Terra! is an Italian environmental organisation that has been working since 2008 in Italy and Europe on environmental and agroecological issues through research activities, coalition campaigns, targeted networks and field projects. Terra! aims to protect natural resources and promote an ecological development model that prioritizes the care of ecosystems and the protection of human rights.

Since 2015, the organisation has implemented its investigation activities and advocacy work on the most important industrial food chains in Italy, highlighting its environmental and social impacts and raising the pressure on both the Italian Government and Parliament to reform the food system. In doing so Terra! achieved some important results: a law against gangmastering and labour exploitation in agriculture (law 199/2016), a first ban of the unfair trading practices in the food chain in June 2019 (the legislative process is still ongoing) and the regularization of migrant workers in May 2020 (law decree 2020/34). In addition to campaigns and advocacy activities, Terra! has undertaken several field projects on environmental education, community development and job placement for young people, rural and migrant workers.

The partnership between the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation (NaEPF) and Terra! dates back to 2017, when a three-year program support was granted to the project “Toward a more sustainable agricultural model: training a new generation of agroecological farmers”. Recently, the NaEPF renewed its support to the project for another three years (2021-2024), underling its mission to achieve a sustainable relationship between humanity and nature. The project aims to promote policy development in support of agroecology by addressing systemic barriers, promoting sustainable agricultural practices, and advocating for biodiversity and soil protection. Through the project, Terra! promotes a unified vision in which sustainability and agriculture work side by side. By combining education, advocacy and practical initiatives, the project has laid a solid foundation for long-term impact and positioned its network as a model for agroecology advocacy and implementation, engaging dozens of stakeholders and farmers over the years, increasing collaboration between farms and environmental advocates to align the goals of sustainable practices.

A cornerstone of the project is The Scuola della Terra – Emilio Sereni: a training course in agroecology designed by the association Terra!, with the support of the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation, which provides theoretical and practical knowledge and skills on the subject. The School is aimed at people motivated to make agroecology a profession, sensitive to environmental issues and aware of the role of food production in the ecological transition. Over the years, this has become a key platform for engaging farmers in agroecological learning and collaboration. In the last four editions, the school has involved more than 80 participants, dozens of faculties, farms and stakeholders from the allied system.

Through a different way of doing agriculture, we can stop climate change and create a cleaner, fairer and more welcoming world for future generations.