Laura met with over twenty members of the Federation of Agribusiness Workers in Padua. She recalled the absurdity of the situation: Since immigrant workers don’t have the means to grow food on their homeland, they come to work on plantations in Italy to feed their families.
However, as Laura insisted, the Earth can feed its entire population if we take the right economic decisions: “The development of sustainable agriculture is crucial in order to rebuild communities and the economic opportunities they entail. This gives people the possibility to stay and work in their home country instead of emigrating as their only solution.” Federconsumatori, an association of consumers made a great contribution to the debate by insisting on the role consumers play on the improvement of working conditions.

A few days later, about 90 people, mostly migrants and retired people gathered in Cittadella, in Northern Padua. In this small town of Northern Italy, policies are tough on migrant workers. Therefore, Laura wished to emphasize the plight migrants are facing in Italy and a lawyer came to inform the participants about immigrants’ rights. Without forgetting the link this had with international solidarity, Laura said, “The idea isn’t only to think about the consequences of migration and its impact on its host country but also to define what the causes of the phenomenon are, and especially the real connections and interdependences between North and South.” Laura presented a programme of action that helps Bosnians who took refuge in Italy during the war to return to their homeland. Then, the debate continued later on that day after a concert and an exhibition about agriculture in Palestine. “I really felt to what extent the participants needed to think, give a response and get involved!”, Laura concluded.

This project is conducted with funding from the European Union.