Agriculture with an organic future (Agricoltura con un futuro bio, Landwirtschaft mit biologischer Zukunft)
In Budoia, organic farmers have teamed up with the local school canteen. The parents, who are members of the Italian Organic Agriculture Association, select the required produce and, in co-operation with the farmers, draw up a cultivation programme to ensure that local produce is available for school lunches throughout the year. This benefits all parties: the farmers have predictable and reliable demand, and 150 pupils enjoy meals based on fresh and healthy produce.
Project executive
The project is run by the regional group for Friuli-Venezia Giulia of the Italian Organic Agriculture Association (AIAB –Associazione Italiana per l’Agricoltura Biologica), which is active in the field of organic agriculture, sustainable rural development and an informed and balanced diet. The parents of the pupils in Budoia handle the actual buying themselves. Both the parents and the farmers are members of the AIAB. The producers, parents, teachers and canteen staff receive support from the AIAB in the form of expert information and training.
Participants
The parents in the AIAB in Friuli-Venezia Giulia select the required produce from local producers who have signed up for the scheme with the local authorities, and the order is placed. Payment is handled by the local authority. The AIAB for Friuli-Venezia Giulia offers expert support and training. The local health authority provides the school canteen committee, which is made up of parents, teachers, cooks and local authority employees, with nutritional advice for the lunch menus. A catering business with its own personnel is responsible for preparing the food and for the cleaning.
Objectives
The primary goal is support for regional development through the creation of a short supply chain in which the farmers can concentrate on ecologically valuable, organic forms of agriculture and direct relations with the consumer. The aim is also to encourage other farmers to switch to organic farming and to attract more and more consumers to the idea. The number of jobs in agriculture in the region is decreasing rapidly and the ability of local agriculture to compete with global suppliers is continually declining. The objectives also include awareness building and the promotion of a healthy balanced diet based on fresh seasonal produce prepared in the region’s traditional ways. That is something children should be made familiar with at an early age. At the same time the school canteen serves as a vehicle for communicating with parents and encouraging them to show an interest in such matters. That will create a model cycle, with healthy nutrition as the motor for upgrading and offering sustainable support for regional development.
Activities
In the framework of the project, the AIAB in Friuli-Venezia Giulia has implemented the following measures: 1. lobbied the Budoia local authority for introduction of the scheme and entered into the necessary agreements; 2. selected the local producers to supply the required organic produce; 3. introduced permanent quality assurance measures; 4. modified the canteen menus to take full advantage of local produce and its nutritional value (especially on the basis of traditional recipes); 5. held information meetings and training sessions for kitchen staff, parents and teachers; 6. organised training sessions for the producers; 7. held information meetings for the people in Budoia and its surroundings; 8. held information meetings for the pupils; 9. organised class excursions to the farms; 11. helped prepare buffets for various special occasions; 12. set up a buying co-operative for the families.
Results
1. Promotion of the local economy and direct ties with farmers; 2. Focus on sustainable (organic) methods of cultivation; 3. Changes in the pupils’ dietary habits (seasonal produce, regular consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables, less meat, etc.); 4. Families that are fully informed about nutrition, the importance of agriculture for the regional economy and self-sufficiency in food; 5. Involvement of local authority employees (with about ten of them using the school canteen); 6. Involvement of the local social services, providing them with healthy dishes for their meals-on-wheels service for single senior citizens; 7. Creation of a local economic network so as to maximise local value added; 8. PR for the project in the surrounding communities so as reinforce the network of actors and strengthen ties between residents and farmers.
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