Massimiliano Giansanti, an agricultural entrepreneur with family companies between Rome, Viterbo and Parma, active in agro-industrial and agro-energy production, since 2017 is under the guidance of ConfAgricoltura, the oldest Representation Organization of Italian Farms, and President of COPA (Committee of European Agricultural Organizations) since 2024.
President, ConfAgricoltura has been representing Italian farms since 1920. What depends on its longevity and what are the main challenges the Association faces today?
ConfAgricoltura listens, protects and supports those who do business and makes Italian agriculture great. We are here today because we have always looked at tomorrow, with vision projects, entrusting us to science, research and innovation. These principles lead us from the first day and continue to guide us in these times of great geopolitical instability, in a historical moment in which Italian agriculture is confronted with the world and contributes to global food security, facing challenges that concern everyone: the effects of climate emergency, the rise of oil and the necessary inputs to produce, a fragmented and rapidly changing market, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. We are faced with the most severe agri-food crisis since the post-war period and we are sure that only by supporting the company in a process of innovation, making artificial intelligence and energy production more accessible from the fields, we will be able to increase production in a sustainable way from an economic and environmental point of view. Recently, we have started the preparation of a Future Agriculture Manifesto together with the Bocconi University because, from here to 2050, agriculture will increasingly need finance and vice versa. This kind of project tells who we are more than a thousand words.
Italian cuisine and made in Italy products are known and appreciated worldwide. What makes them so special?
Italian cuisine is officially a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 10 December 2025. A recognition – however communicated live by India during our last Winter Assembly – obtained thanks to the great work of the government and the Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, to which we have contributed with momentum immediately. Our greatest fortune is the biodiversity that we farmers safeguard with our work every day, helping to maintain the landscape, especially in the indoor areas. This is reflected in a varied production: Italy is the country with the largest number of DOP products (Protected Designation of Origin) and IGP (Protected Geographical Indication) in the world, for an agricultural value that exceeds 20 billion euros, representing approximately 19% of the entire national agri-food turnover. This is a unique competitive advantage, which must be protected and strengthened. Our task, like ConfAgricoltura, is to transform the intrinsic value of these productions into real economic value for farmers who are likely to be “crazed” within the supply chain. Another responsibility is to guarantee those who choose to eat Italian in the world, products of our agriculture. A goal that is achieved once again thanks to technology that allows traceability and transparency.
A message for readers of The Manhattan Society?
For Italian agriculture, artificial intelligence and scientific innovation are already a reality. drones, satellite-driven tractors, sensors that facilitate resource optimization, assisted evolution techniques that contain the use of chemistry enhance the wisdom and ability of our farmers and our farmers every day. These tools make our sector a valuable ally in the resolution of major emergencies such as the environment and as the economic crisis that invests us. Behind the exquisite dishes of our tradition, there is a world of entrepreneurs who risk, study and innovate to ensure the food safety of all. And the refined Italian taste.
L’articolo Massimiliano Giansanti tells the land of the future proviene da IlNewyorkese.
