The ecological education project, part of Navdanya International’s Terrae Vivae programme, guides students at the Bracciano Agrarian Institute through hands-on and theoretical training in agroecology. Among the many soil-focused activities, one area of particular focus has been the role of microorganisms.

Students took part in preparing a microbiological biofertilizer called Teku Cana, a concentrate of local microorganisms used to regenerate the soil’s microbial biodiversity.

The activity involved gathering forest litter from natural ecosystems to work with microorganisms already adapted to the local environment, selecting the most suitable organic material, and preparing the mixture using bran, molasses and water to understand the biological fermentation processes behind microbial multiplication.

During the activity, participants began to recognize that soil fertility depends above all on the presence of living biological processes, a paradigm shift from the dominant conventional farming model.

The ecological education project, made possible with support from the Ecology programme of the Italian Buddhist Union, aims to train future agricultural technicians to read the soil as a living ecosystem and to recognize, behind seemingly simple practices like preparing a biofertilizer, a deeper shift in how we think about farming. Understanding the invisible life of the soil thus becomes a starting point for imagining food systems that are more resilient, fair and regenerative.