Unveiling the Motivations Behind Cultivating Fungus-Resistant Wine Varieties: Insights from Wine Growers in South Tyrol, Italy

A significant amount of fungicides consumed in European agriculture are used in viticulture, despite vineyards only occupying a very limited percentage of the cultivated area. Cultivation of disease-resistant hybrid grape cultivars can reduce vineyard treatments by half, with a significant decrease in climate-altering emissions, farmer costs, occupational injury risks, and excessive soil compression. The objective of this study is to investigate the motives and barriers that winegrowers in South Tyrol, Italy face when considering the conversion to fungus-resistant grape varieties (PIWI) farming. We conducted a qualitative study using in-depth interviews and participant observation with winegrowers to gain insight into their perspectives on the reasons for and challenges in adopting or practicing PIWI viticulture. The paper tests two hypotheses: the environmental commitment and concerns of producers with their personal values and environmental ethics in adopting PIWI varieties and relational and social influences, leading producers towards the consideration of social sustainability. The results present a picture aligned with the existing literature, emphasizing a stronger commitment to environmental sustainability while also considering economic and legislative constraints in the cultivation of a niche wine variety, which still has a limited market presence and distribution.