#35 Hedges and farm scale forestry to diversify and regenerate with Federico San Bonifacio
Listen now
Description
Federico San Bonifacio is the owner and farm manager of a 30ha farm in the plains of Verona, Northern Italy. For 12 years he has been engaging in an agroecological transition where trees and shrubs play a fundamental role. Breaking the monotony of the surrounding corn and soy plots, he has planted hedges in long strips to provide the ecosystem services that support his grain production. At the same time, Federico planted 5ha of polycyclic forestry, a forestry practice that balances economic return and ecological health of the soil and ecosystem. It is always fascinating to interview farmers, as they interact with their agroforestry systems daily, and provide rich feedback to others who wish to walk similar paths. TABLE OF CONTENTS 01:50 - Federico's story  10:20 - Farm production and sales channels  16:25 - Direct selling  20:25 - Hedges: objectives and description  27:10 - Funding the hedges  32:10 - Plastic vs biodegradable mulch & planting technique  39:05 - Medium and long term management of the hedge  47:10 - Interactions between the hedge and the grain crop 50:10 - Introducing polycyclic forestry: design, harvest, sale  01:06:30 - Why polycyclic and economic considerations   01:20:05 - Farm forestry vs alley cropping  01:22:40 - Funding considerations and lessons learnt  • RESOURCES https://www.inbiowood.eu/ • GET IN TOUCH www.regenerativeagroforestry.org • SUPPORT US www.gumroad.com/regenagroforestry • FOLLOW US on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram • FUNDING FOR EUROPEAN PROJECTS https://explore.ecosia.org/regenerative-agriculture See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
More Episodes
Propagate is a leader in the agroforestry space, specialising in project development and planting agroforestry systems at scale. It's a huge pleasure to chat with Harry, co-founder and Chief Research Officer of the US-based company. Tune in as we geek out on agroforestry economics, economic...
Published 09/04/23
In this episode I discuss with Claire Lemarié her experience working with farmers in the Pays de la Loire region in France, where she is a technical adviser for the chamber of agriculture. She has precious insights into the management of mature hedges, as this region still has a significant...
Published 03/02/23