Slow Food launches first Chestnut Cultivation School: training to

Slow Food launches the first Chestnut Cultivation School

Five years after the creation of the Slow Food network of chestnut growers, the organisation has opened a School of Chestnut Cultivation. The initiative aims to rebuild technical and practical skills, support local supply chains and restore economic and cultural value to mountain and hill territories, according to Federico Varazi, vice-president of Slow Food Italy and head of the network.

The training combines theoretical modules with hands-on field activities covering orchard management, product processing, biodiversity protection and strategies to face climate change and plant health threats. The declared aim is to turn chestnut cultivation from a struggling sector into a driver of sustainable development for inland areas.

• Goals: revive local production, safeguard chestnut groves, counteract land abandonment.
• Format: classroom lessons, practical exercises, peer exchange and involvement of experienced producers.
• Audience: chestnut growers, new farmers, forest technicians and anyone interested in sustainable land management.
• Expected impact: enhanced local quality products, stronger supply chains and preservation of landscape and biodiversity.

The school responds to challenges such as small fragmented holdings, aging operators and pressures from climate change and pests (including the chestnut gall wasp). It aims to build a distributed community of practice that values local specificities while providing concrete pathways for those seeking opportunities in inland areas.