pollica 2050

WHAT'S NEXT?

POLLICA 2050

SUSTAINABLE INNOVABILITY TO FUTURE-PROOF HUMANITY

“Pollica 2050 — Mediterranean Living” is a strategic project that focuses on the Mediterranean Diet as a model of Integral

Ecological Regeneration to enhance

dormant resources. This initiative leverages the limitless power of creativity and innovation to build inclusive prosperity starting from the integral ecological

approach.

This strategy has been prototyped for more than a year and through the hypothesized management tools is actively developing a tangible ecosystem capable of feeding and regenerating itself to sustain throughout time. The emphasis on innovation allows the project to branch out from Pollica as a hub so that the entire territory can benefit from it. Touching on the five core themes of the

Environment, Health, Agriculture, Tourism

(art & culture), and Sociality, the innovation is grounded in the priorities of the Agenda 2030 while approaching the effort from a framework of integral ecological regeneration.

INNOVABILITY

Innovability, is the approach adopted in the co-design process of the Pollica 2050 — Mediterranean Living project.

Innovability. A word that stems from an inseparable pair today: the meeting between innovation and sustainability, essential ingredients to guide any regeneration process. A process that encourages us to think and act in a systemic way, orienting all our actions towards the creation of inclusive

prosperity.

Accelerating the Digital Transition, a

sustainable, indispensable lever for the implementation of the true Green Deal

that requires us to face a real Cultural Transition, which facilitates the acquisition of new Competencies and gives Heart to the digital, which is not the end, but a powerful means.

Where there is only one true imperative: Collaboration. Today patronage and collaboration between public and private are essential to accelerate innovation processes. An essential practice to spread, capable of generating opportunities for economic and social development starting from the territories, starting from the inland areas, from villages, from communities, real “Living Labs” to prototype innovative models of sustainable development. The meeting between tradition, “heritage,” and innovation of approach, product, and process are the elements that strongly characterize this project proposal and permeate in every area:

ENVIRONMENT

1. The design of the new Municipal Urban

Plan “FOODSCAPE” presents a highly innovative approach to the recovery techniques of the buildings covered

by this call for proposals that aims to create super-efficient buildings.

2. The Circular Economy implemented at an experimental and educational level through a plastic recycling laboratory located at the Castle of the Princes Capano, the ”Philosophy Med Lab,” but also thanks to the creation of an experimental plant for the production of electricity from Organic Fraction from Urban Waste (OFMSW) and algae from Poseidonia.

3. The protection of biodiversity will take place through an experimental project promoted by the University of Molise which aims to monitor the health of the ecosystem rate of biodiversity through the study of the health of bees.

4. The monitoring of environmental parameters will be taken care of by Strobilo that downstream of the experimentation will create an exclusive algorithm able to identify the key parameters of “longevity” and will be integrated with neuroscientific studies carried out on the resident population and a machine learning platform that will allow public administrations to make strategic decisions based on scientific data.

HEALTH

Wellness is an element of essential importance in designing healthy, inclusive, and sustainable cities, but also a new lever to promote the territory with new forms of tourism that focus on biophilia, wellness, and longevity. The Campus hosts, for example, the Mediterranean Mind Lab that through neuroscience and the constant monitoring of numerous environmental parameters, analyzes the benefits resulting from the relationship with the natural environment to structure a predictive model capable of increasing the competitiveness of the territory through the enhancement of the “Mediterranean Diet” as the set of benefits related to the food model, both the healthiness of the ecosystem and the lifestyle given by the traditional knowledge of Cilento.

But in everyday life, many aspects relate to the theme of prevention and public health, and new ways of providing health services are now possible thanks to the services of digital medicine designed for the new Community House through the implementation of software platforms that can manage multi-diagnostic medical records, allowing full support of monitoring and medical follow-up on the territory. Tele-medicine, Tele-assistance, and Tele-consultation will facilitate innovative solutions and perspectives for constant health care, offering advantages in terms of: • Interaction between the specialist and the patient; • Breaking down geographic and time barriers; • Reducing travel by allowing the detection of parameters and values directly from the patient’s home and in full autonomy. • Ensure that critical patients can be treated promptly in case of need.

AGRICULTURE

Also in agriculture, every aspect is touched by the whole ecological approach, which in itself represents a real innovation from the methodological point of view, the “innovation” is the predominant driver,

necessary to: • Enhance the local productions, the food and wine excellences DOC, DOP, IGP, Slow food presidia, and the iconic products of the Mediterranean Diet. • Make products more healthy and safe for consumers. • Increase sustainability for the good of the planet, protecting the essential resources of the ecosystem.

Starting from the experimental vineyard in the Municipality of Pollica, managed by the Mastroberardino Company, where the CNR, the Italian National Research Institute will settle and start experimenting with the Bioristor sensor, an Organic Electrochemical Transistor (OECT) able to detect the onset of water stress and, potentially, send a signal that it is necessary to irrigate, thus allowing a significant reduction in water waste and increasing the sustainability of agricultural production.

To then consolidate the many projects of the Paideia Campus there is a M.E.D. Lab that hosts open innovation programs, and that with Future Food will incubate AgriTech startups and programs promoted by the

Faculty of Agriculture of the University

Federico II of Naples. It will host pilot projects such as the one being developed in collaboration with the Global Innovation Team of Danone, that starting from Pollica will prototype a new model of product development and procurement coming from regenerative models thanks to a process of

co-design that will involve many partners

of the project. This process involves the Future Food Institute, heroic farmers and

guardians of the territory, food industries, cooperatives, Coldiretti, Biodistrict, Rareche, Universities, and agricultural trade associations.

It represents a territory rich in excellent producers and products to protect and enhance, in Italy and worldwide. For this, the revolutionary technology of BluDev® will be implemented. It can create a bio-

fingerprint for each product (BFP — Bio

FingerPrint) and store this information in a distributed database using the paradigms of Blockchain, i.e., a type of data structure that identifies and tracks transactions digitally.

