One of the highlights of the project “Caring for the Earth Is Caring for Life” was a workshop at La Argentina, a farm in the Tuscia region that raises livestock and grows crops using regenerative methods. Students from the  IIS Luca Paciolo art school in Anguillara Sabazia got a firsthand look at farming practices that stand in contrast to intensive methods, coming away with a deeper understanding of animal welfare, product quality and soil health.

On arrival, Mariana introduced the farm and the regenerative principle behind her work, contrasting it with both intensive farming and animals living in the wild: not production as an end in itself, but a balance between economic outcome, soil regeneration and animal welfare.

The session opened with a look at egg production. After an introduction to the differences between intensive and non-intensive farming, students examined eggs from both systems firsthand and were introduced to the five pillars of animal welfare, a framework that helped them critically assess what they were seeing on the farm. Collecting eggs in the mobile henhouse then gave them direct, hands-on contact with the production process.

Attention then shifted to the cattle. After a quick rundown of a cow’s main body parts, students worked in teams to piece the anatomy back together correctly, a fun, hands-on way to get closer to the animal and understand what its daily care actually involves. A lively debate on intensive farming followed, raising questions about quality versus quantity in food production, the real cost of food, and how organic farming differs from intensive methods, along with practical ideas for making good food more accessible, from solidarity purchase groups to buying directly from producers. The workshop closed with a stop at the calf area, one last chance to observe and dig deeper.

The workshop at La Argentina connected classroom lessons with real examples of the shift toward fairer, more resilient food systems, showing how caring for the Earth and everyday farm work can go hand in hand.