LOCATION: City of Milan, Province of Milan, Region of Lombardy
 DURATION: 9 months (project end May ’14)
 APPLICANT: ASeS – Solidarity and Development Association – Lombardy
LOCAL PARTNER.: Ass. Community imm. Lomb., CIA Lombardia, CIA Mi-Lodi-Monza-Brianza



Through this project we want to test whether some agricultural productions in Lombardy can meet the demand coming from sectors of immigrant population so as to improve the quality of these products and reduce environmental costs related to transportation. It is therefore a project of integration and collaboration with which Lombardy agriculture will prove to be absolutely sensitive to and consistent with the Expo 2015 theme. In any case, the project does not intend to introduce, in the Milan and/or Lombardy area, allochthonous plants of tropical or equatorial origin that may pose a danger for infestation dynamics that are difficult to control. Instead, plants will be carefully selected from those already in cultivation that, however, require enhancement through the establishment of production and marketing specifications. The project, in addition to reconnecting with local rural realities in the immigrants’ countries of origin, aims at the necessary involvement of the various communities of foreign nationals in Milan and Lombardy who, by bringing their experience, contribution and opinion, are essential to the success of the project.



The project is part of the forms of solidarity and cooperation with developing countries, particularly from Africa and Latin America favoring:

  • knowledge, in the Italian community and among farmers, of the productions, socioeconomic problems of developing countries.

  • the transfer of knowledge and skills to graduates and farmers from these countries to be able to experiment with the productions with a view also to their possible engagement in the country of origin.

The following activities are planned:

  1. Census of vegetable production for non-EU nationals already carried out in Lombardy by means of a survey conducted through the general and municipal markets of Lombardy’s capitals, associations of agricultural entrepreneurs, associations of retailers and the main communities of foreign nationals present.

  2. Definition of the species to be produced and the farmers who will start production.

  3. Sowing of winter species.

  4. Presentation and launch of the initiative at a conference where research results and next steps will be presented.