Project “Roots for the Future: Plant Your Tree”

The Sicilian Agroecology Coordination, the body that promoted the Sicilian Regional Law on agroecology (L.R. 21/2021), wants to promote the agroecological transition. To do so, it has launched a Crowdfunding project (therefore fundraising) that allows people to contribute to various activities. These include the organization of the 1st Mediterranean Agroecology Congress, which will be held in Agrigento between 9 and 12 June 2025, and other cultural, scientific and technical activities.

Participation of People:
With Crowdfunding, every person will be able to participate in the diffusion of agroecology but also in practical actions that contribute to practically realizing the agroecological transition.
For each donation, in fact, the Sicilian Agroecology Coordination, in addition to carrying out the activities of dissemination of agroecology, undertakes to donate a contribution to agricultural companies that are already run with agroecological methods or that intend to make this transition, for the purchase of trees of native species.

Through this action, we will contribute:

to increase the biodiversity of rural systems;
to absorb a significant amount of CO2, responsible, as is known, for the phenomenon of climate change;
to improve and increase soil fertility thanks to the presence of trees and their beneficial effects on ecosystems.

The project “Roots for the Future: Plant Your Tree”, recalls the idea of building a sustainable future through the active participation of people, connecting the concept of roots (both literal and symbolic) to the Mediterranean.
Agricultural companies located in the Mediterranean area can benefit from this contribution. Furthermore, for companies located in the Sicilian territory, these can achieve the status of Agroecological Company, pursuant to art. 7 of the Regional Law 21 of 29 July 2021 of the Sicilian Region.
The Sicilian Agroecology Coordination, starting from 2 October 2024, will publish on its official website the Call for Participation which provides some requirements.
From 4 November 2024, people, also through a specific page of this website, will be able to contribute to the activity of the Sicilian Agroecology Coordination knowing that for each payment made, which will be indicated on the specific page, a part will be donated to the companies mentioned above to purchase tree species.
People, at the time of payment, will also be able to choose the company in which the trees will be planted and, therefore, have located, with precision, the geographical place in which they will be planted.
For each plant purchased, an average value of CO2 that will have been contributed to absorb will also be quantified, issuing a specific certificate.

Participation of Agricultural Companies:
Agricultural companies can participate in the project, and therefore receive the contribution for the planting of plants (according to the number of payments made for that company).
Participation is subject to sending this form (filling in all the fields) to the email address: coord.agroecologia@libero.it.
Companies can also, by agreeing with the Coordination, carry out Crowdfunding events in person, according to the methods and dates that will be established from time to time.
To receive the contribution, they must present an invoice for the purchase of trees, preferably native, from the territory in which the company is located, relating to the number of payments made for that company.

For companies located in the Sicilian territory, you can also refer to Annex A – List of native species and breeds -, which can be consulted on the official page of the site at https://www.coordinamentoagroecologia.org/en/2024/05/24/l-r-guidelines-21-of-2021-agroecology/. Based on this documentation, the Sicilian Agroecology Coordination will make a bank transfer relating to the number of payments made for that company.

Objectives:
With the project: “Roots for the Future: Plant Your Tree” we want to implement a sharing and participation in the objectives of agroecology, a new cohesion between all the actors involved and a model of Circular Economy between citizens, agricultural companies, the production and economic world.

Conclusion:
Once the donation of trees requested by individual companies is completed, the following words will appear:
– donation completed on: day/month/year;
– trees planted on: day/month/year.