Struck by the spread of hazelnut monoculture on the Alfina Plateau and the consequent destruction of the rural landscape and its biodiversity, the internationally renowned artists Alice Rohrwacher and JR have created a “cinematic action”, a short film which since a few days is available for everyone at this link.

Omelia Contadina/Peasant Homily (homily = a sermon, a prayer “that conveys an idea, a feeling and an image”) is the title of this symbolic burial of a farmer in his land which his peasant friends attend. A bitter indictment of all those who carry out this destruction and who allow it, the homily ends with a flicker of peasant cunning: “you buried us, but you didn’t know we were seeds!” This opens our view to the many forms of peasant resistance in the world and in Italy.

One possible answer is taking shape these days with the creation of a biodistrict in the area surrounding Lake Bolsena. This is a positive and peaceful response for which BLEU has been working for many years, uniting the various representatives of local civil society to promote eco-sustainable peasant agriculture, to support the care of the Earth by starting from the care of the soil, of vegetation, of crops and of the health of the living beings that inhabit it.

You can find out more about the biodistrict project here (in Italian).