From a pastime during the pandemic to a young and dynamic farm to redevelop abandoned lands: Wild Farm Curnigia was born this way, in October 2020, thanks to Gianpaolo and Lorenzo. These lifelong friends from Corniglia have developed a project with a great social and environmental impact in the Cinque Terre Natural Park. The keywords? Sustainable agriculture and responsible reforestation.
In an interview with zeroCO2, Gianpaolo and Lorenzo talk about the evolution of Wild Farm Curnigia:
“At first, we started cleaning the land behind Lorenzo’s house, and little by little, we realized we were giving concrete form to this project, combining experiential tourism with agriculture. We prepare and cultivate the land, building dry stone walls and removing weed plants, but we don’t stop there: our project wants to put tourists at the center, making them touch the local traditions through an authentic experience of the area.”
The Wild Farm project includes an educational garden and a farm with various animals to build an open place ready to welcome schools, children, associations and curious visitors.
But the importance of Lorenzo and Gianpaolo’s work does not end there. The drought that has hit Corniglia in recent years does not only derive from climate change but also appears to be an infrastructural problem as the water supply system is ancient. Therefore, Wild Farm Curnigia used a drip irrigation system, combining it with agroforestry systems:
“The pipes we used have a hole every 30 cm. We also decided to plant various vegetables under the lemon trees, including tomatoes, aubergines, friggitelli and onions. This way, we aim to waste as little land or water as possible, avoiding monoculture”.
New fruit trees in Corniglia: the environmental and social impact
Grand Hotel Portovenere is one of the local companies that participate in the reforestation project in Corniglia. In 2023, thanks to this involvement with zeroCO2, 30 orange trees were planted at Wild Farm Curnigia.
The extensive reforestation project aims to plant local varieties of fruit trees (mandarins, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, apples, pears, figs). These are some of its impacts:
- the abandoned terraces are redeveloped to favor the restoration of the biodiversity of the Cinque Terre and to reduce the incidence of landslides and erosion phenomena;
- schools and local communities are involved in raising awareness of the importance of trees, introducing new irrigation methods and responsible water use.
Since 2021, Wild Farm Curnigia has been collaborating with zeroCO2, a company committed to planting trees in regions of the world that are victims of significant deforestation and hydrogeological instability.
Grand Hotel Portovenere chooses to participate in this project to provide its socially responsible contribution that can have virtuous effects on the surrounding area. To find out about the hotel’s commitments and activities, visit the page dedicated to the corporate social responsibility of Grand Hotel Portovenere.
Source: I ragazzi della Wild Farm Cürnigia contro la siccità in Liguria
