Davines rewards agroecology

Requirements for access to the call are to have a valid organic certification and to apply the principles of regenerative organic farming and agroecology. In particular, young farmers and their holdings will have to demonstrate that they use at least three of the regenerative organic farming and agro-ecological strategies and practices identified in the regulation, including crop rotation, minimal soil disturbance, the use of organic fertilisers, the cultivation of trees combined with arable fields or pastures, the use of cover crops such as legumes, and soil mulching (i.e. covering the soil with organic material such as straw or leaves).

Five awards in two years

Now in its third edition, The Good Farmer Award has rewarded to date four young farmers in Italia - in the first two editions in 2024 and 2025 - and a fifth farmer in the United States , where the Award has extended its reach in 2025, in partnership with the Rodale Institute, a US non-profit organisation that coined the term 'regenerative organic farming' in the 1980s. The EUR 10,000 grant awarded to each of the five winners represented not only financial recognition, but an important accelerator to boost their activities towards increasingly virtuous agricultural models.

The first edition of 2024 awarded two distinctive approaches to land management. Marta Galimberti, of Cascina Bagaggera (Lecco), was chosen for the multifunctional model of her activity, which combines agroecology and social inclusion, thanks to her collaboration with the Corimbo Onlus Association for the employment of young people with disabilities. The resources of The Good Farmer Award were allocated to the expansion of the vegetable garden, the strengthening of social inclusion projects and the creation of educational paths to spread the culture of soil regeneration and biodiversity.

Filippo Laguzzi, of R.A.M. - Radici A Moncalieri (Turin), was awarded for his ability to combine organic and regenerative agricultural production (including beer) with an intense ecological awareness-raising activity, aimed at all ages, acting as an Educational Farm. The contribution from The Good Farmer Award was strategically invested to improve daily operations and the efficiency of production processes with the purchase of new hand and portable tools, chosen to optimise land care and improve daily tillage.

In 2025, The Good Farmer Award honoured Alessia Mazzù, from the Co.r.ag.gio (Rome) Agricultural Cooperative, engaged in the regeneration of 22 hectares of abandoned public land. The award will finance an integrated rainwater harvesting system.

The other farm awarded in 2025 is Azienda Agricola Quira (Liguria), owned by Luca Quirini, chosen for its protection of local biodiversity and the Cabannina cattle breed. The contribution will be used to build a 'stable in the woods' and purchase a multifunctional laboratory van.

2025 marked a milestone for The Good Farmer Award with the extension of the award to the United States. The first American winner, Clarenda "Farmer Cee" Stanley, was selected for her positive impact on the local community and ecosystem through the application of regenerative organic farming techniques. Clarenda used the award to mulch (a technique of covering the soil around plants with natural materials to protect and improve their condition) some of the perennials on her farm and to help finance the purchase of a tunnel greenhouse that will house hibiscus and moringa plants.