Meeting our Italian rice supplier
This September, Maartje Eenhoorn started as Category Manager for the categories Rice, Tomato, and Various. After one month at the office, getting to know the business, the people, and the products, it is time for some field work! She takes us along her journey in Italy, meeting Giuseppe, one of our organic rice farmers.
Setting foot on Italian land
“While driving through the Italian rice fields on my way to the meeting, I am very curious and excited to learn more about organic rice farming. We will go for lunch before Giuseppe takes me to see his land. I am not sure what I expected an ‘organic rice farmer’ to be like, but Giuseppe was certainly not it. He is young and vibrant, the youngest of a family of many generations of organic farmers. He has a bachelor and a master’s degree in Agricultural Science: he is a farmer as well as he is a scientist.", tells Maartje.
She continues, "He tells me how he uses science to optimize yields every season: he works with specific types of bacteria, algae and fungi that ensure the efficient and controlled supply of nutrients for the plants. This also prevents harmful microorganisms, such as rice blast, from growing in his fields." He recently began using drip irrigation on his rice fields, integrated with field sensors. This advanced system allows him to water his crops with such precision that he could reduce water usage by up to 80% compared to traditional irrigation methods.
Organic farming can feed the world
Giuseppe tells Maartje that he disagrees with people stating that organic farming cannot feed the world. “Yes, it can, with the right technology in place we can reach yields comparable to that of conventional farming”. He is developing a method where rice plants are initially nurtured in a nursery until they reach a specific height before being transplanted into the fields.
This approach ensures that the young plants are robust enough to withstand competition from weeds and helps save water. While this technique is already being used on a smaller scale in parts of Asia, where fields are more compact than those in Italy, Giuseppe now needs to acquire the right equipment to implement it for larger-scale transplanting in his fields.
After lunch Maartje and Giuseppe go to the fields in his bright yellow 4x4 Fiat Panda. He shows her the cows that provide the manure for his land, the bees that help him pollinate his crops, and the drip irrigation system that he told her about. Giuseppe shows his different crops and tells about the methods that he uses to care for his land and to optimize his yields. He shows the rice fields, on which all the rice is still present. Usually, the rice is already harvested by now, but due to heavy rains the plants are too wet. He must wait for at least one full sunny day before he can harvest. Despite the science and technology in place, as a farmer you must work with the weather conditions as well.
Looking back on a fruitful first trip
"It was very inspiring to see how Giuseppe combines tradition with science. Seeing that passionate farmers like him are now leading the way, has strengthened my belief that organic farming can really make a difference and contribute to a healthier planet. I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned in my role at DO IT Organic, and can’t wait to see where this journey takes me next!", reflects Maartje.
