View source for Battle for Grain

{{Short description|Fascist italian economic policy}}
{{inline citations|date=May 2021}}
[[File:Mussolini Caterpillar.png|thumb|[[Benito Mussolini]] propaganda photo for the ''Battle for Grain'']]

The '''Battle for Grain''' ({{Langx|it|Battaglia del grano}}), also known as the '''Battle for Wheat''', was a propaganda campaign launched in 1925 during the [[Fascist Italy (1922–1943)|fascist regime of Italy]] by [[Benito Mussolini]], with the aim of gaining [[self-sufficiency]] in [[wheat]] production and freeing Italy from the "slavery of foreign bread". This campaign was successful in increasing wheat output and lowering the [[trade deficit]], but was ultimately economically counter-productive for Italy's agricultural sector as farmers who grew other produce had to clear their land for grain cultivation which decreased exports. This resulted in higher [[food prices]] which placed Italian families under financial strain.  

==Aims==
Some of the policy's aims included:
* Boost grain production to make Italy self-sufficient in wheat
* Reduce the trade balance deficit
* Reduce the need of importing bread
* Project Italy as a major European power
{{Mussolini sidebar}}

==Impact==
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2024}}
In the year following the announcement of the Battle for Grain, wheat production levels stood at 50% higher than those in 1914 and this was because farmers were encouraged to ditch traditional farming methods in favour of purchasing modern equipment and adopting new techniques in order to increase efficiency and maximise wheat yields. However, this programme depended on farmers clearing their land for grain cultivation which many did, but this resulted in a sharp decline in Italy's chief exports such as wines, cheeses and fruits as well as meat and dairy products since there was limited agricultural space for [[viticulture]] and livestock rearing and other European rivals such as [[Restoration (Spain)|Spain]] and [[Second Hellenic Republic|Greece]] subsequently took over and prospered from their trade. Consequently, there were food shortages which meant the price for these products soared and families were placed under considerable financial difficulty as each household had to pay an extra 400 lire per year in food costs. This meant that Mussolini was forced into increasing imports to appease the discontented Italian population and these rose to over 500 million tonnes by 1933. Furthermore, to ensure wheat grew en masse, fertilisers were required which needed to be imported from elsewhere. Therefore, it is clear that the Battle for Grain was merely a [[Propaganda in Fascist Italy|propaganda]] initiative designed to project an image of a hard-working, ruralised Italian populace who were loyal fascists successfully fulfilling Mussolini's fanatical policies of Italy being a self-sufficient, [[Autarky|autarkic]] state. In reality,  Italy lacked the necessary infrastructure and development to achieve this goal which was compounded by apathy from Italian farmers to carry out Mussolini's wish. This farcical campaign was merely a façade to disguise Italy's internal weakness from being known by other more powerful and developed countries such as Germany and Britain, which profoundly intimidated Mussolini.

==See also==
*[[Battle of the Lira]]
*[[Battle for Births]]
*[[Battle for Land]]
*[[Sbracciantizzazione]]
*[[Economy of Italy under Fascism, 1922–1943|Economy of Fascist Italy]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* Celli, Carlo. 2013. ''Economic Fascism: Primary Sources on Mussolini's Crony Capitalism''. Axios Press. 
*''Fascist Italy'' by John Hite
*''Mussolini'' by [[Denis Mack Smith]]

==External links==
*[http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/economy_in_fascist_italy.htm History Learning Site]

{{Fascism}}
{{Fascist economic battles}}

[[Category:Economic history of Italy]]
[[Category:Italian fascism]]
[[Category:Food politics]]
[[Category:History of agriculture]]
[[Category:Grain trade]]
[[Category:Agriculture in Italy]]