“Return to the land, even in a city like Taranto, and cultivate unused public lands for some time, it can be a great opportunity, particularly for young people. To incentivize youth agriculture we need to plan calls to assign uncultivated land to young adults under the age of 41, also taking advantage of recent national measures that support such initiatives”.
He declares it Massimiliano Stellato, regional and municipal councilor, together with Carmen Casula e Michele Patanomunicipal councilors of Taranto.
The recent national initiative “Generation Terra 2024″ for young farmers between 18 and 41 years old, it finances the purchase of agricultural land for consolidate a business activity or start new ones.
“Let’s think about municipal tenders for the concession of agricultural land to young people, a controlled rentto cross-reference the government measure on the territory.
A way to promote youth entrepreneurship by making available public lands, currently unproductivefor multifunctional activity projects that also include the social inclusion of disadvantaged people, the promotion of biodiversity and environmental sustainability, and the use of new technologies.
This, in addition to the generational change in the fields, it would allow young people, with a greater predisposition to technological innovation, to try their hand at precision agriculture techniques”.
The redevelopment of the land has the objective of enhance production, for example through the network of organic companies, the school canteen system and the creation of a point of sale.
Among the already consolidated experiences, there are those of the promotion of social gardens, educational farms and land for zero kilometer production.
“The Municipality of Taranto – they continue – is the owner of agricultural land that it is required to maintain for fire prevention with costs borne by the Civic Body.
We will talk about it with the branch councilor, because the transfer or rent of these funds to young people, in addition to encouraging the “return to the earth“, it would also represent a reduction in public costs and a saving for municipal coffers”.