TOURISM, ART, AND CULTURE

The cultural redevelopment of the territory occurs through the promotion of a new model of tourism: aware, careful, slow, responsible, and sustainable. To discover the roots, relationships, and values of the Mediterranean Diet, to get to know the custodians of the environmental, food, and cultural biodiversity of the territory; to protect and at the same time make Italian heritage, archaeological sites, historical buildings accessible, but above all to create awareness, innovation, technology, and new models of edu-tainment become essential elements.

Like the “Trame Mediterranee” project, which starts in schools with innovative internship programs to train young explorers, storytellers, and ambassadors of the Mediterranean identity, and becomes a program of cultural animation with the

“Food Theater — From the land to the

banquet”: food experiences that focus on the supply chains and the stories of producers. But also a “web radio” to give

voice to the stories of the protagonists

of the Mediterranean Diet and a web app completely integrated with the services, tourist and otherwise, offered by the Public Administration. Tourist information, e-commerce, and interactive technology to explore the area and literally immerse yourself in an experience that smells of history, art, culture, science, and taste. All animated by the young people of the territory who (as tested in the field during the first year of the prototype) will develop a healthy “capital pride” and the managerial, relational, and technological skills to enhance their land of origin.

A Virtual Museum of Italian UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage that, through

augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial

intelligence, and immersive projections with touch interactions, will take visitors on a journey of discovery of Italy’s intangible wealth.

Painting, photography, sculpture, music,

and cinema, with exhibitions, festivals, and shows to celebrate the “Mediterranean way of life” in the broader framework of integral ecological development; but above all, participatory art projects where the community becomes the protagonist in the creative process, as co-authors of the work itself, authentically expressing the values and identity of the “Mediterranean way of life.”

But also new restaurant models that celebrate the true Mediterranean “convivio” offering solutions capable of involving the entire community with a home restaurant

network organized by the Women of the Mediterranean Diet.

SOCIAL

A community that in the last two years has been able to welcome, thanks to the experimental Living Lab of Cities 2030 — EU H2020 project (initiated by the Future Food Institute), numerous initiatives that are bringing positive cultural influence and training the community in active citizenship. • A school (the first in Italy) to train

NEETS and Migrants on innovative

practices of regenerative agriculture;

A women’s house and a gender library to create awareness and accelerate processes of active participation in the political, cultural, and economic life of local girls; • New spaces designed to train entrepreneurship and creativity as the Incubator of Future Food Institute attract new citizens with services for South Working and as the Fab Lab and the Media Lab located at the Castle of the Princes Capano, a Digital Academy to train citizens of all ages on digital skills and teamwork, a Residence for Artists, an ideal and evocative place, for those who want to seek new inspiration for their art entering in full harmony with nature.

Last but not least, this model sees the Sustainable Development Goals and targets set by the 2030 Agenda as reference points to which to aspire. An essential tool to address development policies and daily choices in a systemic way.

POLLICA AND THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET

FROM THE CRADLE OF CULTURE AND INTANGIBLE HERITAGE OF HUMANITY, TO A MODEL AND STRATEGY FOR THE INTEGRAL DEVELOPMENT OF VILLAGES

“Pollica 2050 — Mediterranean Living,” which focuses on the Mediterranean Diet as a model of Integral Ecological Regeneration, is a strategic project designed to enhance dormant resources. This initiative urges us to think and act in a systemic way, directing every action to the creation of inclusive prosperity starting from the integral ecological approach, tested over the years, and applied in every phase of the project. This strategy has been prototyped in the field for a year, and today, thanks to the hypothesized management tools, aims to create a real ecosystem capable of feeding itself and regenerating itself to persist over time. It will diffuse in space so that the entire territory can benefit from it. Today, it is necessary to network and be networked, as such, it will go deep so that the impact will be truly transformative. There are six concrete areas of intervention capable of safeguarding the environment, favoring the new generations, guaranteeing social justice for all, implementing a model of

truly sustainable, participatory, and integral

development.

Following a pandemic that has upset the equilibrium of the entire world and exacerbated the pre-existing problems of the system in which we live, the time is ripe to implement that long-discussed regeneration process. We talk about “regeneration” and not just “restarting,” not by chance. After an entropic crisis like the one we experienced, it was impossible to think of resuming the games as we left them, with the same rules.

It is time to change, to distort, to re-invent. This is the only tuneful note in this story: although forced and dictated by necessity, Covid-19 has led to a general awakening of consciences, aware that this is perhaps the last chance we have, not only to make the Italian system survive, so rich and fragile, diversified and complex, but also to outline new and innovative guidelines for a future capable of safeguarding the environment,

favoring new generations, guaranteeing

social justice for all, implementing

development that is truly sustainable,

participated, integral. Therefore, there is a need for a radical and structural renewal, capable of involving the whole social fabric, on all levels. Regeneration is either collective or not. This is even more true for the South. And is even more true for our villages: small and unique baskets of biodiversity and ancient culture, today at risk of depopulation and therefore, of extinction.

For this reason, “Pollica 2050 — Mediterranean Living” is a candidate to become the pilot project for the Campania Region to make cultural stimuli the lever to

trigger “the cultural, social and economic regeneration of abandoned villages at risk.”

After all, Cilento has always been a place of strong cultural ferment: it is there that the Western philosophical thought of the Eleatic School took its first steps; where the very first socio-economic and environmental regeneration led by the Basilian monks took shape; where the Salerno Medical

School was born and where, above all, the Mediterranean lifestyle was codified, the socalled Mediterranean Diet — today a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, of which Pollica is an Emblematic Community. This cherished lifestyle is capable of combining human health and environmental protection; protection of gastronomic pleasure and defense of biodiversity; pride in one’s identity and awareness of being children of cultural crossbreeding; love for the sea and roots firmly planted in the earth. All this is the Mediterranean way of life, an approach to existence and to our “being in the world” which is based on the awareness that “everything is connected,” the approach which is the basis of our project and which is rooted in the history and culture of Pollica, but which must be rediscovered, brought back into vogue and made into a model and

strategy for innovative and sustainable development of the villages, in fact,

“integral,” which leaves nothing and no one behind. For this reason, it makes sense to start from here: from the place where it is possible to touch and understand the complexity of the world in which we live and its infinite interconnections. From that concept of full ecology that Pope Francis explains in his Encyclical Laudato Si’, where we are finally aware that every choice and action we make has an impact on our surroundings. A concept of which the Mediterranean Diet is a master, as it explains how much our quality of life depends on the quality of the environment we inhabit, the air we breathe, the time we dedicate to relationships, and the happy stability of a simple but tasteful life. This approach is also applicable to the concept of development: for it to be truly sustainable, it is necessary to remember that there is no economic prosperity in a degraded environment; there is no tourism strategy that holds in places where the inhabitants are not happy and there is nothing authentic left to tell; there is no investment capable of working on its own, without someone on the ground willing, able, and competent to make it bear fruit in a meaningful and heartfelt way; there

can be no demographic growth in a place where there are no services or cultural stimuli; there is no future or regeneration if policy does not project long-term. It’s all incredibly connected, integrated, interconnected.

