Pro-Environmental Viticulture: Status Quo and Perspectives from Prosecco Winegrowers in Italy

In the last few decades, criticisms arose in society over sustainability in viticulture, due particularly to environmental and health concerns about pesticide use. The presence of social conflicts is well documented in some renowned wine areas as the Bourgogne in France and the Prosecco in Italy. As a novel contribution, this paper provides empirical insights into winegrowers' commitment and will and related motivations towards environmental sustainability in the Prosecco Hills area, where social conflicts are well documented around this relevant facet, but little is known on the part of producers. This study aims to explore the pro-environmental behavioral intention of Prosecco winegrowers, focusing on its behavioral determinants, namely knowledge, responsibility, and self-identity. Data collection was held from August to December 2021 through a structured online questionnaire sent to Prosecco winegrowers. We obtained 87 completed questionnaires and data were analyzed through Partial Least Square Structural Equation modeling using SmartPLS software. The results suggest that, on average, winegrowers in our sample show a high pro-environmental behavioral intention. Moreover, the results associate a higher intention to adopt pro-environmental behavior and a higher responsibility towards sustainable viticulture with winegrowers' having a good knowledge of farming practices beneficial for the environment. Moreover, winegrowers who feel more responsible for acting sustainability towards the environment in the area and those who view themselves as pro-environmental farmers intend to farm more sustainably. Our results have implications to support the design of locally adapted strategies and policies aimed at improving the diffusion of more sustainable farming practices and resolving local conflicts.