Flourishing territories, in everyone's interest
Over the past 70 years, 63% of cultivated areas in Italy have been abandoned, giving way to numerous fallow areas. The result is a simplification of the landscape that has negative impacts on biodiversity conservation. This is especially true in the provinces of Varese,
Como, and Milan, where the reduction of agricultural areas is exacerbated by constant and progressive urbanization: here the rate is among the highest in the country. However, landscape diversity is a resource to defend and enhance, in everyone's interest. That's why
we are committed to concrete actions to protect and promote sustainable development in close collaboration with farmers, beekeepers, and local communities in the Insubria-Olona ETS. For a more sustainable and flourishing territory for all.
We imagine an agricultural system capable of responding to the challenges posed by the ongoing environmental crisis, and a territory that can support biodiversity. How? Through the valorization of natural resources, employability in agriculture, and the promotion of social
aggregation. This is what we aim to achieve in the Insubria-Olona Ecosystemic Territorial Scope (ETS) with the In.Seeds project. A concrete initiative to support producers in two essential sectors for the local economy: agriculture and beekeeping, with a focus on
sustainability and resilience to climate change.
Recovery of ancient practices for a sustainable supply chain
We want to identify biodiverse meadows in the Insubria-Olona ATE suitable for collecting hayseeds, a mixture of seeds of high naturalistic value: an essential technique in an age of environmental degradation and impoverishment, as it allows the restoration of
meadows with high biodiversity. However, it is necessary to develop a protocol that certifies the quality of the product: this way we can define a supply chain for the production and use of hayseeds, to meet the growing demand for native plant material.
Pollen: a resource to be valorised
Beekeeping is one of the most vulnerable sectors threatened by climate change: diversifying its activities is essential for the sustenance of producers. Therefore, we support local beekeepers with specific training on pollen production techniques, providing them with the necessary tools and a laboratory to facilitate the activation of the supply chain, from processing to packaging.
The supply chains we propose are sustainable and innovative; on the one hand, they help make producers prepared to face the challenges posed by the climate crisis; on the other hand, they offer additional economic opportunities and new prospects in the agricultural
sector, while respecting the environment.
Landscape diversification and territorial management
We want to reconstruct the complexity of the landscape of the ETS by introducing elements of diversity: hedgerows and patches of shrubs, new clearings in wooded areas, tree rows in the agricultural landscape, and recovery of stable meadows.
Agroecological interventions do not stop there: to oppose the abandonment of the territory, we network unused areas and those relinquished by owners for management, where environmental improvement works can be carried out and a register of hayseeds-donating
meadows within the ETS can be defined. We gather the needs of small agricultural businesses in the area and support them in their growth through the autonomous production of native hayseeds.
In.Seeds is made possible thanks to the support of Fondazione Cariplo and the Municipality of Castelnuovo Bozzente, in collaboration with the Regional Park of the Pineta di Appiano Gentile and Tradate, the Mughetti Park, and the Regional Park of Monte
Barro.