If the Mediterranean Diet is a concrete example of integral ecology, then Pollica is the perfect place to prototype and co-create the first model of integral development, able to translate the intangible heritage of the Mediterranean Diet into a new strategy of prosperity.

This different model does not focus on mere profit as an end in itself, but instead on the community, understood as the virtuous encounter between territory and people. However, to protect, trigger, and promote this meeting and the beauty that comes from it, it is necessary to start from the activation and empowerment of people in the area, giving them the right tools to do so.

And this is why — despite its history and potential — Pollica is in danger like many other small Italian villages. Where there is not the feared “brain drain,” there is however a real “drowsiness” of brains due to a strong and paradoxical lack of stimuli: depopulation and desertification of hearts and minds are a cancer here too. If it is true that during the summer Pollica is perceived as a vital and virtuous center of seaside tourism, it is therefore difficult to imagine it as a “village at risk.” But it is also true that the village goes into a phase of lethargy and dormancy during the winter period. However, it is necessary to go beyond what is perceived and base ourselves on concrete data.

During the period from October to March, the town empties, the activities, and services that are strictly summertime close, jobs are lacking and only the inhabitants remain, fewer and fewer, older and older, while the younger ones no longer find reasons, incentives, or the tools to stay. The danger here is twofold: not only is the livelihood of the younger generations at risk and therefore of the village itself — which becomes a mere holiday resort — but also the boundless heritage, both tangible and intangible, that is intrinsically linked to this territory, its history, its human and natural biodiversity, its customs, and traditions.

To prototype a true regeneration process, one that works and can be replicated elsewhere, we, therefore, believe that it makes sense to imagine and work for Pollica 2050. From a challenging territory that can offer so much in terms of culture and nature, but that both risks putting to sleep and/or running away from its most precious resources, and equally risks selling out, focusing on tourism which, if the territory becomes corrupted and loses its authenticity, also risks losing value.

The objective of the project is more generally to remove the limiting role of the villages as a place for tourists, a “container” for seasonal events and passage, and instead to create a new model that makes the village itself an integral part of a self-sufficient and complex ecosystem. This ecosystem will offer opportunities to its inhabitants, not only seasonally, thanks to the prototyping

of innovative and sustainable solutions applicable to production models typical

of the Mediterranean basin, giving voice and support to those who “make” the Mediterranean Diet (farmers, fishermen, artisans), using technology as a tool to serve the community; but also thanks to the creation of a network with the other surrounding villages and — aware that

innovation is an effort of cooperation — to the

dialogue with different actors of the Italian and international productive and cultural

scenes. Already, sixty potential partners are involved, from the academic world to the entrepreneurial one, from cultural centers to international start-ups. Pollica 2050, as a pilot project, will have the burden and the honor to build this network, to create the digital tools (online, open-source platforms), to spread the word (through a Digital Academy), to put synergy into the existing realities of the territory by enhancing the platforms for the fruition of the tourist offer and the experience of the territory. It will build solid foundations for a participatory process that not only independently survives throughout time, but also serves as an example for other villages, becoming replicable and applicable without further macro-investments. Pollica 2050 does not simply want to be a project, but the beginning of a process with a positive impact: it wants to create the foundations, the humus, the basis for it to take root and build over time a new way of thinking, doing business, making innovation and more generally reviving the territory in a harmonious, conscious, connected projection towards a better future. All of this has been going on for a while. In the height of the pandemic, the Municipality of Pollica, together with the Future Food Institute — in an already successful public and private collaboration — has co-created with the community an innovative concept of cultural, social, and economic regeneration. This process led in April 2021 to the concrete realization of the Paideia Campus, a permanent and international campus within the Castello dei Principi di Capano (Princes Capano Castle) dedicated to the dissemination of integral ecology. In this Campus, open to international students, the community of the village of Pollica is an integral part, actively involved in the creation of various activities — such as “Trame Mediterranee” — aimed at discovering the Cilento territory, exploring and sharing its intrinsic environmental, cultural, and social values and understanding its immense material and immaterial heritage. And it is just that awareness to create the necessary basis to trigger in the community, young and old, that “patrimonial pride” and that sense of responsibility indispensable to start the wonderful phenomenon of “restanza” (the act of remaining). The “restanza” is the courage not to seek fortune elsewhere but to stay, the will to give life to creative processes aimed at the care of the place of belonging, the consistency of not delegating to anyone the change you want to see, the strength of believing in themselves and their territory, the tenacity to commit themselves personally for the common good of the entire community, the pride of being an example for the entire planet and the awareness of needing a diverse but cohesive team.

