LOCATION: City of Milan, Province of Milan, Region of Lombardy
 DURATION: 9 months (project deadline February ’15)
 APPLICANT: ASeS – Solidarity and Development Association – Lombardy
LOCAL PARTNER.: Ass. Community imm. Lomb., CIA Lombardy, CIA Milan-Lodi-Monza


In the second year of the project, the planned actions, in order to give continuity to the experimentation, will consist of the following actions:

  1. Each company sowed four species. The first period will be devoted to the verification and settling of production experiments. Forms were distributed to each farm to fill out with the purpose of collecting agronomic data useful for monitoring and developing final results. The activity, from production to activities related to the scientific aspect of the project will be supervised by the project tutor, Dr. Davide Cinquanta within the research group coordinated by Prof. Stefano Bocchi (DiSAA /UNIMI), scientific advisor. Given the interest and initial results, it is intended to expand the project by involving two more farms.

  2. The project’s official blog will be activated, providing an important reference point for all those who wish to interact with the project’s issues.

  3. Seedings of the fall horticultural products-Mizuna, Mibuna, Pak-choi-will then be sown according to the trial protocol.

  4. Guided tours of the experimental fields will be organized involving: the Agricultural Institutes, particularly encouraging the participation of foreign students, the CRA Horticulture Research Unit in Montanaso Lombardo (LO), the Casa del Sole Comprehensive Institute, migrant communities, some consulates of countries interested in the productions (Bolivia, Philippines, Madagascar), foreign cultural associations (the A. Raimondi, the Sunugal Association), hotelier institutes, the CAPAC of Milan, the Associazione Ristoratori dei Navigli, some chefs (e.g., Pietro Leeman, patron of the Joja restaurant).

  5. The commercialization of the harvested products will be organized, within the producers’ markets already present in Milan, such as Popogusto, the Farm in the Castle, the CIA Markets (Abbiategrasso Square, Durante Square), and other moments that will be organized.

  6. Preliminary work will begin for the start of a second round of sowing with regard to the vegetables already grown in 2014; a new list of plant species will be prepared, to be added to those already sourced, including Ampalaya, Kangkong, Daikon and Molokheya, which will be acquired in compliance with guaranteed certification channels.

  7. Collaboration with the “Casa del Sole” Comprehensive Institute, which began with sowing seeds at the educational garden at the school, located in Trotter Park, will continue. Training sessions will be organized with schoolchildren and a booklet will be produced with typical recipes from the pupils’ home countries, made from the products grown.

  8. The results of the experimentation will be presented at an international conference, which will be held at the end of in one of the days dedicated to EXPO Milano 2015, to which they will be invited:

  • Authorities, including the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry,

  • Ases, Solidarity and Development Association

  • Cariplo Foundation

  • Municipality of Milan

  • Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences: Production, Land and Agro-Energy – UNIMI

  • Farms participating in the project

  • Guests from foreign universities from research groups conducting parallel studies on the plant species of interest. The University of Giessen (D) and the University of Copenhagen (DK) will be represented.

  • Consulates and communities in the countries involved

  • A chef who will talk about employment in commercial catering

  • Lombard general markets