A Farmer in an IT company
Written by Irene Brambilla, reviewed by Alison Ruffoni
mondora has a policy whereby for every 20 employees, the company hires a farmer to work the land and grow organic produce. There is a clause in all work contracts from 2017 onwards that states the joint responsibility of the company and the employee, which ensures that this policy is upheld. We hire farmers because we believe their work is extremely important: without farming we would not be able to nourish ourselves, live a healthy life and get our work done!
The interview (English Subtitles available)
At the moment we have three farmers who cultivate the land using organic and biodynamic methods in order to obtain fresh products and derivatives that are then redistributed to all colleagues, through veggie boxes that are sent monthly.
We interviewed Luca Biscotti, one of mondora’s farmers. We visited Luca while he was preparing honey, using a procedure known in technical terms, in Italian as “smielare” (to extract honey).
He kindly answered my questions while continuing his job.
What does it mean for you to be a farmer in an IT company?
It’s an innovative project and a bit weird. I really like working this way and I would like it if more companies made the same choice which allows us to preserve the land and to provide healthy products for the people.
Can we say that this project is an investment that a company makes in order to have a more balanced relationship with the territory?
Yes, it’s very important especially in lands like ours (Valtellina, Italy) which require a lot of work for their preservation. And it’s important to do it in the right way, by maintaining biodiversity, which is fundamental.
As well as land preservation, does organic food help to maintain workers’ health?
Yes, as many studies have demonstrated. This project helps health, people, land, nature, and collectivity.
