Civic Agriculture in Spoleto
Always attentive to the anthropological applications of multi-functional agriculture, we think that there can be no agricultural cultural progress without the opening of this world to dynamics of information, awareness and involvement of those subjects that until now remained outside it and that at first view may seem completely unrelated.
We believe that innovation comes from the unusual and from a multidisciplinary approach, ideas arise from the multi-potential of individuals.
Thus, from the collaboration between a biologist, our farm, a beekeeper, a communication expert, four families and three renowned restaurants, we have given birth to a civic agriculture project in Spoleto.
In various parts of the world, especially in the States and in central-northern Europe, CSA (Community-supported agriculture) is called the model that brings together those who produce and those who consume to arrive at an agriculture that in many cases is organic and that aspires to share fair compensation among all participants. Crops or as in this case local farms, provide for the food needs of the communities, with particular regard to environmental sustainability or biodiversity, the circular economy, the desire to participate, solidarity. Local communities therefore become an active direct or indirect part of agricultural production and trigger a virtuous circular relationship between producers, workers, consumers that enhances the rural world and in some cases like ours, protects the environment as a value of humanity. The ideas for growth and analysis are endless, from the reduction of stress, to the experience of spending time away from devices, to the reintegration of the unemployed into the world of work, to the principles of healthy nutrition, let’s not forget the use of natural sugars naturally refined and unrelated to chemical processes. We can stay here to write for a long time, indeed we would like to read your suggestion in the comments on what other topics could be covered.
Our civic agriculture project is called “A beehive for a friend” and involves the adoption of a beehive and its community of bees, which will be placed in an uncontaminated environment in Terraia di Spoleto at our Agrileisuretime farm, surrounded by bees’ favorite plants. These will be happy to pollinate without having to reach the three kilometers they could potentially cover in search of food. In this other article you can find out more about the world of bees. This will be followed for three years by a proximity of information and participations that will lead to receiving a variable quantity of honey of about six or eight kilograms per year but which may vary depending on the season.
People who lead normal lives, who have a revelation and decide to contribute directly with their work, for example by personally participating in the positioning and care of the hive or simply at the time of honey extraction. At the same time, in collaboration with the farm, they repopulate the bees, protect the biodiversity that is so important for these insects and indirectly carry out concrete actions to protect the environment. From year to year and for three years, they will be able to receive as a gift from nature a sweetener with numerous beneficial properties and which in addition has the value of being local, controlled and the result of their work and support. Even the farm and the beekeeper will have a part of the production to repay the work and investments. The circle closes and starts to turn from year to year to equally feed all those who have decided to grab it, push it and turn with it.
