My name is Alessandro Pasquini. My and my family's objective is to carry on a family tradition, we are now in the third generation, a history that has discovered changes, as I have already illustrated, from livestock farming to the pure cultivation of vegetables and fruit. Always attentive to the demands of the territory, we immerse ourselves in projects that can safeguard the economy of the Val di Cornia. An area that was very much affected, in the past, by an industrial pole that is no longer competitive and that seeks in its roots, the source to continue to prosper. I started thanks to my father Pierpaolo, who handed down the tradition of grandfather Alvo. After finishing school at a very young age, I accompanied my father in the cultivation and management of the farm. Discovering the tricks of the trade is fundamental in order to be able to continue on this very difficult, environmentally related, difficult path. For example, my father and grandfather taught me how to use the hoe, an indispensable tool for every farmer. It is very important to be able to grip the hoe well and have good body posture. Technology certainly comes to our aid, but knowledge and know-how remain fundamental aspects that nothing can replace. The alarm clock goes off very early in the morning, and the days are not always the same, depending on scheduling and the crops of the season. It is also a work of foresight, taking care of the soil today to work well tomorrow, to get a good harvest. So talking mainly about the melon and my work, the task is monitoring. Checking that the growth of the plants continues in the correct way, so you check that water arrives, that the irrigation system works perfectly and that there are no hiccups, often small rodents spoil and interrupt the precision irrigation system. Another aspect to check is that the fruit breathes and is not too much covered by the leaves of the plant; it is important that the sun arrives directly. Another aspect I would focus on is to understand when the fruit is ripe, it is important not to pick it too early as the sugars if they do not develop well make the melon unpalatable. We have to wait until the stem is well dried, and with a simple twist we can detach the melon from its stem, otherwise it is better to wait a few more days.

The history of our Pasquini Pierpaolo and Ridulfo Santa organic farm began in the first half of the 20th century and continues, year after year, until today, amidst conquests, improvements and ever new satisfactions. The land where our products are grown is located in the Maremma region of Livorno, near the Cornia river, and has been worked by our family since 1938, when Alvo Pasquini, my grandfather, came to live in Loc. San Giovanni. The Maremma is a predominantly naturalistic area of Tuscany. It mainly grows olives, vines, wheat and vegetables. In 1960, Alvo bought the first 7 hectares of land; the farm's work was based on raising Chianina cattle until 1991, when Pierpaolo and my mum Anna bought another 20 hectares of land and started producing vegetables. 1999 is the year when we ceased breeding and 3.5 hectares of vineyards and 2 hectares of olive groves were planted. Another important milestone for our company followed in 2002: the conversion of the land to organic cultivation methods began. Going organic was not an easy decision, especially in the early 2000s, but the desire to preserve the landscape where we were born and to produce healthy food for people prevailed. The area is rich in cultivation fields of various kinds, around us many fields are also dedicated to the cultivation of olives and artichokes. On our farm we also grow watermelons, cucumbers, courgettes, tomatoes, potatoes and even ginger. We obtain our water from the water channels near our farm and from some of our own wells. We are careful about the use of this precious commodity, which is why we irrigate with precision irrigation methods. Vegetables need to be well hydrated at all times but we avoid leaving water stagnation that could help the proliferation of pathogens. Initially, melons require more water than at the end of its course. When it starts to turn yellowish from its green colour, we reduce the water dosage to soften the melon more. I have a team of five permanent staff during the year and seven seasonal staff. On the farm I conduct and manage all the agronomic control and management work, during the harvest months we have seasonal employees in line with the national labour contract. We almost always manage not to have excess harvesting because we manage to sell almost all of our production. When we do have excess harvest, we sell them at local markets or donate them to charity. I take care of the quality control of the fruit and teach my employees what to observe in order to pick the fruit at the optimal point of ripeness. We don't have a proper composting area yet but we use the remains of prunings and processing waste for mulch or give it as food to the animals.