In the Cuneo mountains, agricultural activity does not only involve breeders who practice transhumance in the summer months but also agricultural and agritourism companies with more and more young protagonists who live and monitor the high lands all year round, safeguarding the biodiversity and beauty of the landscape against landslides and floods, preserving ancient knowledge and perpetuating a unique heritage of typical agri-food production. This was stated by Coldiretti Cuneo in announcing the initiatives it is proposing this weekend as part of the Cuneo Montagna Festival to tell how mountain agriculture has changed in recent years, what multifunctional declinations and innovative projects it has developed and what benefits it is able to generate , not only in economic terms but also in terms of territorial protection, environmental protection and preservation of traditions.
Coldiretti offers four experiential proposals for all ages in the central Via Roma in Cuneo:
- Saturday May 18th, 3.30pm: workshop for adults and children, led by Fabrizio Agosto of the Fior d’Agosto farmhouse in Frabosa Sottana, on the art of weaving and tying rye straw which recovers ancient knowledge.
- Saturday May 18th, 5pm: workshop reserved for adults with Mario Alifredi of the Lo Puy farm of San Damiano Macra which will offer a tasting of its goat’s cheeses and will win over the participants with the stories and secrets of the trade.
- Sunday May 19th, 11am: workshop for children who, guided by Roberta Colombero of the Colombero Giulio family farm, they will learn how to transform cow’s milk into cheese and discover life in the mountain pastures of Marmora.
- Sunday May 19th, 3.30pm: tasting workshop open to adults and children on the world of bees with Daniele Landrafrom the Prazzo farm of the same name, which will lead participants on a journey to discover honey and make them savor every nuance of flavour.
The activities, which tell four winning stories of young entrepreneurs who have bet on mountain agriculture, will be bookable at the Coldiretti stand in via Roma, while places last.
“Recognizing and celebrating the value of the mountains, as we will do at the Cuneo Montagna Festival, means supporting and enhancing the role played by farmers and breeders on the high lands. Agriculture practiced in the mountains is particularly challenging because it has to deal with the lack of services, the consequences of climate change, the uncontrolled expansion of wildlife, the high production costs – claims the President of Coldiretti Cuneo, Enrico Nada – however it offers great satisfaction to those who practice it and great benefits to the entire community.”
At the Cuneo Montagna Festival all citizens will be able to sign the nofakeinitaly petition at the Coldiretti stand to protect the peasant goodness produced in our mountains, guardians of biodiversity in an increasingly standardized market. The objective is to collect one million signatures to arrive at a popular initiative European law proposal that extends the obligation to indicate the origin on the label to all food products on the market in the EU.
“Enough with cheeses that recall the Alps but are produced in Northern Europe, enough with Danish pork legs ready to become tricolor hams, enough with all foods imported and disguised as Italian, we want transparency to protect farmers’ income and allow consumers to make informed choices” concludes the Director of Coldiretti Cuneo, Fabiano Porcu.
