A worker herds the sheep in the Caffarella Park in Rome, Italy, April 16, 2020.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

A tourist walks past a fountain at Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Italy on Aug. 5, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

Workers work in a farm in the Caffarella Park in Rome, Italy, April 16, 2020.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
The number of farms in Italy diminished by nearly a third in the decade ending in 2020, the Italian government's statistics office (ISTAT) reported Tuesday. However, farms grew dramatically in size and efficiency over the same time span.

ISTAT on Tuesday released the sectoral and regional breakdowns from its seventh general census of agriculture, a survey of more than 1.7 million Italian farms and agricultural concerns of all types and sizes.

The report compares data from 2020 and 2010, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Italian agricultural sector.