Fundraising for forgotten fruit trees - 24th May 2011, Milan, Italy

What do 450 forgotten fruit trees, an orchard in Umbria, and 30 years of passion for preserving our biological and cultural heritage have in common? The answer lies with an Italian family that has established a collection of rare fruit trees that were at risk of extinction. 

The collection, started by Livio Dalla Ragione, is now in the hands of his daughter Isabella (watch the short Earth Report video to find out more). On May 24th, Isabella will launch a fundraising drive to secure the trees for future generations and establish a permanent research and education centre devoted to agricultural biodiversity.

The event, to be held in Milan, will also mark a new book featuring 100 trees from the collection.

Isabella Dalla Ragione has a long association with Bioversity due to her work  conserving forgotten fruit trees in Italy and raising awareness of the importance of agricultural biodiversity. She was recognized as one of our 2009 ‘Guardians of Diversity in the Mediterranean’ and features in a short video about the Guardians which you can view here. 

For more details, visit the Fondazione Archeologia Arborea website (Italian only)