Home > Cristina Laurenti and the Coalition of Healthcare Professionals for Regenerative Agriculture

What brought you to Pollenzo for the first edition of the Master in Agroecology and Food Sovereignty?
While I was still completing my studies in technical dietary sciences at the University of Turin, I felt an important piece was missing in my education and in the path I was creating. When we talk about nutrition, especially clinical, but not only, we never mention the origin of the products we consume every day and the difference this makes on our body and our planet. So, I was looking for a way to “close the circle.” In fact,

with a degree in dietetics and a specialization in nutrition, I felt the need to know and better understand what is at the other end of the supply chain:

 Primary production. I later understood that agroecology embraces every phase of the food system and is not limited only to agriculture; a world has opened up! When I learned about this master, I immediately understood that it was the right place to be able to build a solid foundation to fill the gaps I knew I had … and so it was!

How was your path after graduating from Pollenzo?
During the master, I had the opportunity to spend three months with the Valdibella agricultural cooperative (Camporeale, PA). At the end of this action-learning phase, I was offered to officially join their team to structure hospitality and to start a project to create articles on the nutritional properties of their products. Valdibella is a beautiful agroecological reality that has also realized how important agroecology is for our health. So in March 2022, I moved to Sicily; in the meantime, however, I did a four-month internship at Slow Wine in Bra.

Another beautiful milestone, a few months after graduation, was my election as a member of the board of the Agroecology Europe Organization. I am currently the Coordinator of the Youth Network, and it is really exciting to be able to collaborate with so many young people who share my same vision and ideas; I feel very lucky! In September, the first Agroecology Europe YOUTH FORUM was held, and I must say that we did not expect all this success. A very interesting network has been created between young experts and/or agroecology enthusiasts, our manifesto will soon come out, and we really hope that this is only the starting point and that in the future YOUTH FORUM, there will be an even more international breath and that it can continue as a moment of sharing but also an opportunity for new collaborations!

Finally, together with two other nutritionists and two agronomists, we have recently launched the “Coalition of Health Professionals for Regenerative Agriculture” in Europe.

Tell us about how the ‘Coalition of Healthcare Professionals for Regenerative Agriculture’ was born.
It was a dear friend of mine from the Master who introduced me to a Dutch nutritionist who already had in mind to create a coalition with the aim of bringing nutritionists, dieticians and health professionals in general closer to regenerative agriculture. I couldn’t help but fall in love with this project right away. It was exactly what I wanted to do! As I said before, connecting nutrition with agriculture has been my goal since the beginning of my career. We recently held our first webinar, which was a unique and constructive experience. I think the time has really come for us health professionals to take responsibility without delegating the full weight of the ecological transition to producers, who already have a lot to think about. We want to create, as a first goal, a course on regenerative agriculture for health professionals, but we also believe so much in co-creation, so we are really open to any initiative!

How do you carry out the work at the Valdibella Cooperative and the Coordination of the Youth network Agroecology Europe?
Thanks to amazing teams on both sides. Valdibella is, first of all, a family ,and I will always be grateful for all the support and the wonderful experience I am having with them. Not least are the girls of the Agroecology Europe secretariat and the members of the Youth Network. You feel truly grateful and motivated when you have people around who are always ready to help you and who become a source of inspiration and motivation for you!

After that, it takes a lot of perseverance and determination, and like every beginning, you start off a little confused, but gradually you manage to establish balances that allow you to make ends meet at the end of the day (or at least most days :)).

What are the values ​​that Pollenzo left you and that you carry with you the most in your daily life?
I had the misfortune of attending Pollenzo during the Covid-19 pandemic, so I think I experienced only 50% of its potential. Despite this, Pollenzo opened my eyes to the tide of possibilities in the world of gastronomy. I remember that it was Petrini himself who said, at a conference, that we need to get out of Pollenzo even more confused than before! It was exactly like this for me, in a good way; slowly, I am managing to put the pieces together, but I will certainly always keep in mind the multitude of initiatives that are around the world. When you enter such a large world, you feel disoriented, but at the same time, you can no longer live without it. I feel I can and want to give my little contribution by creating connections among people and between the two disciplines in which I specialize. The bonds I formed during the master’s will always remain an essential part of my personal and professional life. It’s nice to see how even now, the professors are available to help you and support you, it makes you understand how important it is to believe in what you do, and I will surely work hard for this!