Navdanya International

Navdanya International

URL: https://navdanyainternational.org

Updated: 1 month 5 days ago

Observing and Understanding Soil and Woodland Ecosystems

Fri, 03/07/2025 - 13:32

During the introductory workshop, the 40 young participants began their journey by analyzing the landscape and the impact of monocultures, and discovered how these changes have been represented in historical paintings. Our discovery of living food systems started with a focus on the importance of soil: we learned how healthy soil equals living soil, and its essential role for ecosystems and food production systems.

In the forest, we observed the different layers of soil and created natural colors to illustrate our understanding of ecosystems. Our program consists of three workshops and six educational outings, which will allow us to compare the natural forest soil with soil altered by industrial farming. This will help us understand the benefits of regenerative soil practices in agroecological agriculture. We will study soils, plants, and roots, and use artistic tools to develop our vision of human-nature coexistence.

https://youtube.com/shorts/T391tH8Zfsc

Ecoculturae – Comunità ecologiche in formazione

Categories: A3. Agroecology

Agroecology at Le Bricchiette Organic Farm

Mon, 03/03/2025 - 14:48

Immersive experiences at Le Bricchiette Organic Farm offered young project participants a unique opportunity to understand the meaning of equity in production, ecologically, socially and ethically. Elena, the farm owner, conveyed a clear message through her own farming: every element of the ecosystem is essential for its balance and for the production of healthy food, with biodiversity being the main ingredient of any agroecological model.

Workshop 1: Agroecology and Life – Discovering Biodiversity in Action

During the first workshop, participants explored the role of biodiversity in agroecological practices and the value of a fair and sustainable production model. Activities included:

Exploratory walk along the crop fields: observation of cultivated biodiversity and its impact on ecological balance.
The value of fair and local production: reflection on the link between biodiversity, food sovereignty and social justice.
Interaction with Elena and knowledge exchange: insights into agroecological principles and farm management choices.

This experience offered young project participants a concrete understanding of the interconnection between agricultural ecosystems and sustainable food production.

How Are Eggs Produced, and What Does Biodiversity Have to Do with It?

By deconstructing their favorite dishes, the young participants began exploring the differences between industrial and ecological food production.

Starting with the question, “What does organic mean to us?”, we visited the farm to understand the true meaning of fair food production—ecologically, socially, and ethically. Elena, the farm’s owner, conveys a clear message through her agricultural practices: every element of the ecosystem plays a vital role in maintaining balance and producing healthy food. Biodiversity, she emphasizes, is the key ingredient in ecological food production.

By realizing that every part of a farm is alive and has a purpose, the young participants developed a deeper connection to agroecological production through empathy. The activity concluded with a final reflection on the crucial role of biodiversity in our food systems.

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Workshop 2: Experiencing Agroecology – A Pathway to Regeneration

In the second workshop, participants explored the importance of the interconnectedness of various forms of life for the balance of an agricultural ecosystem capable of regenerating nature. The session included the following topics:

Agroecological alternatives to the high-impact conventional agricultural model: how agroecological practices counter a model based on monoculture, intensive use of chemical inputs and high irrigation requirements, restoring fertility and life to the soil.
Seasonality and local production: comparing the value of seasonal product availability versus intensive production models.
The energy cost of industrial production: reflection on the environmental impact of off-season cultivation versus the sustainability of local farms.

Through these activities, young project participants gained tools to understand the link between food production, biodiversity and ecological justice.

Cultivating Organically Means Caring for Our Ecosystems!

This was the answer given by our young participants to the question, “What does ‘organic’ mean to you?” during their visit to the “Le Bricchiette” organic farm. Taking advantage of one of spring’s first sunny days, we explored the farm alongside its founder, Elena, to observe how biodiversity is integrated into the cultivation system and forms its foundation.

We discussed how free-range chickens live and contribute to soil health, how bees feed on the blooming winter orchard, and we curiously collected wild herbs such as Berberis vulgaris, Plantago lanceolata, and Pimpinella saxifraga.

Our visit encouraged us to reflect on the value of food availability and the need for a more equitable and secure production model compared to what we often find in supermarkets. We considered the high energy consumption required to produce out-of-season vegetables, while local businesses offer a wide range of organic seasonal products.

And yes, avocados are also linked to climate change: with rising temperatures, tropical plants are increasingly being cultivated even in central Italy. The environmental impact of avocado cultivation is well-known due to its high irrigation needs when grown in monocultures and the transportation associated with large-scale food distribution.

In contrast, local organic farming alternatives are evolving to adapt to climate changes and rising temperatures observed in recent years. These efforts contribute to reducing negative environmental impacts and creating alternatives to industrial food systems.

https://youtube.com/shorts/y-W_4xy00mg

When educational paths are rooted in the territory

The workshops held at Le Bricchiette Farm embodied the idea of education that comes from direct experience. The farm was transformed into a living laboratory, where young participants were able to experience firsthand the value of agroecology. This experiential approach reinforced a relational understanding of the land as a living partner, promoting values of care, reciprocity and harmony with nature.

