Changes at "Improving access to Land for Land Stewards"
Body (English)
-Improving access to Land for Land Stewards- +Summary of the challenge
- +Over the past 15 years, Italy has lost 500,000 farms. This is a concerning trend, as most of these farms have not been replaced through generational renewal. Much of the land once farmed has been abandoned. This situation has increased the risk of land being either acquired by large-scale farms or falling prey to conflicting interests such as urbanization, speculation, and solar energy projects. These dynamics have driven up land value and made access to farmland increasingly difficult, particularly for young people or new entrants to farming who lack a family background in agriculture. In all these cases, the stakeholders exerting pressure on land access have shown little or no interest in safeguarding soil health or the well-being of local communities. What’s at stake is not only the future of farming but the resilience of rural communities, the preservation of soil fertility, and the ability to protect agricultural land from extractive or speculative uses. The people most affected are young farmers, aspiring land stewards, local communities facing land degradation and depopulation, and society at large, which risks losing both food sovereignty and healthy ecosystems.
- +Detailed description
- +This initiative emerged from an in-person meeting held in November 2024, where a nucleus of 50 participants from the farming, civil society, academia and administrative sectors gathered and discussed the problem of access to land with the objective of coming up with a solution. Over the past decades, Italy has experienced a dramatic erosion of its agricultural landscape. In just the past 15 years, more than 500,000 farms have disappeared. This phenomenon is not merely an economic trend, but it signals the deterioration of a vital social and ecological fabric. The abandonment of land, combined with an aging farming population and a lack of generational turnover, has created a vacuum that increased the pressure of speculative interests. Today, farmland prices in Italy are skyrocketing, fueled by urban expansion, real estate speculation, and infrastructure projects. The conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural uses is accelerating, pushing prices beyond the reach of young farmers, aspiring land stewards, or those without generational land inheritance. The dominant actors gaining control of the land are not those dedicated to ecological care or community well-being but rather investors driven by profit motives, whether for urbanization, business-as-usual agribusiness, industrial projects, or large-scale energy development. This context creates systemic barriers for new entrants to farming. In fact, without secure, long-term access to land, these aspiring land stewards cannot invest in regenerative practices or build resilient livelihoods. Short-term rental agreements further erode this possibility, fostering financial insecurity and preventing the adoption of sustainable, long-term land management. Even when land is available, the disproportion between high land costs and low, unstable agricultural income makes ownership nearly impossible for most. Beyond economic insecurities, many challenges are linked with this problem. Soil health is deteriorating under the pressure of industrial farming, chemical inputs, monocultures, and land abandonment. Essential ecosystems are degrading, with polluted water, erosion, and declining fertility pushing agriculture toward dependence on industrial interventions and contributing to the climate crisis. Meanwhile, the sealing of fertile soils under concrete (at an average of 8 hectares per hour!) permanently removes land from agricultural use. If that was not enough, the social fabric of rural territories is thinning. Communities that once thrived on farming are shrinking or disappearing, leading to depopulation, cultural erosion, and weakened rural economies. This territorial decline undermines local resilience and threatens food sovereignty. As fewer hands control more land, the diversity, quality, and accessibility of food are also at risk. Industrial food systems prioritize yield over nutritional value, further distancing communities from healthy, local, and culturally significant food sources. Recognizing the urgency of this multifaceted crisis, the challenge is as much about reshaping narratives and policies as it is about securing hectares of land. It is about mobilizing financial resources for the common good, engaging communities in participatory governance, and fostering a cultural shift that values land not as a speculative asset but as a living heritage and a shared responsibility. The urgency of this challenge is underscored by the converging crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, rural depopulation, and food insecurity. Territorial justice demands that access to land is not dictated solely by market forces but is governed by principles of fairness, sustainability, and community benefit. Soil justice requires that land management practices prioritize the restoration and preservation of living ecosystems. Land Stewards Italy was born out of a collective effort to reverse these trends. Our challenge is not only to secure land for regenerative agriculture but also to redefine the meaning of land stewardship in Italy, from a private commodity subject to speculative logic to a common good managed in the interest of ecological health, social cohesion, and territorial justice. Inspired by successful European models such as Terre de Liens (France), Kulturland (Germany), and Lenteland (Netherlands), we are committed to creating a model that will act as a land steward for Italy. This will serve as a legal, financial, and community vehicle for recovering land threatened by speculation or abandonment and entrusting it to those committed to regenerative land use. We see this initiative as a catalyst for a wider territorial regeneration movement. By reclaiming land for ecological and community purposes, we aim to strengthen local economies, restore ecosystems, and cultivate the next generation of land stewards. The project’s work will be accompanied by training programs, incubators, and education hubs, fostering ecological entrepreneurship and equipping farmers with the skills needed for regenerative agriculture and community leadership. The ecosystem is ready in Italy to support such a transition.
