Surveys on agricultural distribution and agricultural use of fertilizers in Italy Mario Adua

1. Surveys on agricultural distribution and agricultural use of fertilizers in Italy Mario Adua adua@istat.it ISTAT- National Institute of Statistics

2. Summary • Surveys: • Distribution of fertilizers for agricultural use • FSS – Survey on structural agricultural holdings • Use of plant protection products and fertilizers in major fruit trees cultivation • Use of plant protection products in specifics crops

3. Distribution of fertilizers for agricultural use 1 General information • Type of source: census statistical survey • Survey unit: fertilizers distributor • Scope or coverage: distribution of 75 types of fertilizers, crops, volumes in Kg of net nutrients per hectare cultivated • Rappresentativity: exhaustive

4. Distribution of fertilizers for agricultural use 1 • Reference period: calendar year • Frequency: annual • Geographic coverage: NUTS 3 • Non-response rate: not significant • Techniques of data collection: postal survey

5. Variables surveyed Distribution of fertilizers for agricultural use • Distributed quantity of 64 types of fertilizers • Distributed quantity of 6 types of nutrients (N, K2O, P2O5, mesoelements, microelements, organic substances) • Distributed quantity of types of nutrients per cultivated hectare

6. FSS- structure of agricultural holdings 2 General information • Type of source: random sampling statistical survey • Sampling frame: agricultural census database • Survey unit: agricultural holding

7. FSS- structure of agricultural holdings 2 • Scope or coverage: utilized agricultural area, livestock, UDE, use of mineral, organic and organic-mineral fertilizers in agricultural area • Rappresentativity: 2,5% • Reference period: 2003 - 2005

8. FSS- structure of agricultural holdings 2 • Frequency: on time study • Geographic coverage: NUTS 2 • Non-response rate:8% • Techniques of data collection: face to face interview

9. FSS- structure of agricultural holdings Variables surveyed • Area of holding treated with chemical fertilizers (ha) • Area of holding treated with organic fertilizers (ha) • Area of holding treated with organic-mineral fertilizers (ha) • Quantity of organic fertilizers distributed by type (manure, sewage, etc)

10. Use of plant protection products and fertilizers in major fruit trees cultivation 3 General information • Type of source: random sampling statistical survey • Sampling frame: agricultural census database • Survey unit: agricultural holding • Rappresentativity: 1,25%

11. Use of plant protection products and fertilizers in major fruit trees cultivation 3 • Scope or coverage: consumption of 64 types of fertilizers and consumption of 6 types of PPP and 3 toxicology classes by the main fruit trees cultivation • Reference period: 2002 • Frequency of the survey: on the time study

12. Use of plant protection products and fertilizers in major fruit trees cultivation 3 • Geographic coverage: NUTS 2 • Non response rate: 8% • Techniques of data collections: face to face interview

13. Use of plant protection products and fertilizers in major fruit trees cultivation Variables surveyed • Quantity of fertilizers utilized per area, per major fruit trees cultivation • Number of holdings treated with fertilizer per major fruit trees cultivation

14. Use of plant protection products in specific crop 4 General information • Type of source: random sampling statistical survey • Sampling frame: FSS database • Survey unit: agricultural holding • Scope or coverage: use of plant protection products • Rappresentativity: 0,25%

15. Use of plant protection products in specific crop 4 • Reference period: crop year • Frequency of the survey: annual • Geographic coverage: NUTS 1 • Non-response rate: 0% (non responses are replaced) • Techniques of data collection: CATI- computer assisted telephone interviewing

16. Use of plant protection products in specific crop Variables surveyed • Utilized quantity of PPP, utilized per area and per crop • Number of treatments on PPP per specific crop • Area of holding treated with PPP • Utilized quantity of types of active substances per hectare

17. Suggestions Use of plant protection products in specific crop We could evaluate the possibility to do a new survey of fertilizers similar to survey of PPP on specific crop.

18. Conclusion Distribution of fertilizers for agricultural use • The main source in Italy for each operator connected with fertilizers • It can be considered a good example for other countries

19. Conclusion FSS • We can evaluate the possibility to introduce some questions to collect information about fertilizers for each cultivation • It is necessary to estimate costs and benefits

20. Conclusion Use of plant protection products and fertilizers in major fruit trees cultivation • It has been a positive experience • It is necessary to estimate costs and benefits

21. Conclusion Use of plant protection products in specific crop • We can evaluate the possibility to introduce questions about fertilizers to obtain information on specific crop • It is necessary to estimate costs and benefits

22. Future perspective of ISTAT • It is very important to continue and to develop the surveys on the distribution and use of fertilizers • We are evaluating the opportunity to introduce questions on fertilizers in other surveys (FSS, etc) • It very important a financial contribution of UE • We need to evaluate a contemporaneous collection of fertilizers and PPP per crop

23. Future perspective of ISTAT • It can be useful a task-force in Eurostat • We could evaluate to consider the possibility for a brand new “Regulation on fertilizers statistics”