Federico San Bonifacio is the owner and farm manager of a 30ha farm in the plains of Verona, Northern Italy. For 12 years he has been engaging in an agroecological transition where trees and shrubs play a fundamental role. Breaking the monotony of the surrounding corn and soy plots, he has planted hedges in long strips to provide the ecosystem services that support his grain production. At the same time, Federico planted 5ha of polycyclic forestry, a forestry practice that balances economic return and ecological health of the soil and ecosystem. It is always fascinating to interview farmers, as they interact with their agroforestry systems daily, and provide rich feedback to others who wish to walk similar paths.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
01:50 - Federico's story
10:20 - Farm production and sales channels
16:25 - Direct selling
20:25 - Hedges: objectives and description
27:10 - Funding the hedges
32:10 - Plastic vs biodegradable mulch & planting technique
39:05 - Medium and long term management of the hedge
47:10 - Interactions between the hedge and the grain crop
50:10 - Introducing polycyclic forestry: design, harvest, sale
01:06:30 - Why polycyclic and economic considerations
01:20:05 - Farm forestry vs alley cropping
01:22:40 - Funding considerations and lessons learnt
• RESOURCES
• GET IN TOUCH www.regenerativeagroforestry.org
• SUPPORT US www.gumroad.com/regenagroforestry
• FOLLOW US on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram
• FUNDING FOR EUROPEAN PROJECTS https://explore.ecosia.org/regenerative-agriculture
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