Stimulating the construction of a network of virtuous practices to guide fair and sustainable food economies, disseminating an integrated and transformative approach among key players in the agrifood system, and facilitating the exchange of experiences: these are the inspiring principles of the mapping of good practices of agroecological transition promoted by the Azione TerrAE coalition, formed by 7 cooperation associations and 2 civil society networks: ACRA, CISV, COSPE, DEAFAL, LVIA, Mani Tese, Terra Nuova, Rete Semi Rurali and Agroecology Europe.
The initiative was part of the project CHALLENGE – call to action for local and national agroecological change, promoted by new ecologist generations, supported by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and led by Deafal, which addresses the issue of climate change and human impacts on ecosystems through a programme of initiatives calling citizens and institutions to action, for a change towards a more sustainable and just world.
Following the ‘call’ addressed to Italian and foreign entities, it has now been possible to map 28 good practices of agroecological transition from all over the world. Of the 28 practices, 10 are carried out in Italy – Lombardy, Veneto, Trentino, Emilia-Romagna, Campania, Sardinia, Basilicata – and 18 abroad, in 15 countries: Croatia, Serbia, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Peru, Chad, Morocco, Kenya, eSwatini, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Benin, Guinea Bissau, Niger.
‘The variety and diversity of the proposals confirms that agroecological transition does not only concern specialised organisations and agencies, but involves the entire network of subjects and social relations that are created and develop around food, in Italy as in the rest of the world,’ says Giorgio Menchini, spokesperson for Azione TerrAE.
For Lombardy, the good practice ‘11 Grains Chain’ of the Distretto di Economia Solidale Rurale del Parco Agricolo Sud Milano (Rural Solidarity Economy District of the South Milan Agricultural Park) stood out, which presented its bread chain, produced from organic cultivation of 11 traditional varieties of seeds. Launched in 2010, it is the result of a participatory process involving farmers, bakers and consumers, bringing the countryside closer to the city. The practice generates biodiversity and represents a return to the Milanese farming tradition of the 1940s, before the green revolution that introduced uniformity and monocultures.
From Sardinia comes the experience of Mesa Noa, a cooperative founded in Cagliari in 2019 by a community that practices responsible consumption and has opened the region’s first self-managed emporium in the city. It has over 400 members who manage all the organisation and sales phases free of charge. The savings thus generated make it possible to have quality products at competitive prices and to pay the producers a fair wage. The suppliers are mainly farmers and artisans who share respect for the land and seasonal cycles, the dignity of work, and the health of those who work and those who consume. The cooperative also promotes popular events on the circular economy in the region.
From Trentino, ‘Agroecology in the mountains’, the good practice presented by the La Fonte farm, tackles the challenge of recovering abandoned land, which the family business successfully manages thanks to a coherent systemic approach that ranges from farming, livestock breeding, gathering wild plants, processing and direct sales. It also carries out activities to promote networking, training for young people and education on healthy nutrition for boys and girls.
From Southern Africa, from the State of eSwatini, ‘Contadine Protagoniste’ presented by COSPE, integrates gender empowerment and food sovereignty, developing communities’ capacity to respond to climate change through innovative approaches centred on the recovery of local knowledge and resources. While nurturing the capacity for local agroecosystem maintenance and management, and autonomy from agribusiness, it promotes gender equity, increasing women’s political and technical power and their leading role in local food economies.
From Burkina Faso comes the good practice ‘Recovery of traditional knowledge of the Cassa Nigricans’, presented by ACRA: the valorisation of a local species for the production of biopesticides becomes an important tool for the transformation of the agri-food system, thanks to its ability to simultaneously take into account environmental, socio-cultural (access to healthy food and valorisation of traditional knowledge), and economic (reduction of dependence on synthetic commercial products, creation of new income opportunities) aspects.
From Peru, the ‘Circulating in the Amazon’ project, presented by Terra Nuova, developed a circular economy model, prioritising four local products, enhancing their contribution to the promotion and dissemination of healthy, nutritious and culturally appropriate diets; increasing their commercial potential and leveraging ecotourism and the training of environmental guides to improve the community’s capacity to narrate and negotiate the value and inviolability of its habitat.
Finally, from Senegal the good practice of ‘Organic fonio production’, presented by a local network of producers: Réseau des acteurs de la filière fonio en agriculture biologique au Sénégal. The production, processing and marketing of a neglected species of cereal, fonio, linked to the tradition of the Bedick and Bassari minorities, becomes a means of promoting food economies rooted in the local context, with a strong focus on the role of women, biodiversity and seed management and use.
Source: Zeroventiquattro.it
