Politically neglected for decades, the phenomenon of caporalato—illegal intermediation and exploitation of both migrant and Italian workers in the agricultural sector—has been recently added to political agendas. According to ISTAT (the Italian National Institute of Statistics), agriculture is the sector with the highest rate of irregularity of employment (24.2% of the agricultural workforce in 2018). In this specific context, violations of minimum wage requirements, inhumane working conditions and violence are common.

Several strategies and initiatives to combat caporalato have been developed at the national level, in particular the Triennial Plan (2020–2022). Drafted by an inter-institutional meeting, the plan identifies four main pillars of intervention: prevention and deterrence; vigilance and contrast; protection and care; socio-economic inclusion. The Ministry of Labour and Social Policies has also promoted the development of a common strategy of intervention with the most affected regions, i.e. Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Puglia, and Sicilia. Two programmes, SU.PR.EME and P.I.U. SU.PR.EME, have been initiated within the framework of this strategy.

Funded by the AMIF Emergency Fund, the SU.PR.EME. programme also involves the National Labour Inspectorate, IOM (the International Organization for Migration) and NGO Nova Onlus. The project has adopted a comprehensive and long-term approach to the issue of caporalato. In particular, it aims to:

• renovate and refurbish some state-owned proprieties in order to create guesthouses for migrant workers;
• improve orientation services for migrant workers;
• strengthen and increase inspection activities;
• improve local health services and transport.

​​​​​The complementary programme, P.I.U. SU.PR.EME, aims to:

• strengthen the local network and improve local institutions and organisations' involvement;
• strengthen coordination of services and creation of single access points;
• develop ad hoc and comprehensive approaches to support beneficiaries.

The adoption of a comprehensive approach is extremely important, as the system of workers’ exploitation involves not only their working conditions (such as rights denial and lower retributions) but also their recruitment (intermediation) and living conditions.

Some characteristics of the Italian agricultural sector, such as high demand for short-term and flexible labour, a lack of official recruitment services and the geographical isolation of workplaces, explain the development of this phenomenon.