But the goodwill of those who remain is not enough. It is also necessary to regenerate

the many local cultural assets, transforming

them into places of education that are alive, innovative, and in step with the times. It is necessary to give them the technological tools, the know-how, and the services to cultivate the future of the local community, networking them with the most diverse realities — not only of the territory. So that all this does not remain utopia, it is more necessary than ever to create a living laboratory spread throughout the territory: for these are essential structural investments, supported by wide educational projects that begin a transition that is first of all cultural, then ecological, and then digital. The project “Pollica 2050 — Mediterranean

Living” does not start from scratch. It moves in this context and continues what has been started. It consolidates a path already begun that has proven to work and that is, therefore, itself a guarantee of the feasibility and sustainability of the initiative, of the solidity of the tools applied and of the profound sense that new, possible, desired, and well-placed investments would have. Its ultimate goal is the realization of a complex and long-term initiative able to prototype a new strategy for a development that is eco-centric, involving not only Pollica but also the surrounding villages, applying and modernizing the founding principles of the Mediterranean Diet. Pollica then as a concrete example and as a model to strive for, but also as a cultural and open hub where to cultivate creativity, becoming a driving force for others, transferring knowledge, and replicating winning models. The desire is to create a plural community belonging to the same Common House and that, therefore, is a community of destiny and intentions. A project that brings the village of Pollica to its etymological sense, that is to be the center of “many houses” (from the greek “pollai oikia” from which it probably derives its name), able to accommodate and enhance the uniqueness of each and to provide and make available to others the services prototyped, created, and tested. In a historical moment in which we have understood the errors of the past and the limits of an ego-centered productive system, and in which we are increasingly in search of new answers and possible alternatives, we nominate Pollica to become an eco-centered hub that is itself a testimony to a different way of life, of this “Mediterranean living” in harmony with nature and with other human beings, creating a replicable model that makes the philosophy behind the Mediterranean Diet the strategy for an integral development not only of Pollica but for all the villages: from Pollica 2050 to Cilento 2050.

Ph: Gloria Lista - Convivio Mediterraneo

ORGANIZATIONAL MODEL OF INNOVATION & PARTICIPATORY PATHWAY

“Pollica 2050 — Mediterranean Living” is a strategic project that focuses on the Mediterranean Diet as a model of Integral Ecological Regeneration to enhance dormant resources. Through collaborative co-creation, verified through active prototyping, the project has built a strategic model that builds inclusive prosperity starting from the integral

ecological approach.

Built upon the hypothesized and prototyped management tools, the Pollica 2050 project is actively developing a tangible ecosystem capable of feeding and regenerating itself to sustain throughout time. Now in its fourth phase of implementation, the project is working to address regeneration in six core areas of: Political, Environmental, Human,

Social, Cultural, and Economic.

Each phase leverages collaborations with diverse partners, active participation from the community, and connection to the objectives of the Agenda 2030.

OBJECTIVES

Cultural stimuli as strategic levers to trigger “the social and economic regeneration of the village of Pollica.” The main purpose of the project is to create awareness and a sense of responsibility in the community, making it capable of enhancing the territorial environment, characterized by areas of high scenic and environmental value, an invaluable cultural heritage, and highquality agricultural supply chains. To facilitate the awareness of the value of the area and the complexity of the dynamics involved, the citizenship (permanent and temporary) has been involved in becoming an “active part,” bringing out the truest reasons for abandonment by the new generations and the deepest lacerations, and then identifying together proposals and indications able to protect and enhance the resources, especially the dormant ones.

And so the village is no longer just a cultural element to be revitalized, but it becomes an essential node of an ecosystem capable of triggering a process of regeneration for the entire territory.

PROJECT CONTEXT

The project “Pollica 2050 — Mediterranean Living” aims to create a model of integral regeneration of the territories and to become such, it acknowledges that an important part must be represented by the experimentation of participation processes so that the local community is sensitized and can acquire awareness, strengthen its sense of responsibility and belonging to the territory, and can create new economic opportunities and sustainable use of resources. This project aims to give life to a real ecosystem that sees all stakeholders and citizens cooperate for a single purpose, participate, and be an active part of the change. The project developed by the Municipality of Pollica and the Future Food Institute provides coordination to optimize the initiatives of enhancement and use of the entire territory.

The laboratory of participation was developed to train the community to cooperate, developing systemic thinking, facilitating the design of activities, initiatives, and strategies to enhance the heritage “Mediterranean Diet” as a real cultural framework from which to take inspiration to adopt a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. Born to create an opportunity for active listening aimed at identifying needs and specific priorities to be taken into account in the project, as well as the possible development of ideas for the future management of common goods, the village, and the territory.

ORGANIZATION OF THE WORK

First Phase — The Meeting: April — September 2020

The first meeting between the Future Food Institute and the Municipality of Pollica led to an initial test phase lasting from April to September 2020, which saw the Future Food Institute involved in two punctual initiatives in the territory: • the operation “Water in our hands” resulting in the restoration of the secondary water source of Cannicchio, aimed at increasing the efficiency of the local water network and supporting the community in addressing the long-standing problem of water shortage, especially during the summer months. • the Training program, Boot Camp for Climate Shapers, organized by Future Food and FAO, on the theme of Mediterraneity, which brought to Pollica young people from around the world, experts, activists, businesses, and media for a week-long international training program on both the link between agri-food systems and climate change and on the complex and precious meaning of the Mediterranean Diet. These months of activities, made up of unstructured meetings and field experiences in contact with the community, gave the Future Food Institute team the opportunity to realize:

1. the uniqueness represented by the “Borgo” of Pollica, a UNESCO Emblematic

Community of the Mediterranean Diet, surrounded by an immense intangible heritage still preserved by the local elders, made of traditions, customs, agricultural practices, a real way of life; and an equally immense tangible heritage comprised of marine protected areas, natural reserves, archaeological sites, and historical buildings.

2. but also of the paradoxical situation in which the internal Italian areas are raging, where when the curtain falls, after the summer, the real signs of cultural and social desertification emerge. The few young people who remain are united by a sense of discouragement, distrust, and political apathy that is reflected in the numbers and statistics when it comes to educational poverty, depopulation, school dropout, and unemployment. The few remaining young people today do not have the tools to compete, do not have the stimuli to create, and do not even have the lenses to codify the heritages that surround them, of which they should be proud and which they should protect. A plague that doesn’t even spare places as well-known and apparently “lucky” as Pollica.

Without young people, there is no future. The awareness of having, on one hand, an incredible resource, a heritage for the territory, and for the whole of Italy to be cared for,

protected, and enhanced, and at the same time, touching the incremental state of abandonment of these territories was the real fuse that started this path.

