“The Lakotas loved the earth and all things on earth, this attachment grew with age. The elders literally came to love the soil and sat or lay down on the earth with the feeling of re-establishing contact with a maternal power. It was a good thing that the skin touched the ground and the elderly liked to take off their moccasins and walk barefoot on the sacred ground … “**
The way in which we understand our relationship with the earth today is no longer that of the American Indians.
Just look at the images of the melting of the ice and the advancing desert. And the signals we perceive in everyday life are enough. Increasingly higher temperatures, abrupt changes in weather conditions, violent rainfall. It is clear that major climate changes are taking place.
Experts attribute these changes to the increase in carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. In particular, the use of fossil fuels and how the way of cultivating the land has changed.
Agriculture is among the productive sectors responsible for the increase in carbon dioxide emissions. From intensive farming to the means used to transport the materials produced, from the use of fertilizers to the indiscriminate exploitation of the soil.
Aware of this scenario, we have decided to devote our commitment to sustainable agricultural activity, from which to obtain naturally good and healthy products. And at the same time the result of processes that respect the environment and people that make this possible, thanks to their work.
Ours is an ethical choice. We are aware that the Earth belongs to everyone, that it is right to preserve it for future generations and that only good practices, lived in everyday life and told to others, can trigger virtuous behaviors.
What we do on a daily basis to reduce the impact of CO2 emissions
We practice natural agriculture: used to seeing the same fruit and vegetables every day of the year on the shelves of six supermarkets, we are forgetting that each season has its colors and flavors. This is why we respect the land we cultivate. We do it following its own times, without forcing the seasons and without impoverishing the soil. In our company we practice crop rotation and we always remember that the soil is a “living being”, rich in small micro-organisms.
We do not use polluting chemicals: we do not use chemicals in the land of our company, either to make the land more fertile or to weed out. In fact, we believe that the earth does not need too many interventions, because it knows how to get the best by itself. And also how to defend against harmful insects and weeds. By not using chemicals we do not pollute the soil and we do not threaten the life of insects. Their presence, in fact, is essential to ensure the variability of plant species.
We do not buy seeds: we have been sowing our durum wheat for three generations and the ancient grains of our region, of which we are proudly guardian farmers. This contributes to safeguarding biodiversity and avoiding production homologation.
Short supply chain: our productions are zero kilometer. The wheat is sown in our fields in the province of Arezzo, in the Val di Chiana. It is then stone ground in a mill also with a historical tradition, to obtain the wholemeal flour with which we produce the pasta. In an artisanal way, with drying at low temperatures and with simple ingredients, wholemeal flour and water.
We plant new trees: to favor the absorption of CO2 every year we plant trees that enrich the wood in the family business. A bamboo field will soon be added, a plant considered a true “CO2 catcher”.
What we do to raise awareness of the importance of reducing CO2 emissions
We contribute to spreading the concepts of sustainable agriculture: by participating in fairs and initiatives, we are committed to spreading a culture of sustainability, to return to producing while respecting the soil and the environment.
In this regard, from 12 to 14 July the Vestri Farm will participate in the Il Respiro della Terra event, promoted by the La Grande Via Association, at the Mausolea, in Soci, in the province of Arezzo. Together with other custodian farmers of the Tuscany Region we will offer our contribution to explain the importance of embracing new lifestyles.
** Sacred Symbols of American Indians – Visions and Rites of the Red Indians, by Christopher Dubois, Area 51.
