Feeding Milan: The South Agricultural Park and Expo 2015

Paolo Corvo
Assistant Professor of General Sociology, UNISG
Email: p.corvo@unisg.it

Feeding Milan is a project of research intervention promoted by Slow Food Italy, the University of Gastronomic Sciences, the Indaco Department of the Milan Polytechnic for the City of Milan and the area of the South Agricultural Park, within the perspective of Expo Milano 2015. The objective is to create a system of services and infrastructures that lead to a systematic change of relationship between periurban agriculture and the city. Activities are spread over three years (2010 -2012) and used quali-quantitative methodology: a) analysis of the existing data; b) 500 telephone interviews to Milanese citizens on their food habits and relationships with the South Agricultural Park, carried out by Ipsos Data; and c) a qualitative part with in-depth interviews of farmers in the park (agroecological and economic aspects). The team is made up of Paolo Corvo, Piercarlo Grimaldi, Paola Migliorini, Elio Nasuelli and Bruno Scaltriti.

Research results

Table 1 – Results of the quantitative research (in percentages)

Our development of Ipsos Data

Perspectives
The results of the quantitative research underline the complexity of the situation being studied, but also bring up some positive aspects that offer hope for the project:

-  food is purchased primarily from supermarkets, while only a small share buy from local producers.

- the basic principles of food sustainability are known, at least at an elementary level, while an understanding of concrete experiences, like local shops, is less common, meaning the term "sustainability" risks remaining an abstract concept.

- education and awareness-raising of Milanese citizens about good food and agricultural sustainability practices becomes of strategic relevance, so as to highlight the implementation possibilities in everyday life, going beyond a superficial and/or media understanding of the issues.

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