Gavino Zirattu is the new national vice president of ANBI, the Italian National Land Reclamation Association: Sardinia is at the center of Italian irrigation policy . Gavino Zirattu, current president of ANBI Sardinia and the Northern Sardinia Land Reclamation Consortium, has been appointed national vice president of the Association, which represents the 142 land reclamation and irrigation consortia operating throughout Italy . "This prestigious appointment places the island at the forefront of the country's major environmental, agricultural, and infrastructural challenges," according to a press release.
The appointment came from within the new National Council of ANBI, which includes the 15 members elected by the Assembly, the 20 regional presidents, three representatives of the Consortium directors, and seven experts nominated by the Professional Agricultural Organizations. Francesco Vincenzi, confirmed by acclamation, will continue to lead the body , now joined by Zirattu himself, underscoring Sardinia's increasingly central role in water and land management.
"This appointment comes at a crucial time," Zirattu emphasized, "marked by extreme weather events and a severely tested agriculture sector. A concerted effort between institutions is needed, putting aside controversies and conflicts, to finally build a clear, effective, and lasting strategy."
Among the priorities of the new mandate are innovation, bureaucratic simplification, soil conservation, revitalization of inland areas, and concrete implementation of the National Plan for Multifunctional Water Basins. "It's time to clarify responsibilities and provide the system with adequate resources. We can no longer afford ambiguity," the new vice president emphasized.
Sardinia—which has seven Land Reclamation Consortia—has experienced exponential growth in its consortium system in recent years, becoming a point of reference even at the national level . Yet, as Zirattu points out, it still lives in a Cinderella situation, with a key law in need of updating and a still uncertain regulatory framework . Recognition of ANBI Sardinia thus revitalizes the entire island sector, which today contributes to the maintenance of thousands of kilometers of waterways, the management of pumping plants, and the irrigation of thousands of hectares.
