Biodiversity Orchard

This project aims to make a meaningful contribution to the preservation of agrobiodiversity and of our deep-rooted agricultural and cultural heritage, through the planting of old local fruit varieties that are distinctive of, and representative of, each place where the project will be carried out.

The role of the orchards

EDUCATIONAL: getting to know these trees and caring for them means understanding food seasonality and healthy eating.

EVOCATIVE: these trees tell us stories, values and lives: they once provided wood for furniture, refreshing shade in summer, points of reference during journeys and travel, and a sense of identity for communities and families; they found their way into migrants’ suitcases and brides’ dowries. They speak to us of Beauty, colour and fragrance.

INCLUSIVE: they are an extraordinary meeting point across generations and abilities. Older people, young people, children, families and people with special needs can all share in them, and they are accessible to everyone.

PRODUCTIVE: they are cultivated and managed to be enjoyed, while also encouraging community harvests. The fruit may be donated or used to enrich nursery and school canteens.
Where they can be created

Public land owned by municipalities – Municipalities may make public green spaces available, involving associations or groups of citizens from the very beginning of the planting phase, who can then also take part in the orchard’s ongoing management.

Areas around companies or land owned by businesses – In this case, the company itself becomes the direct promoter of biodiversity, creating corporate orchards that are both attractive showcases and productive spaces for employees, who may also play an essential role in their care and management.

Peace Orchard

What if the biodiversity of nature could truly save us from the devastation of war? What could we do? We could plant it. We could create orchards of different sizes and with different kinds of fruit, turning them into a unique and far-reaching message of peace and inclusion!

“Extraordinary, extraordinary!”

said Maksimov as he took his leave. “If we all had a couple of his little apple trees, I believe we would have no need for wars and fascism would be defeated. Those gnarled branches look like honest, straightforward arms capable of saving the world from the danger of war, brutalization and death.”

Vasilij Grossman, Stalingrad
We ask the plants to help us correct the many mistakes made in the development of our society and in the exploitation of the environment, to support us with their infinite patience.
In this project, the orchard becomes a place for understanding the complexity of the natural and cultivated world, of which we too are a part; a place for restoring connections with living beings that are different from us, yet share this world with us. A place where we can learn to live together in diversity, enriching one another just as different plants do, each distinct yet closely interconnected. A place where experiences and knowledge can be exchanged.