The second phase — Study: September 2020 — May 2021

The fall and winter were dedicated to listening to the community, to the study of the territory, to the analysis of the stakeholders where techniques codified by the social sciences were adopted including:

Direct observation techniques, through shadowing and participant observation, the relationships between people and places, physical spaces and the practices of social use of places, how the forms of use of different spaces vary over time, how functional spaces are reinterpreted or misrepresented in use, etc. were studied. Direct observation and environmental awareness techniques conducted by local youth, trained and educated in the “AgriCultures/Youth Wellness” project by the Future Food Institute’s team of facilitators with the goal of challenging established visions to build forms of local awareness and greater understanding of the surrounding complexities. Techniques of exploration and knowledge of the living environment, inspired by the educational model of “Reggio Children,” were also adopted, resulting in further experimentation with sensory, affective, etc. mapping.

Techniques of structured discussion of

ideation, micro-planning, action planning, etc., led by the facilitators of the Future Food Institute with the aim of bringing out problems and transforming them into opportunities, and creating a synthetic and, as much as possible, shared project image of the community.

The collaboration was further strengthened when the Municipality of Pollica decided to publish an Expression of Interest for the management of the Princes Capano Castle and the secretariat of the Mediterranean Diet Study Center. Four candidates participated in the event. The Future Food Institute was ranked first due to a project proposal that went well beyond the management and enhancement of the property, instead of presenting an inclusive project that aimed at the cultural and social regeneration of the village, which now fully integrates with the strategy pursued and is also perfectly in line with this announcement.

The Third Phase — “Building Site of Trust” May — December 2021

As Franco Arminio says, who has always fought for the enhancement of villages and towns, we need “construction sites of trust”

able to mitigate the destructive force of the “militant discouragers” and regenerate the

cultural and social fabric of our inland areas, of vital importance for those who live in these places and of essential value for the entire country that makes these places a reason for pride, development, and promotion of the Country System.

Therefore, convinced that, as Buckminster Fuller said, “we will never change things by fighting the existing reality” but rather to change things it is necessary to build “a new model,” we have decided to join forces, participate, and co-create. This mission involves the public administration and a coach/creator/curator of ecosystems (the Future Food Institute), but also Youth Forums, citizens, teachers, tour operators, farmers, and organizations that in various ways insist on the territory.

A process of regeneration that is grafted into a strategic path, already traced with incredible foresight, consistency, and concreteness by Angelo Vassallo who taught us that we must

start with protecting our territory, taking care of the land and respecting the ecosystem that welcomes us to design a prosperous

future for the community, preserved by those who succeeded him and consolidated over time. Now evolving: not only for the

community but with the community.

A process that, in order to be effective, will

have to be able to feed itself and regenerate

to persist over time. It will have to diffuse in space so that the entire territory can benefit from it and because today it is necessary to network and be networked, and it will have to go deep so that the impact is truly transformative.

So our “construction site of trust” started from the community living in the village of Pollica and extended over the months to the wider area of Cilento, becoming a “factory of the future” that today is called Pollica 2050 —

Mediterranean living.

Involvement times: from inspiration to impact.

The involvement of the community runs on different time tracks: short-term and long-term which make the involvement more and more active and proactive. In detail, these stages include inspiration, learning, regeneration, support, innovation, and impact. Each phase corresponds the most appropriate tool, from the Food for Earth Regeneration Toolbox, for the regeneration phase to the hackathon for concrete support, from Prosperity Thinking to drive innovation to the 3D Impact, developed by Tim Strasser, a researcher at Maastricht University, to measure the impact generated.

The Fourth Phase — “Factory of the Future” January 2022

We now enter a new phase of project development that sees the emergence of numerous community-driven projects through which citizens are informed and mobilized to participate by surfacing issues and challenges in a synergistic way to planning, and are actively involved in creating the ecosystem. This approach aims to identify the people and structures that generate observable events and behaviors, to the point of designing new models.

This process allows for the discovery and connection of skills that already exist in the area, as well as the discovery of dormant skills and resources by reintegrating them into the ecosystem.

This mode of action raises awareness of intangible, cultural, territorial, and social values in the area to be preserved and enhanced through four pillar projects: the Hackathon of the youth of Pollica, the Library of Gender, Trame Mediterranee, and the project brought to schools Challenge Based Learning.

The Hackathon trains young people to transform problems and challenges into opportunities and teaches them to work as a team.

The Gender Library is a tool to support the integration of women in all spheres of society, create awareness and bring the whole community to the themes of Equal Opportunity to know, deepen, and increase a gender culture.

Trame Mediterranee is a multi-stakeholder, experimental school-work alternation project that leads young people to discover the wealth of biodiversity and knowledge of the territory through the stories of its protagonists (farmers, chefs, artisans). Every day during the two weeks, they try their hand at experimentation and research, with the production and transformation of icons of the Mediterranean tradition, discovering ancient crafts and legacies handed down; starting from the essential values expressed by the “Mediterranean Diet” lifestyle to build a more sustainable and inclusive future.

Trame Mediterranee — S.o.f.i.a. on the other hand has involved teachers and professors of primary and secondary schools from 12 municipalities of Cilento, training them through “challenge-based” methodologies, a pedagogical approach through which teachers are actively involved in identifying, analyzing, and designing a solution that solves a challenge based on current issues and real themes. The model used during the training follows three pillars: Inspiration, Aspiration, and Action.

And in perfect harmony with the approach that distinguishes the entire course, the Municipality of Pollica managed the co-design of the following call for proposals. A design that involves a wide range of actors called to participate through the publication of an exploratory public notice, which had as its object the expression of interest to take part in this project; or organizations that already collaborate with the entity in the management of spaces or municipal services.

These are: 1. Public Bodies and Institutions (Municipalities, Universities, etc.), 2. Public and private organizations (Foundations, Associations, Pro Loco, etc.), 3. Trade associations that represent collective interests, 4. Research and training companies, 5. Cultural and creative enterprises, 6. Manufacturing firms, especially in the agri-food sector, 7. Companies providing services in the field of utilities (energy, water, waste, mobility, etc.) and services with high added value and characterized by a high level of environmental sustainability, 8. Many citizens, of all ages, eager to participate, from below, in a phase of co-management of the village that, after years of intense work, now has all the conditions to generate a new way of living and inhabiting Pollica that will become a point of reference for a larger area, and a good practice to be transferred to the nearest communities, starting from the municipalities that have decided to be part, immediately, of the pilot project.

