A tour of agroecosystems
This is the start of the tour exploring agroecosystems. This itinerary is part of an educational and communication project aimed at students, teachers and all those interested in agro-environmental sustainability.
Background – CiRAA: Centro di Ricerche Agro-Ambientali “Enrico Avanzi” (“Enrico Avanzi” Agro-environmental Research Center)
The CiRAA is a research center of the University of Pisa established in 1963 for research and teaching in agricultural and veterinary sciences. It is named after Prof. Enrico Avanzi, who was Rector of the University of Pisa from 1947 to 1959
Location, equipment and staff
Located in the Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli nature park, CiRAA covers an area of 1100 hectares: 400 hectares of arable land and 700 of woodland. The Center has a barn for dairy cattle and a stable for beef cattle, as well as all the facilities and equipment necessary for agricultural, zootechnical and scientific research (laboratories, experimental equipment, machinery repair workshop).
The staff at CiRAA include researchers from the University of Pisa in the agricultural and veterinary fields
Mission
The aims of the Center are to:
- develop applied research in agriculture, particularly the multidisciplinary aspects of agro-environmental sustainability
- provide technical and organizational support for the educational activities of the Departments of the Pisa University in terms of the management of agroforestry land
- promote technology transfer to farms
What makes CiRAA unique
CiRAA is not only the experimental farm of the University of Pisa, but it is also involved in research projects and supports teaching local. The center is partially financed also by the sale of food and plants that it produces.
The extensive integration of agricultural activities, research, experimentation, and teaching enables the Center to develop new knowledge, due to the collaboration between different disciplines and public and private organizations in the surrounding area.
At the various stops on your itinerary, you will learn about the simple and complex solutions provided by the Center to some of the problems that agriculture has faced in recent decades