Winegrowers’ Perceptions and Adoption of Sustainable Soil Management Practices and Technologies: A Case Study in Piedmont, Italy

Soil, vital for human life, faces threats like erosion, floods, organic matter loss, salinisation, contamination, compaction, sealing, and biodiversity loss. Soil cover, especially through crops, combats erosion and enhances structure. The IN-GEST SOIL project, focused on mitigating soil erosion and enhancing soil and vine quality in Piedmont vineyards (NW Italy), conducted a study exploring the perceptions and behaviors of winegrowers in this Italian region. Adopting a mixed-methods research approach, the study included a questionnaire administered to 72 winegrowers, with 22 participating in subsequent focus groups, to investigate the perceived causes of soil erosion and adoption of potential preventive measures. The results showed that most participants were aware of soil degradation phenomena in their vineyards. Grass cover was adopted as a soil management practice, even though much information about soil degradation risks and related solutions is necessary, especially knowledge and indication on how to correctly use management practices and technical solutions that can contribute to soil conservation, to avoid a misuse that may results, on the contrary, in increased soil degradation. Even though some differences in perceptions emerged based on vineyards’ characteristics, the present study highlighted the need to encourage the adoption of soil protection practices and technologies, spread access to economic support, and help winegrowers’ transition toward a more sustainable farming paradigm. In addition to the findings related to the objectives, this study demonstrated the usefulness of a mixed methods research approach, which is uniquely capable of providing both extensive and statistically relevant information and intensive, narrative insights.