Without land there is no agriculture, and without agriculture there is no food. And yet at this very moment in history, with the Earth threatened by climate change and agriculture crushed by a race-to-the-bottom pricing logic, we risk running out of food. It is precisely from food — or rather, from the weekly shop — that we must spark a revolution. This was the subject of a discussion between Stefano Liberti, author of the book "Terra bruciata. come la crisi ambientale sta cambiando l'Italia e la nostra vita", Fabio Brescacin, president of NaturaSì, and Enzo di Rosa, founder of the initiative "Chi è il padrone?! La marca del consumatore", during the event entitled "E se la salvezza del Pianeta iniziasse dal supermercato?" organised by Fa' la cosa giusta, the fair for critical consumption and sustainable lifestyles, which this year is offering a programme of online events from 20 to 29 November.

A fair supply chain to restore the true value of agriculture

"In Italy, those who live in the countryside, those who live off the land, know very well that something significant is happening because of global warming," explains Stefano Liberti. "Extreme weather events are becoming ever more frequent and the invasion of alien insects is growing — two factors that affect crop yields. This year, for example, industrial tomato production suffered a 35 per cent decline caused by water shortages. Today, agriculture is penalised on one hand by the changing climate, and on the other it is devalued by the price war between supermarket chains competing to offer customers the best deal. We need to rethink which crops to grow and how to grow them, and how to use infrastructure and resources: farmers need to think about this, as do institutions, but also suppliers and large-scale organised retail. Supply chain alliances are needed to ensure a fair distribution of value among all the players. Consumers must be involved too, because their choices are decisive."

The active role of consumers in shopping: from the lowest price to the right price

With all this in mind, what can we as consumers do? What role can we play in all of this? Can we really make a difference through our shopping choices? One answer to these questions comes from the history of the movement "C'est qui le patron?! – La marque du consommateur", which was born in 2016 in France and subsequently took shape in Italy as well. Its Italian founder, Enzo Di Rosa, tells the story: "In France, the suicide rate among dairy farmers was 30 per cent higher than the population average, because milk sold at too low a price was not enough to cover operating costs, causing daily losses of between 80 and 100 euros. The entrepreneur Nicolas Chabanne began asking what the right price for milk should be and, after analysing the entire supply chain, concluded that it was just 8 cents more per litre — meaning an average extra spend of 4 euros a year for French people, who consume an average of 50 litres of milk annually. Through an online consultation involving 10,000 people, the Consumer's Milk was born: at a fair price for the producer. Within a few years it had reached 12,000 large-scale retail outlets across France."

In Italy, the organisation's first product was the Pasta del consumatore, launched in June 2020. "By answering simple questions on our website, more than three thousand consumers decided what their ideal pasta should be like and set the right price."

Consumers, but also large-scale retail and institutions: a food alliance is needed

The lowest price, then, is not always the fairest one — as a NaturaSì campaign once put it. The company's president, Fabio Brescacin, took part in the debate: "I have to confess that during the first lockdown I was worried: seeing the rush on products, I asked myself whether we had enough for everyone. The truth is that in Italy there is not enough food, partly because we have abandoned millions of hectares of land that were no longer profitable to farm. We need a food alliance in which everyone works together on the problem. With coronavirus, many people have come to understand the value of food and the importance of preserving agriculture and the environment. Our role as large-scale retail operators is to keep pushing in this direction and to raise consumers' awareness so that they refuse to buy products at too low a price. In recent years, supermarkets have put enormous pressure on prices and food has ended up costing far too little. A consumer might think that pasta at 1.10 euros a kilo is expensive when they can find it at 0.70 cents, but that price is not real: the cost that is not reflected in the product is paid by farmers, by the environment, by workers, by future generations."

Landini confirms: "We no longer have any sense of the real value of products, because they are sold below cost even when they are not on special offer. Initiatives like 'Chi è il padrone?' are very welcome, but we also need regulations to make the supply chain more transparent so that consumers can make informed choices — laws, such as the one currently being approved, that ban double-discount auctions, and agreements, like the one recently concluded between large-scale retail chains and major industrial supplier groups, to commit to greater balance throughout the supply chain."

Good food at the right price, but accessible to all: how to do it

"If sufficient flows of money do not reach the land, we destroy the soil and risk running out of food. We all need to make a colossal effort, but it is the only option," says Brescacin. An effort that everyone must make — not only consumers, for whom it is often difficult, especially at times like the present, to spend a few extra euros. NaturaSì has tried to do its part: "We have chosen, for example, to sell non-graded produce too — items that do not meet aesthetic standards but are perfectly good. In this way we manage to reduce prices by 20–30 per cent and there is less waste in the supply chain. We have also created a basket of one hundred essential products at accessible prices, because good food should not be the preserve of the wealthy — in fact, those who can afford to spend a little more could help those who cannot." As happens with the Pasta del consumatore, where one cent is distributed between the Fondo di solidarietà per famiglie e persone in condizioni di fragilità economica and the Fondo a sostegno dei produttori per passare all'agricoltura biologica. Proof that anything is possible.