From Pistachios to Politics: A Sicilian Farmer Promotes Climate-friendly Agriculture 

Pistachios have always been a part of Marco Meli’s life. As a child, he helped his grandfather with the harvest on the family’s two-hectare pistachio farm close to Mount Etna, a towering, often snow-capped volcano 3,400 metres high. Later, he sometimes worked in the fields alongside his father, while primarily pursuing a career as an engineer. When Marco took over the farm in 2014, he initially used conventional farming methods, like all the other farmers in Bronte. The area is famous for its pistachio cultivation: 80 per cent of the agricultural land here is used for pistachio production. 

However, two years later, Marco started a small revolution when he switched to organic farming. “When I stopped using chemicals, my family thought I was crazy,” he recalls. The transition was anything but easy. “This was a difficult time, because the yields were really poor. But I refused to give up.” EUKI’s first Sicilian Boschi per la Biosfera project gave him guidance and encouragement as he experimented with new approaches. The project was implemented by the Manfred Hermsen Foundation, which has run several EUKI projects in the region together with the Sicilian NGO Giacche Verdi Bronte. Marco’s perseverance paid off. Year by year, his yields improved. Today, he harvests the same quantity of pistachios as his neighbours, but with higher quality and largely free from pests and diseases. 

Working with nature 

Bronte has not been spared the impacts of climate change: the arid conditions here are becoming increasingly challenging. Humus production is particularly affected: without water, the chemical transformation that is necessary for humus formation cannot take place and so the organic content of the soil is reduced. “Humus is essential for soil fertility and acts as an important carbon sink, but we are seeing a dramatic loss of humus, not only in Sicily. Around 10 million hectares of arable land are lost worldwide every year,” says Stefanie Hermsen from the Manfred Hermsen Foundation, which dedicated its EUKI Humus per la Biosfera project from 2021 to 2023 to exploring ways of stimulating soil fauna to produce humus. Healthy, humus-rich soils not only support plant growth and fertility; they can also store carbon and capture greenhouse gases over the long term. 

The project partners experimented with a range of approaches, including applying donkey dung or charred tree cuttings, mowing, mulching and testing specific growing techniques. Marco participated in all the Sicilian EUKI projects and has found that organic farming can make a significant difference here. He shared his experience and experimented with vermiculture and turning food waste into humus. He now applies the humus production method that is most suitable for his farm: instead of leaving the soil bare, he allows grass to grow between the trees. As a result, the soil is becoming richer in organic matter and the plants are more resilient.

Turning wood waste into a resource 

Marco is also keen to make good use of green waste. Pistachio cultivation involves extensive pruning, which produces large quantities of woody material, including entire branches that have been removed from the trees. Much of it is simply burned. “At present, we don’t have a viable system to transform this waste into a resource that can be fed back into the soil.” This topic has also been addressed by the Manfred Hermsen Foundation, which currently runs EUKI’s Cutting Carbon – Promoting Biochar for Climate Change Mitigation project. As one of the Foundation’s long-standing partners, Marco tested the proposed biochar production process on his farm and, at the project’s Bronte’s Biochar Conference in April 2026, demonstrated his organic farming practices. 

Spreading the word 

Growing organic pistachios is only one strand of Marco’s sustainable farming strategy. Another is environmental and agricultural education. “I want to use the farm as a place to teach and share my knowledge,” he says. Volunteers from all over the world spend a few weeks on his farm and learn about organic farming practices. Some of them have been involved in Giacche Verdi’s EUKI projects in the region. In the long run, he plans to establish a permaculture/agritourism project, including a garden with medicinal plants, construction projects using local stone, an education programme and making use of woody green waste from pruning. 

He also invites other farmers from Bronte to the farm so that they can see for themselves how organic farming is a more sustainable way to grow food. Changing established practices is not always easy, particularly for older farmers, Marco says. It can be difficult to accept that methods used for decades might need to change. His own experience gives him an example to share. 

From farm to politics 

Marco is also sharing his ideas beyond the farm. He has been involved in local politics for many years, including as a consultant to Bronte’s mayor, and initiated many environmental debates in the community. Since 2026, he has been a member of the municipal council. “The politicians have to listen to me now,” he says. 

He sees his new role as an opportunity to bring climate change, environmental action and sustainable agriculture into the political debate – and to help shape the future of his community. Improving Bronte’s waste system is high on his agenda. 

Reflecting on his scope for action and influence today and how he got here, he feels grateful, above all. Grateful to nature, which he believes has always helped him, and grateful to the people who have supported him along the way, including the Giacche Verdi Bronte staff and Stefanie Hermsen from the Manfred Hermsen Foundation.

“The work and the support from EUKI have provided me with so many opportunities to discover new ways of thinking and sharing and spreading my ideas.”

Marco Meli, Organic pistachio cultivator and Bronte municipal councillor

The EUKI communities, farmers in Bronte and beyond and volunteers on his farm can certainly look forward to what he is planning next. They have already learned from his journey that change is possible but does not happen overnight. It starts with a small experiment, requires patience and grows through cooperation and dialogue.