Video

Interview with Roberto Garrido, Franco dalla Pria en Raul Laino

N&M: What was your motivation for changing to organic practices?

Franco Dalla Pria: I first heard of organic food production in Italy. What I liked best was the close attention organic farmers pay to their orchards. Instead of just following a recipe, they actually watch and observe the development of their plants and care for them accordingly.
For example, I only irrigate my orchard as the soil and the trees require, never according to a set schedule.

Roberto Garrido: My mother once commented to me that the fruit did not taste like it used to in the old days, on my fathers farm. The farm was not in our family anymore. I had a special feeling about the place, so I bought it back in the 1980's. And I decided to manage it organically, in order to produce fruit that tastes like it used to!

Raul Laino: At a certain point I realized that I was applying more and more fertilizer in order to get the same level of yields. I heard my neighbours talk about organic farming and decided to go for it. Instead of being dependent on chemical inputs, organic farming can maintain and even improve  the soil fertility by natural means.