第四題：【以英文回答】

     The amount of agricultural land cultivated organically in Italy has increased considerably over the past two years, with olive groves making up the most relevant crop. According to a new report from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, the amount of organically cultivated farmland rose by 7.5 percent from 2021 to 2022. More specifically, 2,349,880 hectares of active Italian farmland are managed through organic farming practices, representing 18.7 percent of the total. Italian government defines active farmland as pastures, permanent grasslands, tree crops and domestic gardens actively in use. The European Union’s Farm-to-Fork Strategy includes the expansion of organic farming to at least 25 percent of agricultural surface area by 2030.

    The report also showed how domestic demand for organic food products is still lagging, with a 0.5 percent increase from 2021 to 2022. Only 1.6 percent of consumers’ expenditure on organic food goes to organic olive oil and other vegetable fats. Many factors contribute to the slow growth in the value of organic foods sold to consumers. Among them, the most significant impact comes from inflation, which sits at 6.4 percent annually. Inflation is affecting households’ spending power and families’ buying priorities. As the distance between organic food prices and their conventional counterparts remains significant, families’ choices often do not include organic foods. The stagnation in demand is one of the most critical challenges facing the organic farming sector. Nevertheless, the report said that the Italian organic farming sector shows extraordinary vitality due to the funds provided by the E.U.’s Common Agricultural Policy and increasing cooperation among the various organic producers’ organizations and associations.