Back on Chiara Garini’s forest farm at the foot of the Italian Alps. Three years in, her mushroom farm and forest garden is at a crossroads: should she expand or diversify? In any case Chiara is determined to bring utopia into her business plan, and tells us about an exciting...

Transferring pastoral knowledge to preserve vibrant rural areas Over millennia, pastoral societies have accumulated knowledge and skills on how to successfully manage pastoral systems. Their work contributes to maintain vibrant rural areas, benefitting the rural economy and reversing land abandonment, while it also unlocks multiple ecosystem services for the whole society. Yet,...

Rome - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today unveiled a prototype rooftop farm at its Rome headquarters, an initiative that highlights how innovative technology contributes to making agri-food systems more sustainable and to increasing access to healthy diets.The farm will help explore the potential of...

This publication presents a collection of case studies by Mountain Partnership (MP) members from around the world, highlighting experiences of agroecological mountain farming systems. It aims to increase attention toward agroecological principles and approaches and showcase their potential. The MP, the only United Nations global voluntary alliance dedicated to sustainable...

It has been since 1998 that Valdibella Cooperative is working in Camporeale, Italy to create and spread alternatives to the food system in Sicily. With more than 30 members, Valdibella Cooperative aims at restoring dignity to farmers by promoting concrete actions against commercial and labour exploitation and by applying organic agricultural methods...

Despite the raise of awareness on the use of pesticides during the last 30 years, pesticide industries grew up thanks to the lack of information about the real damage these products could cause on the environment, human health and on producers’ incomes. The lack of knowledge using large and small...

As countries report mounting cases of the COVID-19, the outbreak presents them and the global community with unprecedented challenges in recent times. FAO monitors the experience of those heavily affected by the pandemic looking at the immediate impacts and the mitigation measures of countries in responding to the crisis. Drawing...

Digital tools that suit the complexity of diversified farms and meet their specific needs can bring new challenges. Once these are overcome, however, they can contribute to farm resilience and viability. Meet two Italian farm enterprises and see how their stories and narratives show that digitalisation means not only access...

The proposed operative group (GO) intends to set up a new circular local economy model, which combines the profitability of farms with social productivity: the valorization of horticultural genetic resources will be based on minimum technological input and on production schedule according to the needs of the community expressed by...

Since the Green Revolution, worldwide agriculture has been characterized by a typical top–down approach. The degree of autonomy, creativity, and responsibility of farmers has been limited by the continuous external inputs of chemicals, machinery, advice, subsidies and knowledge. The issue of sustainability has brought complexity and uncertainty to this mainly linear...

Provisional AgendaThe Global Launch of the United Nations Decade of Family Farming (2019-2028)27-29 May, 2019FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy

The project successfully reinforced the basis for the cooperative management of shared multispecies fisheries in the four MedSudMed participating countries: Italy, Libya, Malta and Tunisia. This was achieved through the implementation of subregional research programmes, the establishment of scientific networks, and improved national capacity building. Fisheries scientists and staff in...

The initiative involves the close collaboration between scientists and fishers, combining fishers local and experiential knowledge with scientific information in the quest for solutions.

Welcome to the final newsletter from the Farm-Success project!Since you last heard from us we have been carrying out the final adjustments, tests, and translations to our online training platform. We have also held several multiplier events across Europe in which young farmers and other stakeholders have discussed the importance of succession processes...

Schola Campesina is a training and participatory research centre seeking to strengthen producers’ organizations in their struggle for food sovereignty through knowledge valorization and sharing. Based on the Nyéléni International Forum for Agroecology (2015), and on the principles of Dialogo de saberes, Schola Campesina seeks to boost the sharing of...

Permaculture is a holistic approach to agriculture that provides for human needs—high-quality food, fiber, fuel, medicine and building materials—while enhancing the ecosystems and communities from which these derive; it offers a set of ethics and principles and a means of integrating social and ecological processes in a way that is...

Agritourism offers farmers the possibility of diversifying and generating additional income through on-farm touristic activities in order to help supplementing their low agricultural income. This helps to maintain the viability of active farms and rural communities. The more general understanding of agritourism states that agritourism activities support and promote agricultural...

Emanuele La Barbera and Alessandra Rabittiis, organic farmers in Umbria, Italy, have found a natural way of reducing the number of parasites causing suffering to their goats. Emanuele and Alessandra herd 70 camosciata delle alpi goats and produce milk and dairy products. Most of their farmland is dedicated to pasture,...

The programme aims to improve existing training and resources for CSA farmers, equipping them with the skills and tools to produce healthy sustainable food for local communities, and to encourage experience sharing with European countries where CSA is less established. The event took place over five days at Cascina Santa Brera,...

In the framework of its three years project “Mainstreaming small-scale low impact fisheries in the Mediterranean” funded by the MAVA Foundation, LIFE plans to reinforce its presence on the ground in order to provide increased support to the small-scale fishing communities in the region. Following a comprehensive interview process Prof. Iuri Peri was selected...