Management model

What is needed today to accelerate the emergence of the Pollica 2050 — Mediterranean Living?

• We need open ecosystems, capable of eliminating cultural, logistical, and bureaucratic frictions, facilitating collaborations between the various stakeholders and between the various disciplines. • We need spaces, places of aggregation, to encourage casual collisions and create the ideal environment to encourage poetic acts, in the sense of poiesis (creation), to give expression to art, train creativity, and (re)generate culture. • We need Living Labs, such as the one opened in Pollica by the Future Food Institute, which was created to stimulate co-design through an ecosystem of open innovation based on the sharing of knowledge and skills of individuals to improve community life. In practice, within the living labs, the community is at the center of the innovation process and aims to make the best use of the new opportunities offered by digital technology for the needs of society (FFI Living Lab Pollica — CITIES 2030 — EU H2020). • We need companies and trade associations that tomorrow will be able to implement on a large scale the models tested. • Scientists, research centers, innovators, and farmers are needed to make their skills and knowledge available for this experimentation. • We need a community and a territory capable of welcoming this experimentation: Pollica and an “Ecosystem Builder” to facilitate the process. • And we need a management model capable of involving all stakeholders in a harmonious way to give the right operational tools to ensure the ecosystem a flexible and inclusive structure that promotes economic development, which aims at social cohesion, and facilitates the spread and scalability in the territory. Therefore the management model for the use of different tools.

For the active involvement of the Community — the Association Pollica 2050

The set of subjects adhering to the pilot project will constitute an Association (ETS)

called ‘Pollica 2050 — Mediterranean

Living’: the association is the most agile and streamlined tool of our system to ensure a full involvement of all stakeholders, public and private, individuals and organizations. Each of them will have different roles and functions, with the ultimate aim of participating in activities for the protection

and enhancement of cultural heritage and landscape, in the organization and management of cultural, artistic, or recreational activities of social interest; in the organization and management of tourist activities of social and cultural interest; cultural activities of social interest with educational purposes.

For the management of services, the Community Cooperative Pollica 2050 — Mediterranean Living.

From a more operational point of view, the services will be managed by a COMMUNITY COOPERATIVE: management of spaces and places, cleaning and maintenance services, rental management, ticketing services, etc.. The particularity of the instrument, as described later, allows the cooperators to be simultaneously operators, users, and producers of services and goods of high collective utility.

To take care of the governance of the project a Participation Foundation ‘Pollica 2050 —

Mediterranean Living.’

To accelerate the ecological transition, The Energy Community — Pollica Energy

The municipality of Pollica has started the constitution of the Energy Community with the deliberation of the council n. 17 of 01/02/22. The Energy Community will substantiate the effects of energy production from the circular economy project developed with SARIM to maximize the profit of each actor.

INCLUSIVE PROSPERITY GENERATION MODEL

“No one is saved alone” and “collaboration” are imperatives that will determine the success of the strategies deployed at all levels. Conscious of the fact that it is no longer possible to disregard “networking” and “being networked” for mutual benefit, the entire project has been conceived by designing an “open ecosystem,” which aims to eliminate cultural, logistical, and bureaucratic frictions, facilitating collaborations between the various stakeholders and between the various disciplines to create shared value. For this reason, the model “Pollica 2050 — Mediterranean Living” not only provides that many services (such as territorial training offer, environmental monitoring platform, platform for the enhancement of tourism offer), are shared with the whole network of partner municipalities but above all that the model is easily replicable on a large scale.

FROM POLLICA TO OKINAWA WHEN EDUCATION AND INNOVATION ARE IN SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

“All the organizing is science fiction. When organizers imagine a world without poverty, without war, without borders or prisons — that’s science fiction. They’re moving beyond the boundaries of what is possible or realistic, into the realm of what we are told is impossible. Being able to collectively dream these new worlds means that we can begin to create those new worlds here.” Walidah Imarisha, 2015

It is now clear to anyone that if we really want to continue to prosper as a global society and ensure the right of life to future generations, we need to drastically reverse the current patterns of development. It requires an effort in creativity to design today the future we would like to live in tomorrow.

Embracing a model of Integral Ecological Regeneration is crucial for everybody: individuals, communities, villages, and megalopolises. It means finding the right balance between different dimensions of life, to think and act in a systematic way, orienting all our actions towards the creation of inclusive prosperity.

With the Future Food Institute, we have started from the flavors and culture that we know the most: Mediterraneity, which, with its unique way of interpreting and living food, with its techniques and wisdom, has shaped the identity of Mediterranean peoples, including Italy. From Pollica, a small village in the south of Italy, and its unique heritage and challenges, we have begun our journey to restore and re-vale the balance between education, community, and innovation, to prototype and co-create the first model of integral development, able to translate the intangible heritage of the Mediterranean Diet into a new strategy of prosperity and sustainability.

EDUCATION FOR (AND WITH) THE COMMUNITY

Educating is at first an act of nurturing: nurturing the mind through competencies, knowledge, and abilities, but also nurturing the heart, through wisdom, expertise, values. It is a process that should not be conceived as one-way, theoretical, or passive but as a collaborative, intergenerational and multi-level exchange of visions and understanding. This is the vision behind the Pollica Digital Week, six days (25–31 March 2022) dedicated to education and digital innovation to re-inhabit and re-enable marginal areas, to accompany the sustainable development of territories, and to ensure local cultural regeneration.

An experience designed for citizens and

with active community engagement to debate, to learn, to exchange knowledge,

to develop digital skills to be applied in the entrepreneurial sectors, into the local public administrations to improve communication between institutions and citizens, and in the tourism sector. In this sense, workshops, laboratories, and webinars, have been only some of the tools to ensure active collaboration within the community, by connecting Pollica inhabitants with their neighboring territories. The Castle also recently hosted the first community hackathon in Pollica, “Hack The Village,” designed to encourage locals to find solutions to current problems of the territory, which also included mentorship and expertise of business professionals.

PROSPERITY FOR (AND WITH) THE COMMUNITY

Small villages and internal areas, which often represent privileged access to wilderness, tourism — sustainable tourism — can become valuable levers for the community to combine social fabric regeneration, support of the local economy, and better conservation of natural heritage.

