Contact

Partner

Pilot Ambassador

Alberto Martino

Pilot Facilitator

Martina Re

Fabio Villani,
Director of the Caseificio di Manciano
Localit  Pian di Cirigiano,
Manciano GR, Italy

+0564 60941

Dairy production with an agroecological approach 

Take me to the farm

Cheese Valley

Located in southern Tuscany, the Caseificio Sociale di Manciano is a cooperative cheese factory bringing together roughly 200 farmers who manage a total of 56,000 sheep and produce more than 7 million litres of milk per year. 
Our colleague Martina tells us about the Cooperative’s aspirations:
image/svg+xml Cheese Valley Components Trees Crops Animals Agroclimatic zone Mediterranean Conventional farming system Individual farm Italy Manciano
How can we integrate the production of pecorino cheese with agroforestry, thus creating a value chain that’s fair for farmers and for the environment?

Coop Manciano integrates systems design into its value chain development – how does this work?

Cheese Valley
Farmers consulted by AGROMIX reported positive results from these experiments, highlighting that to experience the benefits farmers must implement a combination of these regenerative techniques at the field and farm levels.
In terms of the future of regenerative systems in the region, members of Coop Manciano highlighted the need to increase and spread the know-how of implementing agroecological practices. Much work is needed to increase advisory services, carry out field research, establish living labs for farmer-to-farmer learning, and to strengthen farmers’ networks.

Acknowledging challenges and overcoming them 

The cooperative’s members face several environmental challenges, including soil erosion, unpredictable rainfall, and higher frequency of drought during the summer.

To tackle these challenges, some members have begun implementing climate-smart techniques, including the reduction of soil tillage, the intercropping of grass and legumes, an increase in the share of legume meadow in crop rotation (to boost long-term temporary grassland in crop rotation), and planting trees along the perimeter of the fields. 

What does AGROMIX bring to the sheep farmers in
Coop Manciano?

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