OECD Rural Policy Review - Italy Report

Italy is one of the last rural countries in the OECD.  Nonetheless, many of the international products identifiable by the "Made in Italy" brand are produced in rural areas in the north and in the centre of the country.

The competitiveness of Italy's rural areas depends on the constant strong entrepreneurship, good accessibility and great cultural and natural amenities in rural Italy, thus spurring a successful tourism industry. Agriculture plays a marginal role in terms of employment and contribution to GDP.
 
Despite the good average performance, a number of structural trends are undermining the sustainability of rural Italy. For example, rural areas have persistent demographic challenges; the concentration of elderly is very high and it is not balanced by immigration of foreign workers.
 
Ageing, in turn, affects the delivery of key public services, such as health care and education in rural areas. In addition, the link between the urban and rural territories and the agriculture use is increasing the pressure on water, threatening the long-term sustainability of the environment.