The urgent need to safeguard “heroic agriculture”—a particularly important issue for the Amalfi Coast—will be the focus of a meeting to be held on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at the Villa Rufolo Auditorium in Ravello.

The urgent need to safeguard “heroic agriculture”—a particularly important issue for the Amalfi Coast—will be the focus of a meeting organized by the “AVS Chamber of Deputies and Europa Verde” group in collaboration with the European University Centre for Cultural Heritage; the event is scheduled for April 12th at Villa Rufolo in Ravello.
The proposed bill, “Regulations for the Protection of Heroic Agriculture,” aims to safeguard and promote the extraordinary wealth of traditional rural farming practices found in challenging natural environments—specifically lemon cultivation, an invaluable asset of the Amalfi Coast.
The multifunctional nature of this type of agriculture makes it more valuable and essential than ever. It is not merely a matter of supporting an outstanding productive activity and a “green” employment sector; it is also about recognizing its cultural and identity-defining value, as well as its role in combating hydrogeological instability, biodiversity loss, and the now-devastating effects of climate change, alongside its contribution to preserving a landscape that is unique in the world.
The proposed legislation therefore aims to foster a new form of economic and territorial development—one that is enduring and sustainable—but above all to bring about a qualitative cultural shift in collective consciousness, without which no “ecological conversion” can be achieved.
The meeting will be attended by: Luana Zanella, AVS group leader in the Chamber of Deputies and lead sponsor of the bill; Fiorella Zabatta, National Co-spokesperson for Europa Verde; Francesco Borrelli, AVS MP and member of the Agriculture Committee; Franco Mari, MP for Sinistra Italiana; Grazia Francescato, former President of the Italian Greens and former Spokesperson for the European Greens; Salvatore Aceto, Head of Lemon Growing at Confagricoltura Salerno; Secondo Squizzato, President of the L’Innesto Association; Prof. Vincenzo Peretti, Professor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Naples Federico II; Ferruccio Ferrigni, curator of the Management Plan for the Amalfi Coast UNESCO site; and Alfonso Andria, President of the European University Centre for Cultural Heritage.