- +Which SoilTribes priority area(s) does your challenge address?
- +Soil Democracy
- +Commons Stewardship
- +Regenerative Transitions
- +How does your challenge respond to the selected SoilTribes priority area(s)?
- +Soil Democracy We believe that equitable access to land is a foundational element of soil democracy. Today, farmland in Italy is increasingly concentrated in the hands of large-scale agribusinesses, investors, or speculative interests, often disconnected from the land’s ecological and social value. This consolidation undermines the ability of communities, especially young farmers and those from non-farming backgrounds, to participate in land stewardship and regenerative agriculture. Our model seeks to respond to this by creating democratic structures that open access to land and give voice to a broader community of stakeholders. Through inclusive governance where farmers, communities, donors, and land stewards contribute to decision-making, we seek to ensure that land access is not controlled by private or speculative interests but managed in service of community well-being, ecological restoration, and future generations. Commons Stewardship We see land and soil as a commons, a shared resource whose care and benefits should be stewarded collectively, beyond individual or market-driven interests. Our model wants to be explicitly designed to remove land from speculative markets and manage it through a structure that guarantees its long-term availability for regenerative use. The model should act as a land safe, protecting farmland from threats such as speculation, industrial exploitation, and neglect. By assigning land to those committed to agroecology and regenerative practices, under clear stewardship agreements, we actively restore the principle of land as a common good. This approach ensures that stewardship is not just a theoretical principle but a lived practice supported by legal structures, transparent governance, and ongoing community engagement. Through education, incubators, and the creation of bioregional networks, we want to extend this commons-based approach beyond land access, fostering a culture of shared responsibility for soil, ecosystems, and communities. Regenerative Transitions We support regenerative transitions by directly connecting land in need of ecological restoration with farmers who are ready to cultivate it using agroecological and regenerative methods. We’ll act as a matchmaker between landscapes and land stewards, ensuring that degraded or at-risk areas are entrusted to those equipped to heal them. To support this transition, we provide training not only in agronomic techniques but also in farm management and farm economics, ensuring that stewards are equipped with the skills to run regenerative businesses, through a diffused academy rooted in the experience of pioneering Italian regenerative farmers. The aim is to empower new generations to thrive both ecologically and financially. At the same time, we aim to ensure continuity in land care by enabling retiring farmers without successors to pass on their knowledge and land to younger stewards, fostering a long-term, intergenerational approach to land regeneration.
- +Which EU Soil Mission goal(s) does your challenge contribute to?
- +Reduce soil pollution / enhance restoration
- +Conserve soil organic carbon
- +Reduce desertification
- +Enhance soil biodiversity
- +Reduce EU global soil footprint
- +Challenge typology
- +Roots (deep structural transformation)
- +Expected outputs / actions
- +Capacity-building (training, guides, mentorship)
- +Participatory processes
- +Prototyping or technical testing
- +Who is involved or affected by the challenge?
