From Biodiversity to Citizenship: The Story of a Community in the Making

Event Report – May 23, 2026, Officine Municipali, Bracciano

The event Youth & Territory: Pathways in Agroecology and Citizenship, held on May 23, 2026 at the Officine Municipali in Bracciano, marked not only the conclusion of local training pathways, but also a moment of political and cultural convergence among institutions, schools, and the wider community.

More than a conference, it was a space of encounter: students, teachers, farmers, institutional representatives, and citizens gathered around the same table to speak about land, care, and the future, in the wake of the International Day for Biological Diversity.

Navdanya International, Terrae Vivae, Officine Municipali

Navdanya International has been active in Italy for over fifteen years, working across local and global scales on biodiversity, agroecology, and food justice. Its mission is to support the ecological transition not as a purely technical or institutional process, but as a cultural and community-led transformation. The organization draws on the forty years of experience of the international Navdanya movement in defending biodiversity and Food Sovereignty, serving as a strategic bridge between local realities and global ecological movements.

Terrae Vivae is Navdanya International’s program for the regeneration of ecological communities. Active in the Lake Bracciano area since 2023, it connects schools, institutions, farmers, and citizens around a shared ecological vision through ecoliteracy pathways, the promotion of local agriculture, and active citizenship.

The Officine Municipali of Bracciano is a community space open to everyone, dedicated to ecological action, ecoliteracy, and agroecology. It was established as an Ecohub for the local area and is jointly managed by the Municipality of Bracciano and Navdanya International as a living space for participation and exchange.

The Terrae Vivae Ecohub and Officine Municipali are part of a broader pathway toward the creation of a territorial agroecological district: a space for coordination and participation able to support the agroecological transition of the area, while valuing the active role of local communities. In this sense, the Ecohub is conceived to create the conditions for shared and inclusive governance, strengthening dialogue among the different actors in the territory and restoring a central role to participatory processes.

This institutional architecture has made it possible to shift young people from being simple recipients of training to becoming true protagonists in the care and transformation of their territory.

The Dialogue Table

The core of the event was the dialogue table, moderated by Manlio Masucci of Navdanya International, featuring contributions from institutions, schools, producers, and the Navdanya team.

Ruchi Shroff, Director of Navdanya International, opened the session:

“Any ecological transition cannot be purely technical or institutional; it must be a cultural and community-driven process. This is where Terrae Vivae comes from: the idea of weaving together communities, institutions, schools, and territories around a shared ecological vision. We believe that the area around Lake Bracciano holds all the potential to become a reference point in this journey.”

The Mayor of Bracciano, Marco Crocicchi, presented the Officine Municipali project as a shared commitment to a place long considered marginal:

«The premise that made it possible for us to be here today required, above all, an effort of vision. There is a shared idea, and also a touch of boldness, because in Bracciano’s collective imagination this place was inevitably associated with a marginal area. We chose to invest in this place, to see in its rebirth the foundation for what we aim to build here: the new generations must have the opportunity to experience it, to take an active role in projects, and to propose and create together.»

Representatives of the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE), Mara Cossu and Tiziana Occhino, brought the perspective of national institutions. Mara Cossu addressed a question that often accompanies work in sustainability:

«The most meaningful and straightforward answer to the question ‘what do you actually do in concrete terms?’ is this: we facilitate projects like this, spaces like this. This is very different from the kind of environmental education we are used to, because doing this means working across all the dimensions that define sustainability. It is an effort we are carrying forward from the local level to the global one: we will be in New York in July to present this work at the United Nations. We feel there is a strong need for recognition of the work being done on the ground and among all the people involved. Recognizing one another and joining hands is absolutely essential.»

Tiziana Occhino addressed a direct message to the young people present:

«In the work we do, we encounter many people who are often working quietly. I would like it to be clear to everyone, students and teachers alike, that leading transformation in a time of crisis like the one we are living through is not easy. Young people are not the future; they are the present. They are able to see and imagine things that we are not yet able to envision. We are still a somewhat quiet community, but we are gradually making our voices heard.»

The institutional panel was closed by Marta Bonafoni, Regional Councillor of Lazio:

«Here we are witnessing an encounter between agriculture and ecology—one that is crucial for the years ahead. These are precisely the two areas that, if they continue to be in conflict, will never lead us out of the deadlock of climate change. The ecological transition is not something separate or distant: it is a daily practice, something to embody and interpret every day in every action we take, starting with education.«

Schools

Three local schools took part in the event with their students, teachers, and project work. Educational pathways and school–work learning experiences were framed as tools for active citizenship. The aim was to move beyond traditional classroom teaching and foster a more holistic understanding of ecosystems, with a strong emphasis on experiential learning.

The Ignazio Vian Scientific High School, represented by Professor Eva Rizzo, presented a student exhibit dedicated to the “Atlas of Biodiversity of the Bracciano-Martignano Park,” co-created with students as part of the “Ecological ReGeneration” project. Navdanya’s educators worked to create a space where students could express themselves, through a shared and co-designed process that led to the publication of a participatory atlas focused on local flora and biodiversity.

The biodiversity atlas marks the first step in a broader project that positions younger generations as agents of change and will lead to the development of concrete actions and advocacy campaigns for the territory. The project was presented by Beatrice Flaminio and Gioele Merlini, who shared:

“We were students of different ages, all brought together by a shared goal: to make a contribution to ecological education. We focused on creating an atlas documenting both plant and animal species in the Bracciano-Martignano Park. We explored the area, collecting samples: plants, but also elements from animal life, such as feathers, with the aim of first producing a physical atlas and then a digital version, which we printed, including photographs we took during our fieldwork. Everyone took part, from organizing the information to designing the layout. It was an important project, especially because of the participation of everyone involved—the teachers who supported us, but above all some of the more vulnerable students, who needed additional support and were able to participate actively.»

