#lanaturanonsurface: ASeS-Cia in rural areas to provide assistance on anti-crisis bonus

In Tuscany first information and awareness tour among companies and citizens with the #lanaturanonsiferma project created with Covid. Event as part of the ASviS Festival

An information and awareness tour to support farms and rural citizens in accessing anti-crisis aid and bonuses provided by the government. It is the #lanaturanonsiferma project launched by Ases-Cia, which makes a stop in Florence after touring the provinces of Tuscany during the summer months. More than 200 businesses met, more than 1,000 people, for a journey of solidarity that now intends to reach all of Italy, touching on the areas most inland and most affected by the emergency.
During the meeting, which is part of the initiatives of the fourth edition of the Sustainable Development Festival organized by ASviS, Cia’s NGO took stock of the project, which was set up during the lockdown to support workers in the agricultural supply chain by providing personal protective equipment, and citizens most affected by the crisis with food collections and food donations. With phase 2, #lanaturanonsiferma also took a step further, thanks in part to the contribution of Enea and Enel, beginning a tour complete with a mobile unit to provide information and assistance on the various bonuses made available by the executive. The beneficiaries are, precisely, households and businesses in rural areas, where agricultural activities are more concentrated but where there are often delays in both acquiring knowledge and accessing services.
“Ours is a story of farmers for farmers, and our intent is to foster the development, enhancement and dignity of rural communities,” explained ASeS President Cinzia Pagni. With this initiative, we want to give practical help to those who live and work in the countryside.” To cope with the emergency, “the government has fielded several decrees, in terms of earmarked resources, aid, facilities and subsidies, but it soon became clear that access to such aid is often complicated and difficult, especially for those who do not have total mastery of the new telematic systems,” Pagni continued. That is why we feel it is our duty to support those who live in the inland areas, especially citizens and micro enterprises in economically, socially and geographically fragile conditions, as well as social farms that involve disadvantaged categories and weak segments of the population, such as the disabled and elderly, in their activities. This is a responsible choice to give concrete help to restart.”

The response, right from the start, has been positive: there have been many questions and queries during ASeS-Cia meetings in Tuscany, especially with respect to the often complex and cumbersome procedures for accessing supports. In addition to the wealth of information provided, anti-Covid health kits and easy-to-use vademecums, such as the guide to the new tax deductions for energy upgrading, were distributed on the sidelines of the initiatives.
“The needs and priorities of rural areas,” noted Cia Toscana vice president Filippo Legnaioli, “have been amplified with the crisis caused by Covid-19. As farmers, even during the emergency, we have always been in the field, we have never stopped bringing the best produce to consumers’ tables and we will continue to do so. At the same time, however, it is necessary to know more and more about the territory and the difficulties of the farms, so as not to leave anyone alone and support those who are struggling with the biggest problems. This project of ASeS-Cia, which comes to Florence today, goes precisely in this direction. Solidarity and attention to everyone’s needs are part of Cia’s DNA and, at this time, it is even more important to carry out these principles.”
“Support for citizens and businesses cannot fail during this delicate phase,” reiterated Cia national president Dino Scanavino as he closed the proceedings. Rural areas have never given up and farmers have always been on the front lines to ensure healthy and safe food during the lockdown. An extraordinary commitment carried out with dedication and yet not enough to stem crises and income losses.” For this reason, Scanavino concluded, “we now need to continue to support agriculture and inland areas with appropriate measures and resources, already working actively to bring into the Italian Recovery Plan investments dedicated precisely to the modernization of the physical and digital infrastructure of those areas that ‘make’ 60 percent of the national surface and represent the backbone and green soul of Made in Italy.”