On the occasion of the renewal of the five-year support from the Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi Foundation to the laboratory dedicated to the study of the agribusiness sector, the event organized by the Invernizzi AGRI Lab brought together academics, companies, and institutions to discuss the challenges facing the agrifood sector amid demographic change, technological innovation, and new investment models.

Major demographic and social transformations are reshaping the future of agriculture. Population ageing, a shrinking workforce, and the declining number of young people entering the agricultural sector are creating the need for new strategies to ensure economic sustainability, innovation, and generational continuity. These issues were at the center of the event organized by the Invernizzi AGRI Lab, which brought together researchers, companies, and institutions to reflect on the development prospects of the agrifood system.

Several of the topics discussed will also be central to the Lab’s research activities over the next five years thanks to the renewed support of the Fondazione Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi. The Foundation has approved a contribution of €1,250,000 for the period 2026–2030, continuing the support provided since the Lab’s launch in 2019.

The event opened with remarks by Francesco Billari, Rector of Bocconi University, who outlined the main demographic trends expected to significantly influence the sector: longer life expectancy, increasingly smaller families, growing urbanization, and higher levels of education. At the same time, declining birth rates and an ageing population will lead to a gradual reduction in the workforce. In agriculture this trend is particularly evident: the number of farmers is decreasing, gender imbalance persists, and generational succession is becoming increasingly urgent.

From a business perspective, significant challenges are also emerging. As highlighted by Vitaliano Fiorillo, Director of the Invernizzi AGRI Lab, only 9% of Italian farm managers are under the age of 40. Yet these younger businesses are often more structured from a managerial perspective and tend to achieve better performance. Transforming the sector therefore requires a collective effort to foster innovation and new skills. Among the strategic levers is the adoption of digital technologies: despite their strong potential, the use of advanced tools—such as artificial intelligence–based solutions to support business decision-making—remains very limited in the agricultural sector.

The first roundtable, involving the research partners of the Invernizzi AGRI Lab, featured Diana Lenzi, President of the Farming for Future Foundation; Barbara Lucini, Head of Sustainability and Social Responsibility at Generali Country Italia; Riccardo Preve, Managing Director of Riso Gallo; and Luigi Sala, President of Charme Capital Partners.

The discussion highlighted the need to address several of the sector’s key challenges in an integrated way: environmental sustainability, European food security, access to capital, and the transformation of supply chains. The experience of the companies involved in the dialogue showed how sustainability can become a driver of competitiveness. Collaborative projects between industry and farmers—such as those developed in the rice sector—demonstrate that sustainable practices can not only reduce environmental impact but also improve economic efficiency across the entire supply chain.

Another key topic concerned the relationship between agriculture and finance. Despite growing interest in the sector, institutional investors still face difficulties in entering the primary stage of agricultural production, which is often characterized by small scale, longer time horizons, and less formalized organizational structures. Attracting capital therefore requires promoting aggregation processes, strengthening governance models, and developing more structured information systems. In this context, actors such as family offices, club deals, or investors with longer investment horizons could represent an opportunity to support the sector’s development.

The second roundtable, involving the Scientific Technical Committee of IRCAF – Invernizzi Reference Center on Agrifood, featured Erminio Trevisi, Director of the Department of Animal Sciences, Nutrition and Food at the Università Cattolica; Lorenzo Morelli, Full Professor of Microbiology at the Università Cattolica; Paolo Ajmone Marsan, Director of the Agrisystem PhD School of the Agrifood System at the Università Cattolica; and Guendalina Graffigna, Research Director of EngageMinds Hub (Consumer, Food & Health Engagement Research Center) at the Università Cattolica.

The discussion highlighted the crucial role of interdisciplinarity in the development of the agrifood system. The challenges affecting agriculture—from environmental sustainability to food security and consumer behavior—require diverse expertise ranging from agronomic sciences to finance, from law to consumer psychology. In this scenario, research plays a fundamental role in providing data, models, and tools to support more informed decisions and more effective policies.

The meeting ultimately confirmed that the future of agriculture will depend on the ability to foster dialogue among disciplines, companies, and institutions, promoting technological innovation, new investment models, and stronger integration across the agrifood supply chain.