Mani Tese and Soulfood Forestfarms: A New Collaboration for Agroecological Transition and Community Development

At Parco Agricolo Sud in Milan, Mani Tese and Soulfood Forestfarms join forces for the agroecological transition and to strengthen the local community, as part of the “Rebooting the Food System” project co-financed by the European Union.

As part of the European project Rebooting the Food System: Youth Engagement for Agroecology and Due Diligence (2024-2027), a strategic collaboration has been launched between Hands Outstretched e Soulfood Forestfarms, in the context of the Southern Milan Agricultural ParkThe aim is to promote theregenerative agroforestry, inspired by the principles of ecological succession, to regenerate agricultural territories and build sustainable communities by strengthening the agroforestry system planted in 2019 by SoulFood ForesFarms and CasciNet AgroHub and the Adotta Una Gallina project, started in 2023, thanks to which today 160 hens adopted by the local community live in the fields - according to the principles of rational grazing - and are adopted by the local community, which goes to the fields every Sunday to collect the eggs.

The collaboration, strengthened by the support of the Degree Course in Geography, Environment and Territory of theUniversity of Milan, aims to give new vitality to the local community, encouraging the active participation of citizens through practical activities and moments of awareness. The intent is to stimulate dialogue between the people who live in the neighborhood and those who live there occasionally, creating connections that can generate a lasting impact on the territory.

This initiative is part of the European project Rebooting the Food System, which aims to promote more equitable and sustainable agricultural practices, placing the climate justice, environmental protection and building resilient food systems. A key aspect is the active involvement of young people, who through educational paths and practical activities can acquire tools to become protagonists of concrete change.

The first activities planned concern two key areas:

  • Strengthening the community chicken coop, an intervention that aims to improve and expand the existing structures within the project “Adopt a Chicken”, already active at Soulfood Forestfarms. This initiative has given life to the first neighborhood chicken coop in Milan, located in the Urban Agroforestry of the Vettabbia Park, and allows citizens to adopt a hen, contributing to its ethical and sustainable breeding. The enhancement of the chicken coop will allow for improved management of resources and structures, guarantee optimal conditions for the animals and expand the involvement of the local community, strengthening the connection between production and conscious consumption.
  • Strengthening the local community, through moments of aggregation and awareness. The collaboration will develop around meetings dedicated to the discussion on key issues such as Food sovereignty, sustainable supply chains and environmental justice, with a view that unites the experiences of the global south agroecological practices developed in the European context. Mani Tese has been working for years in the countries of the Global South to ensure that global financial flows contribute to sustainable development, ensuring that resources are used to strengthen the rights of local communities and build more just and resilient economies.

The heart of this collaboration is the dialogue between theregenerative agroforestry, promoted by Soulfood Forestfarms, and the agroecological transition, carried out by Mani Tese. Two complementary approaches that meet to build agricultural models capable of responding to the environmental, social and economic challenges of our time.

Soulfood Forestfarms represents a concrete example of how agroecology can be not only a cultivation method, but also a tool for environmental and social regeneration. Through the direct involvement of citizens, the initiative aims to create connections between people and the territory, stimulating greater awareness of sustainable agricultural practices and their impact on collective well-being.

This collaboration is part of Mani Tese's broader commitment to fair and sustainable agriculture, which places the social and environmental justice. Further initiatives will be launched in the coming months to consolidate this path and broaden the involvement of the local community.

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The project area, in the Urban Agroforest of the Vettabbia Park in Milan (Photo ©Soulfood Forestfarms)
This collaboration is crucial to strengthen the agroecological transition, not only in the context of international cooperation, but also at the local level. Putting conscious consumption at the center means recognizing its transformative power, capable of impacting not only on production systems, but also on economic and financial models, making them more equitable and sustainable.
Elisa Lenhard
Global Citizenship Education and Advocacy Representative for Mani Tese
Our degree program has always promoted active collaboration with NGOs, associations and institutions in national and international projects through the engagement of students and teachers in site-specific teaching activities, training internships, research and public engagement. This allows us to experiment with transformative knowledge and practices, supporting the formation of a conscious community capable of intervening effectively on the complex contemporary socio-territorial dynamics.
Alice Dal Borgo
President of the Degree Course in Geography, Environment and Territory - University of Milan
Soulfood ForestFarms deals with the design and implementation of Agroforestry Systems. All these systems are conceived and designed following models that Nature has chosen to succeed in its objectives. When we talk about Agroforestry we talk about Community: plants are chosen with the aim of obtaining very dense rows and so that the species support each other. There are numerous Ecosystem Services and ecological functions that plants fulfill for local Communities: from the simple production of oxygen to the more refined influence it has in reducing people's stress levels. For the SFFF reality it is essential to create support networks with similar realities, creating distributed, solid and transparent links with the common intent of working for the ecological transition.
Enrico Sartori
Founding member of Soulfood Forestfarms

This project is co-funded by the European Union. The contents of this article are the sole responsibility of Mani Tese ETS and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.