** The tragedy of an agricultural worker: a trial revealing abuse in Italian agriculture **
Antonello Lovato’s trial, an Italian farmer, who started this Tuesday in Latina, tragically illustrates the excesses of an agricultural system based on the exploitation of migrants. The death of Satnam Singh, an unpaid Indian worker, after a machine has destroyed his arm, is an incident that goes far beyond a simple individual drama. He invites us to reflect on the realities of agricultural work in Italy, anchored in precarious and often despised labor systems.
### The challenges of “Caporalato”
The term “corporalato” designates a semi-worn network which regulates the employment of workers in the agricultural sector through intermediaries, often unscrupulous people. This system, which implies the relocation of low-cost labor, is both a necessity and a curse in the Italian agricultural industry. Workers, often migrants, face inhuman working conditions, with few social protections and wages that do not even correspond to the minimum vital.
According to a survey carried out by the CGIL union, around 400,000 agricultural workers in Italy come from immigration, and nearly 250,000 of them are employed under this informal system. These figures highlight a not only human, but also economic crisis. While the agricultural sector is vital for the Italian economy, it suffers from an exploitable workforce at will.
### Mobilization of unions and the government’s response
Faced with this tragedy, the response of civil society and unions is both rapid and significant. Demonstrations took place in court, stressing the urgency of putting an end to practices that many consider as a medieval. The CGIL, the largest union in the country, not only organized these demonstrations, but was also at the forefront of a campaign to put pressure on the government in order to adopt legislation strengthening the rights of agricultural workers.
It is interesting to compare this situation to other European countries where reforms have already been set up. In Spain, for example, recent laws have been adopted to guarantee decent working conditions and fair wages for agricultural workers, which has not only improved the living conditions of workers, but has also helped stabilize the agricultural labor market.
### The visible and invisible impact: a question of dignity
Beyond economic challenges, the death of Satnam Singh raises questions of human dignity. This personal drama is emblematic of a broader phenomenon: contempt for the life of agricultural workers, often invisible, but essential to our food system. The figures are eloquent but sometimes insufficient to move the lines: how many lives must be lost for society to realize these realities?
Alarming statistics show that the agricultural sector is one of the most dangerous in Europe, with a particularly high work rate. The lack of regulation and rigorous inspection also allows operators like Lovato to continue to operate without undergoing the consequences. The system is draining and corrosive, both for workers and for the entire sector.
### Towards a collective awareness
The death of Satnam Singh could well be a catalyst to change things in Italy. The Lovato trial could force both decision -makers and civil society to reassess the value of agricultural work and the conditions under which it is carried out. A collective awareness is necessary to put an end to the indifference that often surrounds these tragedies. Through this trial, the challenge is to transform anger and indignation into concrete actions.
The caporalato system is just as representative of systemic errors as a culture of impunity which has enabled obsolete practices to last. Itinerant on sunny agricultural land, Africa or other Asian regions, the exploitation of migrant labor remains a global reality that it is imperative to face.
The death of Satnam Singh should not be a simple figure in the annals of history, but the starting point for a movement aimed at changing our relationship to work, human dignity and workers’ rights. A fruit tree can only flower if its roots are healthy. It is time to ensure that each worker has the possibility of seeing his labor with dignity rewarded and protected.