
The agreements must regulate responsibilities, investments, duration, remuneration and production objectives, using the applicable legal instruments.
From management to purchasing: a three-step journey
The FORBUS model can also include a gradual path towards the acquisition of the company.
1. Management and relaunch
The owner initially retains ownership of the assets, while selected operators assume management through defined agreements. The goal is to recover productivity and re-establish economic sustainability.
2. Development and valorization
We address corporate organization, production efficiency, costs, marketing, and the investments needed to increase the company's profitability and value.
3. Possible acquisition
When the economic, financial, and contractual conditions are met, the process can culminate with the management purchasing the company through appropriate legal instruments.
This way, the owner can enhance the value of the assets before selling them, while the future buyer can gradually build their entrepreneurial and financial capacity.
A new opportunity for wineries and wineries
The project is of particular interest to the Italian wine sector, where numerous companies own valuable vineyards, cellars, properties, and brands, but face difficulties in managing them financially, productively, or commercially.
Professional management can help recover unused production capacity, develop new markets, improve distribution, and introduce complementary activities such as wine tourism, rural hospitality, and direct sales.
For a family without generational change, this solution can represent an alternative to an immediate sale.
For a young entrepreneur or investor, it could instead become an opportunity to enter the agricultural and winemaking sector through a progressive path.
Paola Benvenuti: Giving continuity to Italy's agricultural heritage
In the vision illustrated by Professor Paola Benvenuti, sole director of Quidquid Srls , the transformation of Italian agriculture is not just about reducing the number of businesses, but also about the continuity of production activities, the protection of rural heritage, and job opportunities.
In fact, many agricultural businesses retain significant potential, even though they no longer have the family, organizational, or financial resources necessary to continue operating independently.
The project's goal is to identify solutions that can keep these assets productive, preventing their sale from becoming a forced choice rather than a strategic decision.
FORBUS: from evaluation to operational management
FORBUS supports owners, entrepreneurs, and investors through an integrated team of professionals with agricultural, winemaking, industrial, commercial, and financial expertise.
The process may include company analysis, asset and financial assessment, identification of managers or partners, definition of the development project, and coordination of legal, tax, and technical specialists.
Each initiative is assessed individually: not all companies are suited to this model, and economic sustainability must be verified before making commitments.
The goal is not simply to find someone willing to manage a company, but to create the conditions for that management to produce results and value over time.
The future of Italian agriculture must not be just sales
Land represents an economic, productive, environmental, and cultural asset. When a farm ceases operations, the risk also affects the territory, employment, and the continuity of production traditions.
The modern sharecropping system proposed by FORBUS aims to offer a possible solution: to foster the encounter between agricultural owners and new entrepreneurial energies, transforming difficult situations into revitalization projects.
Before selling a farm or winery, it's worth asking yourself how much it might be worth if it were managed differently.
Do you have a farm or winery to promote?
FORBUS is aimed at owners of wineries, farms, and wine estates, families with no generational turnover, cooperatives, Italian and foreign entrepreneurs and investors interested in management, development, and potential acquisition projects.
Present your project to FORBUS and evaluate alternatives to immediate sale.
FORBUS – Manage, enhance, develop. And sell when it's convenient.
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