Education as a Tool for Transformation

The activities carried out at Le Bricchiette fit into the broader educational vision of Navdanya International, which aims at training young leaders capable of imagining and building equitable and resilient futures, and considers education an essential driver for the transition to regenerative systems.

Ecoculturae – Regenerating Ecological Communities

Categories: A3. Agroecology

We Want GMO-Free Municipalities and Regions

Mon, 03/03/2025 - 08:15

By Manlio Masucci, Navdanya International

A campaign to encourage Italian municipalities to approve a resolution declaring their territories free from genetically modified crops.

GMO-Free Municipalities and Regions is the campaign launched by the Centro Internazionale Crocevia and the Associazione Rurale Italiana (ARI), with the support of Navdanya International, calling on local administrations to declare themselves free from GMOs, including those obtained through New Genomic Techniques.

From the associations’ websites, it is possible to download a draft resolution that, once adapted to the local context, can be brought to vote and approved. This initiative follows the persistent attempts by the European Union to deregulate next-generation GMOs, exempting them from current rules on traceability, labeling, and risk assessment.

This political agenda has been driven by the powerful industrial lobby, which, following the Europeanization of the American corporation Monsanto—acquired by the German company Bayer—has invested substantial resources to push for deregulation in Europe. According to the national coalition Italia Libera da Ogm, this political shift threatens biodiversity, small-scale farming, and farmers’ and citizens’ right to know and choose, while reinforcing multinational corporate control over seeds and the entire food system. For these reasons, the bottom-up initiative GMO-Free Municipalities and Regions directly appeals to citizens and local governments to defend food sovereignty and protect their territories.

Leading the way in this campaign is a small municipality in central Italy. The Municipality of Poppi, in the province of Arezzo, has become the first in Europe to unanimously approve a resolution declaring its territory GMO-free. Poppi recently organized an event, with the support of various organizations, including the Casentino biodistrict, featuring internationally renowned geneticist Salvatore Ceccarelli and researcher Stefania Grando.

But this is not the only initiative. Among the key voices in the fight against GMOs is the president of Navdanya International, Vandana Shiva. Her biographical film The Seeds of Vandana Shiva will soon be screened in Poppi and, on March 2, it was screened at the farmers’ market in Manziana (Province of Rome), organized by the association Articulturae. On this occasion, the book Why Stop New GMOs by Francesco Paniè and Stefano Mori, published by Terra Nuova Edizioni, was also presented.

The organizers of the Manziana farmers’ market have already proposed extending the GMO-Free label to networks of farmers’ markets nationwide. These are just some of the many initiatives spreading at the national and international levels to counteract a trend that benefits only agrochemical multinationals while further jeopardizing small-scale farming and putting agricultural biodiversity at serious risk.

Learn more:

GMOs must not be deregulated

Categories: A3. Agroecology

Workshop on Biodiversity – Hazelnut Monoculture and Environmental Impacts in the Tuscia Region: A Critical Analysis

Wed, 02/26/2025 - 02:27

In the latest session with students from Ignazio Vian High School, participating in the TSOP (Transversal Skills and Orientation) Program, we tackled a crucial issue for the region’s ecological future: the environmental impact of large-scale hazelnut monoculture in the Tuscia region.

Through an active research approach, students were divided into groups to explore different perspectives—from environmental consequences such as water eutrophication and soil degradation to legal frameworks and real-world cases of lawsuits and awareness campaigns.

We examined how large corporations justify their production strategies and the measures they claim to adopt to mitigate the environmental damage caused by intensive monocultures. To understand the tools available for protecting ecosystems and public health, students researched key regulations on biodiversity and natural resource conservation, comparing European and international legislative frameworks.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ggQouDjaH9g

This experience deepened their understanding of the need for ecological farming practices that respect biodiversity and water cycles while equipping them with critical tools to analyze the environmental and economic dynamics shaping our landscapes.

Understanding to drive change: Critical thinking and research skills lay the foundation for active citizenship. Analyzing the transformations in our territories caused by economic and political decisions served as a basis for reflecting on youth participation in democratic processes. What tools do we have to understand the needs of our communities and protect the places we live in, the living beings around us, our health, and future generations?

Read more: Hazelnut Land, a report by Manlio Masucci, Navdanya International, on the expansion of intensive hazelnut monocultures.

Ecoculturae – Comunità ecologiche in formazione

Categories: A3. Agroecology

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Navdanya International

Observing and Understanding Soil and Woodland Ecosystems

Agroecology at Le Bricchiette Organic Farm

We Want GMO-Free Municipalities and Regions

Workshop on Biodiversity – Hazelnut Monoculture and Environmental Impacts in the Tuscia Region: A Critical Analysis

The Fine Print I:

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