Silvia Paolini, farm manager and founder of the Center for Agroecology and Social Agriculture, (CA.SA.), joined the FS 511 course on Food, Rurality, and Local Development. Her lecture was a continuation of a partnership begun last semester when Food Studies masters students toured the farm to learn about its experimental social and agricultural initiatives. In this classroom forum, Silvia spoke with students about the inspiration behind her work and the role of multifunctionality in small-holder farming, along with the many challenges and tribulations she has faced since CA.SA.鈥檚 conception.听
Silvia鈥檚 tenacity undeniably guides her relationship with CA.SA.鈥檚 development and growth, evidenced by the amount of time, resources, and passion she has invested since the project鈥檚 inauguration over five years ago. Despite a miniscule staff (Silvia relies entirely on part time or volunteer labor), she has managed to reinvigorate a five-hectare plot of devastated land into a family farm intended for regeneration鈥攐f both land and people.听
CA.SA. is steeped in a philosophy of inclusion and circularity, where respect for the Earth and the individual guide every decision. Employing the snail as CA.SA.鈥檚 logo, a marker of both frailty and circularity, Silvia emphasized that every being is worthy of equal care and attention, which is a practice she carries through into her farming. Inspired by her master鈥檚 studies in Ethical and Social Agriculture, Silvia鈥檚 vision of care farming is realized through partnerships with local organizations, where volunteers in need reap the benefits of therapeutic farming, while acting as co-creators in her experimental approach to soil regeneration. Silvia boasted specifically about CA.SA.鈥檚 wild herb production as one of her most valuable products, which she values for their nutritional content, as much as for their symbolic role as a marker of inclusivity, given that these herbs are typically overlooked or destroyed.