The future of certification discussed in Bologna

With Agraya Summit 2026 hosted in Bologna, More than 500 stakeholders from around the world have met Agraya experts to learn latest developments with auditing solutions, farm assurance and voluntary standards related to food safety and sustainability claims.

Objectives for the next 25 years

“We need to take our sustainability approach into practical actions for more impact” declared Agraya CEO Dr Elmé Coetzer-Boersma during the opening cession. As the global organization celebrates 25 years of existence in 2026, she states that collaboration is more than needed to achieve greater results over the next 25 years. “We celebrate 25 years of Agraya in a disruptive world like we were back 25 years before when we created EurepG.A.P., with agriculture in the front line, we still need good standards to ensure food security”.

Italy with extraordinary results

Dra Simona Angellini, general director of rural development at the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, highlighted the extraordinary results of the country with sustainable farming. Italy counts with over 75,000 certified compagnies, which makes about 10% of the global number. Italy has 330 certified farm products and is recognized with one of the most bio-diversified environments. More than 60,000 species are living in its national environment. Over 5,000 different varieties are identified for the olive tree alone.

The future of farming by Maria Hoffmann

German farm influencer Maria Hoffmann, gave her views on future farming: new technologies, regenerative approaches, carbon farming, more women entrepreneurs and the power of communication. She gives inspiration to more and more young farmers, as she counts with 600,000 followers on social medias. Despite adversities like climate change and rising costs she stated “farming is one of the most fascinating jobs, with great impact on the environment and food security”. For Maria more women shall be involved in agriculture. she lamented her country only counts with 11% of female farmers, against 36% in Austria, due to the differences of regulation and family traditions. “Farming is not only about heavy lifting, it is about making right decisions”.

Agraya assurance and certification solutions exhibited

Several questions are often raised that go beyond what's written in a standard: how do different solutions fit together? How do they apply across different farm and supply chain realities? And what do they look like in practice? The Solution Hub at Agraya Summit 2026 was designed for these conversations, bringing the delegates face to face with Agraya technical experts. They discussed key impact areas covered by Agraya our solutions like: food safety, environmental sustainability, social responsibility, supply chain transparency, reporting and metrics, also capacity building.

For more information about global solutions to facilitate certified farming you can click here.