By Elena Parmiggiani
Many are the large and small realities that spread this method and the values it shares.
Since my last interview with Massimo Candela (“Vivi Consapevole” no.38 Aug.-Oct. 2014), President of the Italian Academy of Permaculture, in which I asked about the most interesting realities in Italy, some months have passed, let’s see how the situation has evolved.
There are at least three national associations that deal with permaculture:
- the Italian Academy of Permaculture (www.permacultura.it), born thanks to the British Academy of Permaculture of Andy Lagford (now co-founder of Gaia University) and Richard Wade, which provides assistance and offers the path to become qualified in Italy, without having to go abroad and networks at national and international level amongst students, apprentices and graduates;
- the Italian Institute of Permaculture, of Pietro Zucchetti, which offers permaculture courses;
- the World Permaculture Association, promoted by Giuseppe Tallarico, born from direct collaboration with the Australian PRI Permaculture Research Institute, which offers courses with international level professionals such as Rhamis Kent (PRI AU), John D. Liu (Chinese documentarist) and which has as its aim to promote and spread food production using permaculture principles.
On the territory there then exist hundreds of associations that not only offer courses, but carry out projects both at rural and city level, thanks to permaculture principles and values. I would like to mention in this regard at least two of these realities, which are dear and close to me: the Fruttorti di Parma and the Fruttorti di Reggio Emilia, which are informal groups of citizens who want to give everyone the possibility to reappropriate the capacity and responsibility to take care of their own city, their own life, that of other people and the planet at a time when the crisis of large systems and uncertainty seem to reign. The second reality is Coltivare condividendo, which sees Tiziano Fantinel and many other citizens scattered across the national territory engaged on the seed and biodiversity rescue front, which is helping many farmers to enhance and rediscover local varieties now almost disappeared. I mention only two, however there are really very many local realities and the invitation is to explore in one’s vicinity and discover the treasures that are hidden before our eyes.
In the permaculture world, in this network that is connected to many other networks, on the same theme and on themes close to permaculture, we can now count thousands of passionate, curious, dedicated and active people, who carry out the most disparate projects, from the classic farm, to the B&B, to the production of cosmetics and natural remedies and so on and so forth.
The many activities of permaculture
In the many courses and meetings I’ve attended, people have little in common, they come from the most disparate life experiences and do the most diverse work activities. The characteristics that unite them, however, are the desire to change life, to find a more human dimension, to slow down the syncopated rhythms of a consumerist society, to become self-sufficient. People approach in search of healthier and more natural alternatives to everything: cultivation, nutrition, wellbeing, birth, degrowth. The way they arrive at permaculture is very varied and really depends on personal interests, I’ve met people who approached this method whilst learning to make bread or yogurt cultures.
The interesting realities in agriculture have been created by people who approached cultivation, harvesting, production and breeding, women and men who created a concrete project from an idea. Below I mention those I’ve had the pleasure to know and which I consider very interesting:
- Piedmont – Orto di Carta by Nicola and Noemi. Bio-intensive horticulture.
- Lombardy – Terra Organica by Matteo Mazzola. Bio-intensive horticulture and Keyline.
- Veneto – Terre Vive by Dimitri Zuccolotto. Natural and bio-intensive horticulture.
- Trentino Alto Adige – Molino dei Lessi by Emma and Enzo. Viticulture.
- Emilia Romagna – Verde Lattuga Farm by Paolo and Laura. Synergistic horticulture.
- Tuscany – Fattoria naturale Stabbiati by Angelo and Petra. Synergistic and organic horticulture, sheep and goats for milk, companion orchards (agroforestry).
- Calabria – Primigenia by Enrico Tassone and Nicky Brusco. Gardens and goat farming for milk.
- Sicily – Casa di Paglia Felcerossa by Toti and Tiziana. Synergistic and natural gardens.
It’s particularly important to note then how many who approach permaculture in Italy then find themselves creating projects in the world. An interesting example, which is not agriculture, but which is always part of permaculture design, is Permacultura-Transizione.com, the website created by Marco Matera and Flavio Troisi. The project deals with spreading permaculture, within it dozens of articles translated into Italian and original content.
EUPC: the European Permaculture Convergence
To have an overview of the various permaculture projects in Italy and abroad, next September it will also be possible to participate in the EUPC, the European Permaculture Convergence which takes place every two years in a European country. This is the permaculture event of the year: from 7 to 11 September 2016, the city of Bolsena (already the scene of the Permaculture Festival), will in fact be the European capital of permaculture. It’s the first time that the European convergence meets in Italy, thanks to collaboration with the Bolsena Permaculture Festival and the Italian Academy of Permaculture.
During the Convergence a cycle of conferences will begin during which permaculture experts from all over Europe share their knowledge, experiences, methodologies and projects in permaculture and related subjects. During these days, permaculturists of the host country organise numerous parallel events such as conferences, workshops, short communications, storytelling, practical laboratories, shows with music and dances, all respecting permaculture ethics and principles.
The event intimately involves the entire citizenry, the idea is to “contaminate” the existing local community, so much so that the Municipality has made available public buildings, classrooms, deconsecrated churches and even the Roman amphitheatre for Convergence events. Many will be the themes addressed during the Convergence, including: social permaculture, soil regeneration, natural building, economy, cereal cultivation without plough, domestic food fermentation, design, ecovillages etc.
The gardens of Bolsena
A special mention then goes to the Gardens of Bolsena. With the collaboration born between Anna Satta and Anna Benzoni (of the Free School of Synergistic Agriculture Emilia Hazelip www.agricolturasinergica.it) and Max Petrini (qualified at the Italian Academy of Permaculture and expert horticulturist), in the Gardens of Bolsena gardens and experimental cereal crops have been created on about 3500 square metres, using various techniques, even very ancient and local (irrigation system). During the festival days, the gardens will be used as open-air laboratories. The intent is to create, in future, a local network of gardens using exclusively highly sustainable practices and limited start-up economic resources.
A culture that advances
In these years, since 2009 when I first approached this discipline, many things have changed and permaculture is increasingly known by people. It’s been seen on television on RAI several times, articles have been written in national newspapers, events and manifestations have been created, and now also a Festival. Many are the activities that spread it more and more. What pleases me most is that more and more people use it as a design and problem-solving method and not only as “alternative horticulture” or “self-sufficiency and autarky” or worse still as “absolutist ethics” in which we all must be identical and we all must conform to the morality of a single person.
A permanent culture, not rigid, not idealised and unrealistic, not immobile, can be the key to a sustainable life under the banner of human-scale social relations of which we so much need.
Thousands of people in Italy who are changing their own lives under the banner of a different future also with permaculture bear witness to this.
Article taken from Vivi Consapevole no. 46
