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Navdanya International
Youth & Territory: Building Community Through Agroecology
Creating community around agroecology was the core mission of our educational pathways on youth leadership and ecoliteracy. These journeys culminated in Youth & Territory: Pathways in Agroecology and Citizenship, an event that brought together a diverse range of actors from the Lake Bracciano area.
Students, school communities, and local farmers met with representatives from the Ministry of the Environment (MASE), Mara Cossu and Tiziana Occhino, alongside regional councillor Marta Bonafoni and the mayor of Bracciano, Marco Crocicchi, to share their visions for a territory rooted in active citizenship and agroecological practices.
Students presented the projects they co-created during this year’s participatory processes focused on caring for the land: tangible outcomes of a collective journey in ecoliteracy and agroecology. A shared vision emerged: that of a living territory, where environmental protection and the production of healthy, local food become concrete, collective action.
At the close of the dialogue with institutions, the young participants had the opportunity to present their work through a collective art exhibition, while outside an aperitivo featuring local products was set up, to be enjoyed to the sounds of a student-led DJ set.
This is a tangible outcome of the Terrae Vivae program, whose results were shared within the framework of the Officine Municipali project, a community space offering free coworking and a collaborative platform dedicated to ecological action, ecoliteracy, and agroecology, open to all. An open, shared, and participatory space where agroecology becomes collective, community-driven action.
The projects are supported by the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security within the framework of the SNSvS6 Call – Sustainability Drivers and Ecology, and by the Italian Buddhist Union through its Ecology programme and 8×1000 funding scheme.
They were implemented in collaboration with the agricultural institute “Salvo D’Acquisto,” IIS Luca Paciolo, and the Ignazio Vian Scientific High School, together with the farms Fattoria Ecologica Le Bricchiette, Azienda Agricola La Argentina, and L’Orto di Clapi.
We thank Erbaccelab, together with Azienda Agricola Gentili and Fattoria Faraoni, for the agroecological catering.
The event was promoted within the framework of the project “Coworking Space Bracciano – Ecofficine,” co-funded by PR Lazio ESF+ 2021–2027, and hosted at the Officine Municipali in Bracciano.
Project “Coworking Space Bracciano” – CUP F11I24000190009 – co-funded by the European Union under PR Lazio ESF+ 2021–2027, Priority 1 Employment, Specific Objective ESO4.2 AC19, Call “Officine Municipali” (DD G05680/2023).
Beneficiary: Municipality of Bracciano. Managing partner: Navdanya International ETS.
CUP: F11I24000190009 – Sigem Code: 23019DC000000106
Photo credits: Maela Bonafede
In Loving Memory of Carlo Petrini
With deep sorrow, we receive the news of the passing of Carlo Petrini, dear friend, fellow traveler, and an unwavering voice in the defense of the Earth, of food, and of living communities.
For decades, we walked together in shared struggles: for biodiversity, for seed freedom, for the dignity of small farmers, and for a food system rooted in care, justice, and the sacred relationship between human beings and nature. Through Terra Madre, Slow Food, and the many global networks Carlo helped to nurture, millions have reawakened to the understanding that food is a commons, and that cultural and ecological diversity are the very foundations of peace and true democracy.
Carlo embodied the rare ability to root himself deeply in place while holding a planetary vision. He gave voice to peasants, seed keepers, artisanal producers, and to the communities who courageously defend the Earth against an extractive and destructive industrial model. Together, we shared gatherings, dialogues, international forums, and moments of collective mobilization, affirming that the future of humanity depends on our capacity to protect biodiversity and to regenerate the living bonds between people and the Earth.
I carry a vivid memory of his participation in the International Commission on the Future of Food and Agriculture, initiated by Claudio Martini, then President of the Tuscany Region. From this meeting, in 2008, the Manifesto for the Future of Food was born.
His legacy will live on in the seeds of hope he has sown across the world, in the webs of solidarity he helped to weave, and in the new generations who will carry this journey forward, for food that is good, clean, and just.
My heart is with his family, the Slow Food community, and all those who loved him.
Vandana Shiva
President of Navdanya International
photo credit: identitagolose.com
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