Cascina Bosco
“A family, a firm, a different idea to conceive agriculture”
Roberto, who works in the fields and monitors the entire production chain, Ilena appointed for communication and direct sale, Cloe, which is the real engine of our radical change and Noah, the youngest member of the family, who brought us the curiosity and excitement typical of childhood.
This land and this farmstead are our home, our work and our project, which we led against the opinion of many and with the support of few, facing many obstacles, but motivated by the certainty of being on the right path. Taking all the risks typical of every revolution, we have completely converted our firm into biological agriculture, choosing a natural method which doesn’t involve the use of substances, not even those allowed by the biological specifications, entirely based on the synergy between nature and cultivation.
We succeeded facing together all the failures and the fears, making mistakes and trying again, listening to the critics as well as to the words of support, looking together in the same direction: that of a natural agriculture, respectful of man and environment. We fought against old customs, ignorance and greed; for the environment, for an eco-sustainable agriculture, for our and our children’s future.
We chose to live among the rice fields, far from the city, in the nineteen-century farmstead of our grandparents, which we restored following the standards of bio-housing, using soil, straw and wood. Being in contact with the nature makes us feel in peace; moreover, we believe that a different way of life is actually possible. We live and work in a synergic relationship with the environment and its equilibrium, limiting atmospheric and water pollution, preserving biodiversity.
In 2018 we received the price Legambiente Cambiamo Agricoltura “for our dedication to the safety of biodiversity and for the good agricultural practices we put in place, which testify how the change of the agricultural model in terms of sustainability is effectively possible”.
“Abandoning the logic of conventional agriculture, aimed at maximizing profit at the expense of product quality and the environment; stopping pushing plants to produce the maximum, and then using products aimed at buffering the negative effects given by forcing crops, was the turning point that changed my life. Seeing insects, birds and herbs that had almost disappeared in the rice fields return, was our great success.”
Roberto Marinone
Owner of Cascina
Our story
Our path is long, with ancient roots:
the land we work is a heritage, resulted from great sacrifices, started when Natale, the grandfather, at the beginning of the ’60, chose to separate from his brothers and to rent the land which now is ours, in Cascina Bosco.
The first years of life of the grandfather and his family were made difficult by poverty; then, with the introduction of machines and chemical products, there was a gradual lightening of work and a growth of profits. Thanks to the abundant harvests, to the savings and to a discrete dose of courage, they succeeded in 1980 in purchasing the lands they have been working as tenants. As years passed by, wellbeing entered their lives and, along with it, the increasing desire of implementing the production and consequently the profit, to the detriment of the environment: the biggest fields were leveled, trees and hedges eliminated.
Decades passed by, and the firm became bigger and modern and, gradually, with the help of all the members of the family, became rich. Notwithstanding, in 2008, the increasing desire of returning to a natural agriculture, pushed us to attempt, initially in little fields, to restore the equilibrium between nature and cultivation, with the aim of returning to the fields the life which was taken by years of use of chemical products and intensive cultivation recreating a sound environment, in which rice could grow in synergy with trees, hedges and weeds.
In addition to converting the entire farm to organic and polyculture farming, we also decided to minimize our environmental impact, transforming not only the way we cultivate but also the way we live. Before becoming farmers, in fact, Roberto worked in postural gymnastics, while I studied Cultural Anthropology and carried out research on the life of the Tzotzil indigenous people in Chiapas. Two very different paths, yet both taught us the value of balance, relationships with others, and respect for nature.
These experiences, combined with the desire to raise our children in a healthy and authentic environment, pushed us to make radical choices: living in the countryside, regenerating the family farmhouse, and creating a farming project that is also a way of life.
At home and on the farm, we strive to self-produce what we need to live, we recover processing by-products—such as rice husks—to turn them into building materials, and we use renewable energy generated by photovoltaic systems.
Our aim is to incorporate care for the landscape, respect for the environment, and for those who inhabit it into our farming activities and into the value of our products—leaving behind a positive and lasting footprint.
“In a world increasingly affected by problems related to air, water and soil pollution and the destruction of ecosystems, where thousands of plant and animal species disappear, each of us plays a fundamental role in the change. As organic farmers we feel the duty to promote healthy, sustainable and responsible agriculture, for our food and the well-being of all, to protect the future of the planet and the climate.”
Ilena Maran
Roberto’s wife and partner
Direttamente dai nostri campi
Scopri i nostri prodotti, coltivati con cura amore e rispetto per la natura.
Price range: 4,30€ through 20,00€