- +The challenge of land access and stewardship affects a wide and interconnected group of stakeholders, all of whom are either directly impacted by the current situation or actively engaged in addressing it. The core network of our initiative, including farmers, agronomists, sustainability experts, legal advisors, educators, and facilitators, many of whom are members of organizations such as Terra Organica, Metaecosistema, the Italian Network of Micro/Multifunctional Farms, and the European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (EARA); Young and aspiring farmers, especially those without family farming backgrounds, who face major barriers to accessing affordable farmland and secure tenure; Existing regenerative farmers and small-scale producers, whose ability to sustain and grow their practices is threatened by land insecurity, rising costs, and speculative pressures; Local communities and rural populations, particularly in areas facing depopulation, economic decline, or land abandonment, who are deeply affected by the social, cultural, and ecological consequences of land loss; Ecological and social organizations, including grassroots movements, environmental NGOs, and networks focused on agroecology, soil regeneration, and community-supported agriculture; Municipalities and local administrations, especially those seeking to support local food systems, preserve agricultural land, and foster rural revitalization through sustainable development policies; Philanthropic foundations, ethical investors, and donors, interested in supporting land commons, regenerative practices, and social-ecological resilience.
- +Where is your challenge located?
- +Our challenge is located in Italy and applies to the whole national territory
- +Which SoilTribes pillar(s) are you connected to?
- +Civil Society
- +What public policies or institutional frameworks does your challenge engage with or seek to change?
- +Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) (EU Level) We engage critically with the CAP framework, particularly how subsidies often favor large-scale landowners and industrial agriculture. Current CAP structures contribute to land concentration and discourage agroecological practices by not adequately recognizing the value of soil regeneration, biodiversity, and smallholder farming. Our initiative advocates for a reorientation of CAP subsidies toward models that reward regenerative practices, fair land access, and community-based stewardship National Land Tenure and Leasing Laws (Italy) We address the legal and regulatory environment governing land ownership, leasing, and succession in Italy. Existing frameworks make it difficult for young farmers and new entrants to access land, especially in contexts where short-term leases prevail, or where inheritance and land fragmentation laws complicate land tenure. Through our model, we propose long-term stewardship agreements that provide security for regenerative farmers, and we advocate for reforms that support these alternative tenure models Local Urban and Rural Development Plans (Piani Regolatori and Piani di Sviluppo Rurale) At the local and regional levels, we engage with land-use planning frameworks that often prioritize urban expansion, infrastructure projects, or speculative developments over agricultural preservation. Our work seeks to influence municipal and regional planning authorities to recognize regenerative agriculture and land stewardship as priorities in rural development and territorial governance EU Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy Our initiative aligns with and seeks to contribute to the broader objectives of the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy, which emphasize sustainable food systems, biodiversity, soil health, and climate resilience. By promoting commons-based land stewardship and regenerative agriculture, we aim to create models that can inform EU policy on sustainable land use and food sovereignty.
- +How do you imagine the Bootcamp will benefit your initiative — and others?
- +Participating in the Bootcamp represents a crucial opportunity for our initiative at this early and formative stage. We see it as a space not only for growth and validation, but also for meaningful exchange with other movements working toward soil and territorial justice across Europe and beyond. First, we are eager to validate our idea in dialogue with participants from other countries where similar land access and stewardship models may already exist. Learning from their experiences will help us refine our legal structure, operational model, and governance design. This comparative perspective is essential for understanding what has worked elsewhere and how it can be adapted to the Italian context. Second, we hope to integrate additional principles and values into our project by engaging with peers who bring diverse political, cultural, and ecological perspectives. These conversations can broaden our approach and ensure our foundation truly embodies commons-based, inclusive, and regenerative thinking. Third, we are looking forward to the possibility of further developing and evolving our idea, both conceptually and strategically. We anticipate that the Bootcamp will help us clarify our next steps, test assumptions, and think through key decisions, such as stakeholder engagement strategies, education components, and land acquisition pathways. Fourth, we deeply value the opportunity for mentorship. Access to mentors with expertise in policy, legal innovation, land access, regenerative farming, and organizational development will be instrumental in strengthening our initiative’s foundation and long-term viability. In return, our initiative can offer other participants a grounded example of how regenerative farming, commons stewardship, and legal innovation are being woven together in Italy. We bring experiences from our active involvement in farming networks, community-driven land projects, and participatory governance processes. We’re also eager to contribute to collective learning spaces, share tools and frameworks we’re developing, and support others navigating similar challenges in their regions.
Share