These days, the General States of Tourism in Italy represent an official moment to reflect on the current challenges affecting this important sector in Italy, especially in light of the complexities triggered by the pandemic on top of the difficulties of rural economies, but also as an occasion to design solutions able to valorize a key sector os our country and propose solutions to shape the future of this sector.

“Tourism can be a platform for overcoming the pandemic. By bringing people together, tourism can promote peace, solidarity and trust.” — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (UNWTO, 2020) The Castle in Pollica will have the privilege to connect with other Italian cities and villages, public administrations, enterprises, citizens, and also local and national institutions to share and exchange good practices, promote bottom-up participation initiatives and projects, connect companies and public administrations, boost local development according to the models of integral ecology, ensure a greater involvement of communities in the management of decisions taken by the public administration. We thank the Italian Minister of Tourism, Massimo Garavaglia, mayors, Regional Presidents, the National Association of Italian Municipalities, and all the organizations that actively took part, from Youanditaly to Sustainable Tourism Forum.

• Tourism can drive innovability. • Tourism can accelerate gender equality if attention to the person and relationships prevails. • Tourism can support the Italian agrifood business when merged with the territory development. • Tourism can ensure social justice while managing immigration and fostering peace.

INNOVATION FOR (AND WITH) THE COMMUNITY

What does it take for small rural communities to move from ideas to action? Thoughtful planning through design can help communities use their resources for the well-being of their residents, but many of the places that need it most do not have access to design skills.

DesignXMediterraneity was born, in collaboration with the international non-

profit organization FORK Organization, to support local communities in this direction, by giving life to training programs, design challenges, co-design paths of communities able to generate new narratives for the

Mediterranean.

Designed as a three-year project, able to touch different aspects of regeneration each year (cultural, rural, and urban regeneration), Pollica recently hosted (20–26 March 2022) the first Boot Camp on design methods around cultural regeneration, in which design students, senior designers and professors Sonia Massari and Mariana Eidler, and young creatives from Portugal, Spain, Italy are working, side by side, with young local the local community of Cilento.

The Paideia Campus is being turned into a collective creative residency, a permanent incubator of ideas, where people can test and experiment, research and put into action food and culinary design, graphic and installation, system design, communication applied to the Mediterranean diet museum with the final objective of redesigning the Eco-Museum of the Mediterranean Diet of Pioppi (Pollica).

We cannot aim for a Digital Transition without facing a real Cultural Transition, which facilitates the acquisition of new competencies, without giving Heart to the digital, which is not the end, but a powerful means.

From Pollica To Okinawa: Envisioning And Co-Designing Sustainable, SelfSufficient, And Resilient Small Cities And Communities

Despite being located in two vastly different countries (Italy and Japan), Pollica and Okinawa are more similar than what we may first assume: longevity for the population, a plurality of UNESCO sites, strong food culture, unique species of flora and fauna that can be associated with very similar diets. In fact, both the Okinawa Diet and THE Mediterranean Diet rely on an abundance of vegetables (including seaweeds as for Okinawa), high quality carbohydrates, antioxidants, high-nutrient density, and low protein intake apart from lean meats.

It has been a connection that we have already had the chance to value on the occasion of the last International Week of Italian Cuisine in the World and that it is now even more solid thanks to the Sustainable Cities Summit 2022 organized by the PDIE Group and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) that I had the pleasure to join together with the Earthshot Prize finalists, pioneers of regenerative agriculture, and architects of the future.

Two days of inspiration and visioning, passing from co-working sessions and keynote speeches on good practices, to touch on renewable energy and circularity, systems thinking for regenerative agriculture and food production, prototyping within a collaborative community,

sustainable mobility and tourism, wellbeing and socio-cultural values.

Drawing future cities based on the concepts of micro democracy, ethical values, purpose economy, together with all these visionary people, investors and thought leaders has been a privilege that confirms that collaboration should be the first ingredient to build sustainable and resilient communities, “to foster human potential, to co-create innovation, to naturalize urban environment and to nourish impact” as Dr. Fabian Feutlinske — Founder and CTO, XChange — stressed during the Summit. These are principles that, after all, are at the heart of the integral ecological regeneration model.

FOOD AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR PEACE UKRAINIAN HUMANITARIAN CRISIS REQUIRES A EUROPEAN SOLUTION

Municipality of Pollica, Future Food Institute, and Mygrants welcome Ukrainian refugees in the small villages of Cilento, the homeland of the Mediterranean Diet, to build peace through the culture of food.

Together with the Italian Women’s Union (Stati Generali delle Donne), the Future Food Institute has been identified as a focal point of the Ukrainian Government. Giving voice in this delicate and dramatic phase, to consolidate institutional relations in Italy, through the development of a tangible diplomatic bridge that unites the two entrepreneurial ecosystems, with specific reference to female entrepreneurship, youth, innovation, and integral ecology. With this mandate, and in full harmony with European, national, and local institutions, Future Food has built two institutional agendas with 50 referents from institutions and civil society, to support each other through concrete actions to make peace, via multiple opportunities for collaboration that exist between the two countries.

This alliance fosters and facilitates the implementation of many initiatives, not only for solidarity, but also for economic, entrepreneurial, civic, investment, and training opportunities.

TRANSFORMING CRISIS INTO ACTION

There is an old proverb that says “Necessity is the mother of all invention.” In essence, it means that the primary driver of creative solutions is need. In the small Italian hamlet of Pollica, located in the Cilento area, famous for being the birthplace of what we now refer to as the Mediterranean Diet, the redevelopment needs of the local community have collided with the urgent humanitarian crisis of fleeing Ukrainians. The resulting invention born from these necessities is a novel idea to build a school for peace, through the healing power of food.

PEOPLE, PROJECT, AND PLACE

Aligned through a shared vision to bring sustainable development to a rich cultural area, and the need to provide humanitarian assistance, the Mayor of the Municipality of Pollica, Stefano Pisani, the President of the Future Food Institute, Sara Roversi, and the Founder of Mygrants, Chris Richmond Nzi, have signed an official declaration of intent to provide a safe place to live, training on the principles of the Mediterranean Diet, and the development of employment opportunities for Ukrainian refugees.

