Three farms are involved in the experimentation, all located in Emilia Romagna in environments with different pedo-climatic characteristics, and managed under certified organic farming.
The Andrea Cenacchi farm is located in Argelato, in the Bolognese Plain, whereas the Andrea Morara farm is located on the hills of Bologna in Monterenzio. Lastly, the Maria Bernardetta Masini farm is situated in the countryside of Ravenna near the coast.
It is foreseen that the GREAT LIFE resilient farming model will also be adopted in other European Community countries (Cyprus, Spain, Czech Republic), with open-field repetitions in one of the aforementioned countries.
MASINI AGRICULTURAL FARM
The Masini farm is located in the plains of the hinterland of the province of Ravenna, in the locality called Massa, and extends for about twenty hectares. Organic agricultural practices are adopted. The fields are cultivated with cereals, as well as vegetables and other arable crops, for example, alfalfa. The cereals produced on the farm are predominantly local wheat varieties and millet. The latter was sown for the first time in 2018. The farm adheres to the Virgo program, which foresees the recovery of “ancient” common wheat varieties in order to study the respective nutritional properties and to develop local chains of products with outstanding qualitative characteristics.
ANDREA MORARA AGRICULTURAL FARM
The Andrea Morara farm is located in the municipality of Monterenzio (BO), 780 m above sea level. The surface areas and fields are managed according to the principles of organic farming. The enterprise adopts multi-annual, rotation schemes, involving different cereal and leguminous crops, respectively. The principal products are spelt, einkorn, soft wheat and chickpeas. The production of soft wheat is specifically focused on ancient constitutional varieties and evolutionary populations. The owner Andrea Morara cultivates the difficult terrain of the Emilian Hills with passion, continuing the family activity that has lasted for generations.
PODERE SANTA CROCE (ANDREA CENACCHI) AGRICULTURAL FARM
The 30 hectare, Podere Santa Croce farm, located in the municipality of Argelato (BO) in the Bolognese Plain, uses the principles of both organic and biodynamic agriculture. The farm is a closed-cycle multifunctional enterprise, with an agritourism activity using 75% of products produced internally. Long rotations are applied, and the farm has extensive experience in the cultivation of ancient cereals, vegetables, legumes and underutilized plant species. It is equipped with a station for the cleaning, stone grinding and storage of soft wheat, as well as other minor cereals, such as millet.