In December, COP28, the most important table on climate change at a global level, took place in Dubai. Among the participants also Nicolò Bertorello, a young entrepreneur from Coldiretti Cuneo, who last year was selected by the World Farmers’ Organization (OMA) among the 20 farmers under 35 from all over the world for the Gymnasium, an international training program for future leaders in the agricultural sector.
Bertorello, 30 years old, fruit grower from Revello and member of the provincial committee of Coldiretti Giovani Impresa. Thirty years old, with a degree in Agricultural Sciences, he runs the family business together with his parents and uncle, with a particular inclination towards experimentation. An example of this is the innovative system of greenhouses suspended on kiwi plants which, by reducing humidity, aims to contain the problems of death and bacteriosis. Problems that in recent years have lowered productivity to unsustainable levels, so much so that in the Province of Cuneo as much as 70% of the kiwifruit plants have been lost.
“We are very proud of Nicolò’s participation in the Cop – says the delegate of Giovani Impresa Cuneo, Marco Bernardi -. It was a unique opportunity for discussion, sharing and discussion at the highest levels on a crucial topic for the future of agriculture, but not only”.
“An extraordinary opportunity – underlines the president of Coldiretti Cuneo, Enrico Nada – which rewards the competence, resourcefulness and protagonism of young Cuneo entrepreneurs like Nicolò, crucial for the green transition of agriculture”.
We asked Nicolò, who flew to Dubai, to tell us about the Dubai experience directly
A young entrepreneur from Revello together with colleagues from all over the world: how did you find it?“It was a unique experience. I thank Coldiretti and OMA for the great opportunity to leave, alone and the only Italian farmer, for Dubai, where I had the honor of bringing the voice and point of view of thousands of colleagues. With farmers from other countries I had the opportunity to attend technical conferences and conferences linked to current issues but, even more importantly, we had moments of discussion in which we talked about both the agriculture experienced by each of us day by day day, and how young farmers should approach issues such as climate change and technological progress”.
How did Oma Gymnasium, the training course you take part in, go?
“The course developed entirely online during 2023, then on the occasion of Cop28 we completed the course in person. The first part saw the development of three modules: public speaking, political negotiation and networking. We then explored how to be good speakers, how to find a mediation between one’s position and that of the other party, and finally how to work as a team to reach a common goal. The networking was then developed in person in Dubai and it was truly stimulating to be able to be part of direct discussions like the ones we experienced.”
What do you take home from your COP28 adventure?
“Being able to witness such a complex and multifaceted event was stimulating, exciting and empowering at the same time. Obviously we all asked ourselves what we would take home from a similar experience, but even more, the common thought was focused on what we young farmers could bring home in a context of that caliber; we continually asked each other if we had really been capable of bringing our experiences and our requests and that of other young farmers like us. For my part, in a historical moment in which there is a lot of talk about resilience, I gave the practical example of how our farmers work in a resilient way, aware that the present and the future reserve many challenges for us, but that from these challenges we can emerge strengthened. I bring home a little more awareness of the mechanisms that regulate an event like COP28, new ideas and approaches to work problems that I have been lucky enough to hear in conferences or speaking privately with colleagues or with people employed in other sectors and new contacts with other young farmers with whom to exchange visions of the world”.
How useful can collaborations of this type be to young agricultural entrepreneurs?
“Shared experiences like that of the Gymnasium are fundamental because they remind us that the world is large and varied and that what is normal for us is strange or unknown to others. I think that to meet the future in the best way we must be willing from every point of view to seek, create and maintain collaborations both at a local and international level. A great benefit that I have derived so far is represented by the possibility of breathing this air of exchange and collaboration between people from every corner of the globe”.
Why is it important for farmers to participate in events like Cop28?
“It is right that farmers, as custodians of the environment, sit at such an important context as that of COP28, where decisions regarding environmental impact and climate change are made. In American politics it is often used to say ‘If you are not sitting at the table, you are on the menu’, which became the motto of us participants in the Gymnasium because we realized the importance of being there, of participating at the negotiating tables to avoid unjust or penalizing decisions are made for our sector”.
