https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Italy in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Italy's prestigious white truffles are becoming an increasingly rare and expensive delicacy as their natural habitat is endangered by global warming, sudden temperature changes and long droughts. https://www.thelocal.it/20241111/climate-change-threatens-italys-prized-white-truffle-trade Mon, 11 Nov 2024 11:08:20 +0100 climate-change-threatens-italys-prized-white-truffle-trade Thousands of Indian farm labourers urged an end to "slavery" in Italy on Tuesday after the gruesome death of a worker shone a light on the brutal exploitation of undocumented migrants. https://www.thelocal.it/20240626/indians-march-to-end-slavery-after-worker-death-shakes-italy Wed, 26 Jun 2024 11:00:57 +0200 indians-march-to-end-slavery-after-worker-death-shakes-italy Following weeks of small demonstrations held across the country, Italian farmers took their protest to Rome on Friday, driving a four-tractor convoy past the Colosseum. https://www.thelocal.it/20240209/italian-farmers-stage-symbolic-protest-by-romes-colosseum Fri, 09 Feb 2024 15:32:47 +0100 italian-farmers-stage-symbolic-protest-by-romes-colosseum EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday recommended the bloc bury a plan to cut pesticide use in agriculture as a concession to protesting European farmers. https://www.thelocal.it/20240206/eu-chief-bows-to-protesting-farmers-over-pesticide-use Tue, 06 Feb 2024 15:47:20 +0100 eu-chief-bows-to-protesting-farmers-over-pesticide-use The European Commission is due on Thursday to begin "strategic" talks with farmers' federations, agri-business firms, NGOs and experts on ways to assuage the ire on farms in several countries. https://www.thelocal.it/20240123/eu-to-begin-talks-with-farming-leaders-after-wave-of-farmers-protests-around-europe Tue, 23 Jan 2024 18:55:33 +0100 eu-to-begin-talks-with-farming-leaders-after-wave-of-farmers-protests-around-europe A case of African swine fever has been detected in a wild boar in Italy, news agency ANSA said Friday, raising fears of a blow to the country's meat industry. https://www.thelocal.it/20220108/case-of-african-swine-fever-confirmed-in-northern-italy Sat, 08 Jan 2022 12:15:05 +0100 case-of-african-swine-fever-confirmed-in-northern-italy Italian wine production dropped by nine percent in 2021, new figures show, as winemakers across the country continue to suffer the effects of extreme weather. https://www.thelocal.it/20211105/italys-wine-production-falls-by-nine-percent-after-year-of-extreme-weather Fri, 05 Nov 2021 18:42:43 +0100 italys-wine-production-falls-by-nine-percent-after-year-of-extreme-weather Fruit growers in northern Italy have turned their fields into a winter wonderland, in a surprising strategy to save the young harvest from the sudden April frost. https://www.thelocal.it/20210409/in-photos-why-italian-farms-are-freezing-fruit-trees-to-protect-from-frost Fri, 09 Apr 2021 12:43:13 +0200 in-photos-why-italian-farms-are-freezing-fruit-trees-to-protect-from-frost Italy's new coronavirus restrictions came in just as many people were about to begin the olive harvest. If you're one of them, here's what you need to know. https://www.thelocal.it/20201110/can-the-olive-harvest-still-go-ahead-under-italys-coronavirus-restrictions Tue, 10 Nov 2020 14:42:57 +0100 can-the-olive-harvest-still-go-ahead-under-italys-coronavirus-restrictions Italian agricultural experts are investigating the mysterious deaths overnight of millions of bees in the northern region of Lombardy. https://www.thelocal.it/20200817/truly-inexplicable-why-did-four-million-bees-die-overnight-in-lombardy Mon, 17 Aug 2020 13:42:10 +0200 truly-inexplicable-why-did-four-million-bees-die-overnight-in-lombardy Historic lemon groves in Amalfi had been forced to turn to tourism for survival. But now that's no longer viable either, and the area's last lemon farmers are barely holding on. https://www.thelocal.it/20200724/amalfis-lemon-growers-face-an-uphill-struggle-for-survival Fri, 24 Jul 2020 11:11:37 +0200 amalfis-lemon-growers-face-an-uphill-struggle-for-survival The number of young people in Italy choosing a life in the country is on the rise. Despite the hard work and early starts, they say farming is no longer an undesirable way to make a living. https://www.thelocal.it/20200701/this-is-where-i-want-to-be-the-growing-number-of-young-italians-choosing-life-on-the-farm Wed, 01 Jul 2020 18:44:49 +0200 this-is-where-i-want-to-be-the-growing-number-of-young-italians-choosing-life-on-the-farm The first group of foreign farm workers, more than 100 Moroccans, arrived in Italy on Friday, via a so-called "green corridor" allowing them to fly in to help pick the country's ripening crops. https://www.thelocal.it/20200523/foreign-workers-bring-hope-to-italys-coronavirus-hit-agriculture-industry Sat, 23 May 2020 13:13:20 +0200 foreign-workers-bring-hope-to-italys-coronavirus-hit-agriculture-industry Floriana Fanizza gazes desolately at her celery crop, lost to the coronavirus because it could not be harvested. https://www.thelocal.it/20200420/italy-farmers-agriculture-coronavirus Mon, 20 Apr 2020 10:56:05 +0200 italy-farmers-agriculture-coronavirus Workers in northwestern Italy are rushing to harvest millions of bright yellow mimosa flowers this week, as they say the crop is coming increasingly early because of global heating. https://www.thelocal.it/20200207/in-photos-italys-mimosa-harvest-comes-early Fri, 07 Feb 2020 13:47:15 +0100 in-photos-italys-mimosa-harvest-comes-early Italian wine production dropped by 12 percent in 2019, new figures show, with winemakers suffering the effects of extreme weather across the country. https://www.thelocal.it/20200123/italian-wine-production-drop-by-12-percent-after-year-of-extreme-weather Thu, 23 Jan 2020 13:17:53 +0100 italian-wine-production-drop-by-12-percent-after-year-of-extreme-weather Bowls of wild boar stew and boar sandwiches were handed out at the demonstration in Rome. https://www.thelocal.it/20191107/they-destroy-everything-italian-farmers-protest-rising-number-of-wild-boars Thu, 07 Nov 2019 16:15:15 +0100 they-destroy-everything-italian-farmers-protest-rising-number-of-wild-boars This year has been a black one for beekeepers in Italy, where unpredictable weather has produced what are being called the worst-ever honey harvests across the country. https://www.thelocal.it/20191004/climate-crisis-italian-beekeepers-suffer-worst-honey-harvest-ever Fri, 04 Oct 2019 11:24:15 +0200 climate-crisis-italian-beekeepers-suffer-worst-honey-harvest-ever Thousands of exploited workers who are paid a pittance to work in unacceptable conditions: welcome to the dark side of Italy's world famous agriculture, and the shadowy role of the mafia. https://www.thelocal.it/20190915/the-perennial-problem-of-italys-agro-mafia Sun, 15 Sep 2019 10:40:55 +0200 the-perennial-problem-of-italys-agro-mafia The Italian tomato is prized around the world, but its reputation has soured in recent years over reports of mafia infiltration, slave labour and toxic fires that poison water sources. https://www.thelocal.it/20190807/how-an-italian-farmer-found-a-better-way-to-grow-tomatoes-without-soil Wed, 07 Aug 2019 11:53:48 +0200 how-an-italian-farmer-found-a-better-way-to-grow-tomatoes-without-soil