Soil Health, Diagram: Agritech for a green revolution and healthier soils in Italy and Europe

Jolanda di Savoia (Fe), 9 January 2026 – With the entry into force of the European Directive on soil monitoring and resilience on 16 December 2025, the European Union is taking a historic step toward sustainable soil management, recognising this resource as a fundamental element for food security, biodiversity, and the fight against climate change. The legislation, published in the EU Official Journal on 26 November 2025, requires Member States to establish coherent monitoring systems and soil resilience strategies within three years of its entry into force, contributing to the objectives of the European Green Deal and the EU Soil and Biodiversity Strategy to 2030.

According to the latest data from the EU Soil Observatory, around 62% of soils in the European Union are in poor condition due to erosion, compaction, loss of organic matter, and other forms of degradation, with an estimated economic impact of tens of billions of euros per year.

In Italy, the situation highlights strong anthropogenic pressure on the country’s land resources: in 2024, almost 84 km² of natural soil was consumed, an increase of 15.6% compared to the previous year and a net consumption of approximately 78.5 km², the highest figure in the last decade. These data, compiled by the National System for Environmental Protection (SNPA) and ISPRA, show how urbanisation, infrastructure development, and intensive land use are eroding one of the country’s most precious and non-renewable resources.

“Soil monitoring is no longer an optional activity: it is a legislative requirement and a necessity for the resilience of our agricultural and environmental systems. Agritech technologies make it possible to translate the provisions of the new directive into concrete actions, providing reliable data and advanced decision-making tools to those working in the field,” says Roberto Mancini, CEO of Diagram.

In such a complex and fragile context, agritech continues to play a strategic role, thanks to its ability to deliver reliable and timely data, predictive analyses, and large-scale management tools. Diagram, which has been committed to technological innovation for agriculture and the environment for many years, is a key partner for public institutions, agricultural businesses, and research centres in the transition toward sustainable soil management models.

Among its cutting-edge technologies are IoT sensors for continuous monitoring of the physical, chemical, and biological parameters of the soil; cloud platforms for data integration and visualisation; and artificial intelligence and machine-learning models for predictive analysis of degradation and risk phenomena. These tools enable the activation of early-warning systems for phenomena such as erosion, salinisation, or loss of organic matter, and support operational decisions based on scientific evidence.

Diagram also supports territorial monitoring and sustainable soil management programmes that integrate real-time data with historical environmental analyses. These solutions enable the development of climate-resilience plans, the optimisation of agricultural practices, and the reduction of environmental impacts, in line with European objectives of achieving soil degradation neutrality by 2050.

The new European directive not only introduces a uniform monitoring framework, but also represents a driver for innovation and competitiveness in the agritech sector, with potential positive effects on the agri-food supply chain, water resource management, biodiversity, and landscape quality.

Diagram was born in 2024 from the transformation of the IBF Servizi SpA Group and the acquisitions of Agronica Srl, Abaco SpA, Agriconsulting SpA and Netsens Srl. It is an Italian and European leader in the digitalisation of services dedicated to the agri-food sector, in the development of farm management software and in the management of delivery processes, monitoring and control of environmental and agricultural support programmes. A partner of important governments on the European continent, it supports public administration, agricultural companies, banking and insurance institutions and the agri-food industry with the aim of promoting social, economic and environmental sustainability. Today the company is 41.6% owned by CDP Equity (Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Group), 41.6% by Trilantic Europe and 15% by BF Agricola.