SMURF PROJECT – The Forestry Consortium of Villa Basilica and its economic activities
The Forestry Consortium of Villa Basilica brings together over 70 members, including agroforestry companies and forest owners. The Consortium was founded to address the serious problem of private forestry property fragmentation and the widespread abandonment of mountain areas. The phenomenon of forest ownership fragmentation is also accompanied by a widespread forestry entrepreneurial system of micro-enterprises, often self-employed individuals, for which it is essential to encourage cooperation and networking.
For this reason, the primary focus of our Forestry Consortium was on creating job opportunities for our businesses. This approach has allowed the Consortium to establish its own business, develop as a local business, and simultaneously create a network of business collaborations, encouraged and guaranteed by the Consortium itself.
During the initial period, the Forestry Consortium developed an economic activity based on several key elements: maintenance of greenery on public roads; cleaning of managed ditches and canals; spreading salt and snow shovelling; restoration of forest trails; forestry environmental restoration projects, including reforestation. This type of activity has consolidated in the years since, up to the present day, providing its member companies with numerous employment and income opportunities every year.
This economic activity is divided into two main sectors: 1) services and work for third parties, commissioned by public or private entities; 2) own projects, implemented through European, national, and regional funds for the lands under its management
This approach has been fundamental for us, even though it has received some criticism in the past. Some have argued that the Consortium has focused excessively on promoting the interests of its own companies.
In our view, this is incorrect for several reasons. First, because economic activity has allowed the Consortium to move forward, grow, and invest in its own territory; in contrast, other experiences that have not paid due attention to economic aspects have either not progressed or simply fail to positively impact the sustainable management of their forests. Second, generating income for local agroforestry companies is a very positive development, as these are very small businesses that deserve credit for continuing to operate in agricultural and forestry activities. Third, many of the economic activities we engage in serve a very important public interest, including the many projects we have developed ourselves, which we will discuss next time.
For info on SMURF Project, https://www.smurfproject.eu/