Will recent world events shift policy-makers’ focus from sustainable agriculture to intensive and competitive agriculture?

The events of recent years (pandemic and conflict in the European area) have led to a rethink of traditional policies on trade and support for domestic production. The concept of national “self-sufficiency” is being consolidated to the detriment of globalization and the possibility of buying raw materials on the world market at the lowest price. European agriculture, affected by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) review for the 2023/2027 programming period, is not exempt from this process. Therefore, the construction of National Strategic Plans may partly dampen the drive towards sustainability undertaken with the Green Deal and related strategies (from Farm to Fork, Biodiversity 2030, and Circular Economic) up to the 2030 Agenda Goals because producers are demanding greater freedom in production intensification. The research, conducted in a traditionally agricultural area in Italy, shows that competitive and sustainable agriculture can coexist thanks to entrepreneurial choices based on values and interest in the territory. Despite the difficulties arising from the changing conditions of the international scenario, which have led to an increase in production costs and a contraction of market opportunities, agriculture has become resilient thanks to sound agronomic practices and the sustainability of the process. Therefore, a model of agriculture more closely linked to the territory's characteristics is proposed.