Semìno is a project that tells the story of other countries' food cultures, provides work for migrants and lets people enjoy the beneficial properties of the vegetables grown.
How can opportunities for dignified work for migrants be created? For instance, by giving them the chance to grow vegetables typical of their countries of origin — particularly those with numerous beneficial properties which, precisely by virtue of their nutritional values, can also appeal to the Italian market, always on the lookout for new "superfoods". This is the goal of Semìno – Alimentare Positivo, a new social farming project launched in Bologna.
The idea took shape in 2016 from an encounter between the kitchen brigade of Bistrot Vetro and the community allotment at the Serre dei Giardini Margherita, a regenerated space managed by Kilowatt, which handles research and development of species to be cultivated as well as training for new business start-ups. One day, Farouk, a sous-chef originally from Bangladesh, asked whether he could try growing vegetables characteristic of his homeland — hard to find in Italy — whose seeds he had kept.
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From his request came the insight to launch a fully-fledged business project for the cultivation of certain specialities drawn from migrants' diets, with the prospect of creating jobs and contributing to the development of an inclusive and open community.
Supported in collaboration with Local To You and Pictor — respectively a platform that distributes local organic produce and a social cooperative focused on the employment of disadvantaged people — Semìno won the "Bando Unicredit Carta E" in 2017, a grant aimed at the creation of social-impact enterprises and jobs for young people. The project was then also joined by Rescue-AB, the Centre for Studies and Research on Urban Agriculture and Biodiversity within the Department of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Bologna, which handles scientific supervision and monitoring of Semìno's vegetable crops. After an initial experimental growing season (purple potato and Indian spinach, which made it onto Vetro's menu), the species for the second growing cycle were selected in the winter of 2018, following a local, ethical and sustainable production and supply chain that respects both the environment and people.
Semìno's vegetables can be purchased through Local To You: there is, for example, okra (which looks like a cross between a courgette and a cucumber), a low-calorie vegetable that helps regulate blood sugar levels, rich in vitamins, folic acid, calcium, zinc, potassium and fibre, and perfect for adding creaminess to soups and broths thanks to the gelatinous liquid it releases, which acts as a thickener. Then there is smooth daikon, with its digestive properties and high content of vitamin C, fibre, mineral salts and beta-carotene, which can be eaten raw or cooked by steaming, baking or gratin. Next, there are black-eyed peas, an ancient variety of legume rich in protein and fibre, with a slightly shorter cooking time than other beans. And finally there is turmeric, a spice we are now well acquainted with, prized for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
To join the network (as producers, growers, distributors or restaurateurs), you can write to [email protected].