The Salvo D’Acquisto Agricultural Institute took the stage with Professor Alessio Fiorucci and students who had completed a year-long training in agroecological practices, supported by the agronomic guidance of Navdanya International’s advisors. For the organization, this marked the first year of activity within an agricultural institute, and the outcome exceeded all expectations, including in terms of participation: although the invitation had been extended to a single student, the entire class showed up.

Gabriele Manzo, a student at the institute, shared:

“It was a very formative experience because, beyond what we study in class, it gave us the opportunity to put into practice what we do every day and to understand how the world of work functions. At the end of this experience, we take away a much broader set of skills, which will be useful for anyone who wants to study agronomy or become an agronomist.”

The IIS Luca Paciolo Art High School presented the final exhibition of the project “Caring for the Earth is Caring for Life,” curated by Francesca Brunetti: 28 two-dimensional works, including drawings and paintings created by students from classes 2T, 2V, and 2D as part of a pathway that brought together ecology, art, and active citizenship. Alongside the artworks, a workshop open to the public invited reflection on the care of ecosystems.

Professor Giuseppina Tessitore shared the key word that guided the project:

“The word at the heart of this work is ‘care.’ Don Milani used to say ‘I care’—you matter to me. What we aim to convey, in the most authentic way possible, is care—for one another, for the environment, never taking anything for granted. I deeply appreciated the idea of relationship: our relationship with nature, with the environment, and between ecology and agriculture. No place is ever too degraded, no life ever too damaged, to aspire to be renewed.”

Producers

Among the key participants in the event were local farms that share with Navdanya International a vision of regenerative agriculture, including the organic farm “Le Bricchiette”, L’Orto di ClaPi, Azienda Agricola Valleluterana Fratelli Gentili, Fattoria Faraoni, and Azienda Agricola La Argentina.

Among the producers present was Matthias from the organic farm Le Bricchiette:

“This is our fourth year working with Navdanya International,” the young farmer explained, “and each year we appreciate the outcomes of projects that involve the community. We believe it is both valuable and important to open up to young people and offer them a practical perspective on topics that often seem abstract, such as agroecology or sustainability. We hope this path can continue, communicating to citizens and institutions the value of a responsible form of agriculture that is increasingly aligned with the ecological needs of the territory.”

Mariana from Azienda Agricola La Argentina added:

“The experience has been fantastic. I really enjoy sharing what we do with young people. Regenerative agriculture is challenging—many people still don’t fully understand what we are doing. We are able to measure our work not only in economic terms—and thanks also to projects like those of Navdanya, and to people who observe us from the outside and tell us ‘what you are doing has great value,’ this brings us real joy. At the same time, we need to ensure that this value becomes more visible and shared beyond those already working in the field.”

Seeds4Palestine

In a corner of the Officine Municipali, a pot of black-eyed beans, a Palestinian variety, quietly told another story. They are grown as part of the project Seeds4Palestine, which brings together Italian farmers committed to reproducing seeds of Palestinian varieties and sending them back to Palestine. Biodiversity as an act of solidarity, seed stewardship as a form of peace.

A Starting Point, Not a Conclusion

May 23 was not the end of a journey. It marked a starting point: the moment when four years of work in the territory became visible, tangible, and shared.

Navdanya International has always worked with this awareness: that land and community regenerate together; that there can be no ecological regeneration without social regeneration; that educating younger generations to see food as culture, biodiversity as the foundation of health, and the territory as a shared home is equivalent to planting seeds of resilience and hope. Agroecology emerges not only as a productive practice, but as a collective and political action. Caring for the land means inhabiting the world responsibly, transforming sustainability into a shared culture of beauty and resistance.

The Officine Municipali of Bracciano is now a living, open, and accessible space—where agroecology becomes collective action, where the agronomists of the future meet today’s producers, and where a patch of painted soil created by a student tells the same story as a regenerative pasture. Different stories speaking the same language: that of care. With these words, Manlio Masucci, Head of Communication and Project Manager at Navdanya International, closed the event: “The life of this space does not depend on those of us who organize it; it depends on you, who take part in it.”

The event was held within the framework of the project “Coworking Space Bracciano – Ecofficine,” co-funded by the Lazio Region and the European Union through PR Lazio ESF+ 2021–2027 (CUP F11I24000190009 – Sigem Code: 23019DC000000106), with the Municipality of Bracciano as beneficiary and Navdanya International as managing partner.

Three projects from the Terrae Vivae program were also presented: “Ecological ReGeneration: Citizenship and Participation”, supported by the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE); “Caring for the Earth is Caring for Life”, supported by the Italian Buddhist Union’s 8×1000 fund; “Training in Agroecological Practices”, supported by the Ecology Fund of the Italian Buddhist Union.

Partners: Salvo D’Acquisto Agricultural Institute, IIS Luca Paciolo, Ignazio Vian Scientific High School, Azienda Agricola Le Bricchiette, Azienda Agricola La Argentina, Orto di Clapi.

Agroecological catering: ErbacceLab, Azienda Agricola Gentili, Azienda Agricola Faraoni. Photo credits: Maela Bonafede.