The Hazelnut Agronomy Program, Ferrero's response to the hazelnut crisis in Italy

Ferrero responds to the hazelnut emergency with the Hazelnut Agronomy Program promoted together with EIIs (European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability) and Conaf (National Council of Agronomy and Forestry Doctors). It is a free training course developed for agronomists, technicians and young talents of the Italian supply chain supported by Ferrero Hazelnut Company, the internal division of the Ferrero Group dedicated to the hazelnut supply chain at global level.

"There are climate changes underway that represent a risk for hazelnut cultivation, starting in Italy,' stresses Marco Botta, general manager of Ferrero Hazelnut Company, 'and we asked ourselves what to do to support the supply chain, particularly the Italian one, and we chose to invest in knowledge. The answer is sustainable agronomic practices, capable of giving 'the supply chain and farmers the opportunity to develop remedies capable of combating climate change and related plant diseases', without forgetting the issue of water, with models developed by Ferrero, explains Botta, 'capable of optimising the irrigation of hazelnut groves, an issue that will be increasingly relevant as that of containing the use of fertilisers as much as possible and supporting regenerative farming practices. The six Demo Farms opened by the Group to develop innovative techniques in agricultural practice are moving in this direction.

The initiative aims to increase the skills and resilience of the entire hazelnut supply chain, which is rooted in Italy and historically spread between Turkey and the Mediterranean region, with an important appendix in Chile and the U.S. Hazelnut cultivation in Italy is in a critical phase, with an estimated drop in the harvest this year from 100-110 thousand tonnes to 60 thousand. A contingent crisis, however, which comes after a period of contraction in the volumes cultivated in Italy. The country as a whole guarantees around 8% of the global hazelnut production, the Group purchases hazelnuts from 10 countries, through direct contact with more than a thousand suppliers and counts on 8 hazelnut processing plants.

Registration for the programme offered by Ferrero is open until the end of November, has so far received more than a hundred enrolments, and is aimed at agronomists from regional cooperatives, freelancers, technicians and final-year agricultural science students. The course lasts eight months and is divided into online modules and 3-day in-person sessions in the Italian regions where hazelnut cultivation is most deeply rooted. Academics from the Universities of Pisa, Turin, Tuscia, Perugia and Salerno contribute to the programme. "It is an extraordinary opportunity for agricultural professionals to measure themselves against real challenges and an innovative training course that keeps long-term sustainability at the centre," emphasises Carlo Alberto Pratesi of the EIIS.