The dilemma
Is it better to produce food "made in Italy", contributing to the "food sovereignty" of the country or is it better to invest inrenewable energy, reducing dependence on hydrocarbons? The dilemma is far from academic; it involves the choice between two economic models, and it was clearly evident in a small town in the province of Pavia, Dorno, which was besieged by a huge demand for solar panel installations on land historically devoted to rice cultivation. But the Dorno case is symbolic of a choice for the future that other parts of Italy are also facing.
The case of Dorno
Dorno, population 4.600, is located in the heart of Lomellina, in that strip of plain between Piedmont and Lombardy where the landscape is historically defined by rice paddies and where the agricultural sector is a prime example. In Dorno, the municipal administration received a proposal from a private investor to install a "forest" of 170.000 solar panels on agricultural land, covering an area of 215 hectares as far as the eye can see. "If the installations currently known to this body, whether under construction or in progress, were to be authorized," Mayor Francesco Perotti expressed his concern, "20% of the agricultural land would be occupied by photovoltaic panels, while exceeding the extent of urbanized land." But how did we get to this point? Photovoltaics in Italy is experiencing a resurgence. Between January and November 2025, renewables provided 41,7% of the national electricity demand; In the "green" energy segment, solar has significantly surpassed hydroelectricity. According to Confagricoltura's Agroenergy Observatory, 18% of all renewable energy produced in Italy comes from agricultural land.
Italian support
Several factors are contributing to this boom, primarily public incentives. The Public Accounts Observatory at the Catholic University of Milan estimates that this support in Italy is approximately 25 times that of Spain and 15 times that of Germany (which is one reason why bills in Italy are higher than the EU average). This "push" is also significant because by 2030, Italy will need to produce 80 gigawatts of clean energy, while currently we're stuck at 42. Therefore, there's a hunger for space on which to install solar panels, and here we come to the crucial point: how much can agricultural land yield? Based on calculations based on data from the CREA (Agricultural Economics Research Council), it can be observed that photovoltaic tends to be the most cost-effective option in less productive areas or where crops require greater investments in resources and equipment. For example, in Piedmont, rents for arable land reach €1.400 per hectare, while the transfer of surface rights for installing solar panels ranges between €3.500 and €5.000. In Lombardy and Lazio, the figure rises to €5.600.
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Agricultural productions
Having established this as the framework within which we operate, we return to the initial question: is there a conflict between producing food and producing energy? To find the answer, we return to Pavia and those directly affected by the problem. Marta Sempio and Alberto Lasagna, president and director of the provincial Confagricoltura, respond clearly: "With the rice market subject to wild fluctuations and the complicated dynamics of agriculture, those who choose photovoltaic systems today earn twice as much as traditional agricultural production." Certainly, in this context, game does not benefit, much less our passion (source: Federcaccia Brescia – Cacciapensieri).