PEOPLE

The Future Food Institute, an international social enterprise dedicated to food system sustainability, has been working in partnership with the Municipality of Pollica for several years on initiatives related to

sustainable agriculture, Mediterranean values, and economic redevelopment. In 2021, they inaugurated the Paideia Campus, an innovative Living Lab built upon the intangible heritage of the Mediterranean lifestyle. Situated in the historic Princes Capano Castle in the heart of Pollica, this campus co-creates community, education, and innovation initiatives focused on sustainable development through a model of integral ecological regeneration.

We had the great fortune to meet Pollica, the Emblematic Community of the Mediterranean Diet and City of Women, and it was here in Pollica that we learned that convivio, the table where daily bread is shared, has great power to unite people. We intend to leverage this traditional value to welcome the women and children of Ukraine, who will arrive with broken hearts, fear, and an uncertain future, but also a wealth of talents, knowledge, and stories. An immense value to our collective communities.

Mygrants, a BCorp, online platform that uses data to generate economic, social, and humanitarian benefits, has been working on the integration of migrants and refugees by mapping individual profiles and talents to the needs of host communities. Through this collaboration, they hope to provide an opportunity to grow the local Pollica community, while providing a safe, healthy, and peaceful place for the people of Ukraine.

“With the crisis in Ukraine, we decided to translate all our information and training content to promote a full awareness of rights, duties, and functioning of the asylum system, and to facilitate the identification of the skills of Ukrainian people already arrived or arriving in Italy. The goal is to ensure that all the skills and talents can be useful not only for job placement in specific sectors but in particular for the repopulation of all small villages,” said Chris Richmond Nzi, founder of Mygrants.

PROJECT

Inspired by the principles of the Mediterranean Diet which include the enhancement and respect for diversity, the protection of resources, sustainable agricultural practices, conviviality, symbiosis with nature, and the repurposing of ‘waste,’ this project goes well beyond one of welcome. Instead, it is built upon the concept of Food Diplomacy to build a School for Peace. The project encompasses social, cultural, and economic regeneration to create the future with the citizens of tomorrow, through the connective and healing power of food.

The Ukrainian women and children who will join this project will be offered the opportunity to not only learn about the Mediterranean lifestyle, grow an edible garden and orchard for their own food production, and integrate with the diverse, international community, but also to acquire skills that may lead to job opportunities in the future.

This project is made possible through committed diplomatic action that requires strong and trustful relations and a passionate and dedicated network. Between 25–28 March, the Ukrainian public relations regional coordinator of the Commissioner for Human Rights Verkhovna Rada, Maria Novitska, met with the President of the Ukrainian-Italian Chamber of Commerce,

Dr. Massimo Ferrara, along with European and Italian organizational representatives as part of a program organized by the Italian Women Union (Stati Generali Delle Donne) and the Future Food Institute, lead by Claudia Laricchia, the FF Director of Institutional Relations. These meetings were an opportunity to develop institutional ties, enhance cooperation, and promote dialogue aimed at building peace. Through these efforts, the process of selecting the families that will participate in the project has already begun.

The collaborative Lab for Peace is an initiative representing the best and most human of values — coming together in support of those in need and tapping creative ingenuity to solve seemingly impossible challenges. Through the most basic and humble of resources — food — the project aims to lift some of the heavy burdens from these displaced families and provide them with the resources they need for a fresh, and peaceful start.

Reinforced through the experienced, and best-in-class leadership of Mygrants in supporting the successful transition of refugees, the project has already launched a crowdfunding campaign to financially support the Ukrainian people, enabling them to earn money based on the quality of their training. The project aspires to not only generate awareness, but also the possibility for the refugees to demonstrate their skills and achieve economic and financial autonomy, as a starting point to return their independence.

PLACE

Representing all the values of community, connection, and regeneration, the Paideia Campus in Pollica is the ideal landing place for this initiative. And with the unwavering support of Mayor Pisani, the myriad training and engagement programs available, a uniquely welcoming host community with available homes and land, Pollica can support the needs of these families and equip them with resources and tools for a brighter future. Young people, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders from all over the world are already being trained on the themes of sustainability and food, powerful tools for inclusion. From here, in this cradle of history and culture, a project of great impact to create bridges and welcome, to create a future together, can be born.

“Once again, the marginal areas of Italy answer the calls of crisis. They did it during the pandemic and when we realized that the empty spaces of depopulated villages could be a solution to ensure an adequate quality of life during that difficult time. Now marginal areas are called to take on another challenge: to be inclusive. Just the villages, with the important spaces

they have, could welcome in the best way the refugees escaping from the conflict in Ukraine. We want to give the dignity of life to these people who need a modicum of daily normality. We must welcome with great solidarity and willingness to help the people forced to leave Ukraine. And we have to address them by thinking about a project that will allow them to stay on our territory for a more or less long period of time.

We want to do it with an inclusive and welcoming approach that takes care of people and their potential, creating conditions in which skills can be developed in the path of building the future, for the people and our territory that welcomes them. Through training, we will break down language and cultural barriers, welcoming not guests, but temporary citizens, keeping intact the dignity of each one and offering them the opportunity to cultivate and increase their skills,” said Stefano Pisani, mayor of Pollica and coordinator Anci Piccoli Comuni Campania.

THE PATH FORWARD

As the teams continue with their preparations to welcome and integrate these Ukrainian families, it is clear that this initiative is not happening by chance, but by design. A network of organizations, each bringing unique but complementary skills, knowledge, and resources to the initiative, and a town at the forefront of implementing creative solutions for sustainable redevelopment, these qualities are colliding into a novel approach to supporting the displaced people of Ukraine not temporarily, but potentially into a new, Mediterranean, future.

The Mayor of the Municipality of Pollica, Stefano Pisani, the President of the Future Food Institute, Sara Roversi, and the Founder of Mygrants, Chris Richmond Nzi, signing an official declaration of intent to provide a safe place to live, training on the principles of the Mediterranean Diet, and the development of employment opportunities for Ukrainian refugees.

PARTNERS E COLLABORAZIONI