Sustainable Food Systems

Seeds of future

Project duration: February 2026 – February 2027

We are proud to support a newly sprouted community-based environmental education project in Pantelleria. “Seeds of the Future” strengthens the island’s ecological resilience by combining agroecological training, school-based learning, and participatory land care. Activities range from regenerating school green spaces and promoting hands-on learning through the maintenance and expansion of a native plant nursery, to mapping spontaneous flora and exploring the island’s unique aridoculture systems, such as terraced and dry-stone olive cultivation, including the iconic creeping olive tree (ulivo strisciante). The project fosters long-term environmental stewardship, intergenerational knowledge sharing, and local biodiversity conservation. Caring for the land today means sowing the future we will reap tomorrow!
The project is carried out by the association A Sud and Resilea, with the patronage of Pantelleria Island National Park and the support of Sicily Environment Fund.

*UPDATE JUNE 2026*

During this school year, the students of the lower secondary school in Pantelleria took part in the activities of the native species nursery and the educational garden, established as part of the Seeds of the Future project.
They learned to identify and care for the island’s native wild plants, observe natural cycles, and understand the deep connection between biodiversity, agriculture, and the history of Pantelleria’s landscape. The nursery and the garden became spaces for environmental education, hands-on learning, and community participation.
In Pantelleria, preserving and promoting local agroecological knowledge means investing in the future of the island and in the new generations who call it home.
Our thanks go to the students, their families, the teachers of the Almanza Comprehensive Institute of Pantelleria, and to all those who shared their knowledge, time, and experience.
Seeds of the Future is a project promoted by A Sud, Resilea, under the patronage of the Pantelleria Island National Park, and made possible through the support of SEF.

**UPDATE AUGUST 2026**

Opened on 11 August, the exhibition dedicated to the creeping olive tree, one of the most remarkable expressions of Pantelleria’s agricultural landscape and traditional knowledge, will remain on display at Pantelleria Airport until 30 September.
The opening event was attended by the photographers behind the images, including the young participants who took part in the photography workshop, alongside the President of the National Park of Pantelleria Island, the Deputy Mayor and Councillor of the Municipality of Pantelleria, and the Director of the Sicily Environment Fund.
The exhibition celebrates a living heritage shaped by wind, generations of knowledge, and a new generation learning to observe, understand, and tell the story of their land.
If you’re passing through Pantelleria Airport, take a moment to visit the exhibition. It will be open until 30 September.
This exhibition was made possible thanks to the support of the Sicily Environment Fund, promoted by Fondazione Con il Sud, and through the collaboration of A Sud and ENAC Servizi Aeroporti.

***UPDATE OCTOBER 2026***

We returned to the third-year classes of the lower secondary school in Pantelleria with the Seeds of the Future workshops, building on the experience the students had last year in the school garden and greenhouse.
The workshops brought back memories, discoveries and even a few surprises: a special love for cotton, a plant with a rich history that has been almost forgotten on the island. Some students continued growing it at home and even brought us the seeds they had harvested. We also discovered how working together outside the usual classroom environment had strengthened relationships within the group.
We then worked together to create a monitoring sheet that will accompany our upcoming field trips. It is a tool to help students identify native and wild plant species, but also to listen to sounds, notice smells, explore through touch and express their own impressions and feelings.
Finally, through the Climate Fresco, a collaborative game, we broadened our perspective, exploring the connections between the causes and effects of the climate crisis and linking what is happening in Pantelleria to global challenges.
A journey that weaves together knowledge, experience and care, and continues to grow alongside the young people taking part.