On Sunday 15 September, in the evocative setting of Broni, the Bioslow Oltrepò Pavese Food District was officially presented, an ambitious project that aims to enhance the Oltrepò territory, with particular attention to its excellent food and wine products and the local companies that produce them. The creation of the Food District represents a concrete response to contemporary challenges, combining innovation and tradition to foster the economic and social development of the area.
The Distretto del Cibo was created with the aim of creating synergies between the companies in the Oltrepò Pavese area, fostering dialogue and cooperation between the local production realities. Through the development of agrifood chains, the aim is to ‘go beyond’ the boundaries of the local market, opening up new prospects for growth and internationalisation for local companies. The key words of the project are innovation and redevelopment: two fundamental pillars that will guide the District‘s investments.
The main initiatives include the promotion of new productive activities, with a focus on the recovery of uncultivated land and abandoned pastures, giving new life to agricultural areas of great potential.
These projects will not only support biodiversity and the preservation of the rural landscape, but will also create new job and development opportunities for young people in the area.
Food and wine are at the centre of this vision of growth. Typical Oltrepò products such as the renowned wines, Varzi salami and local cheeses will be the protagonists of a strategy that sees them as drivers of sustainable and integrated tourism. The natural beauty of the area, combined with the local culture, will be an engine to attract visitors to discover local excellence, in a combination of food and wine, cultural and sporting experiences.
A crucial point of the project is, in fact, the integration between food excellence and the development of tourism that respects the environment, promoting nature trails, cycle paths and routes linked to local history and culture. Sustainable tourism, therefore, not only as a tasting experience, but as a tool for enhancing the entire territorial ecosystem.
Another innovative aspect of the Oltrepò Pavese Bioslow Food District is the desire to focus on the energy, technological and building upgrading of local villages. Through Energy Community development projects, the aim is to improve the sustainability of small local communities, guaranteeing an improvement in infrastructure and services for citizens. This will lead not only to an optimisation of energy costs, but also to an increase in well-being and quality of life.
The creation of the District is not only a matter of economics, but also of social welfare. An increase in services, both public and private, for citizens is a key objective for the local administrations and private initiatives involved.
In short, the Oltrepò Pavese Bioslow Food District stands as the hinge that unites sustainable economic development and the improvement of the quality of life. It is a project that looks to the future with optimism, proposing an inclusive growth model, in which tradition and innovation come together to build a more resilient and supportive economy.
