Campi Aperti

Campi Aperti is an association of producers and citizens in Bologna working for food sovereignty and organic peasant farming. It runs a weekly circuit of self-managed farmers markets across the city where growers sell directly to eaters. Instead of paid certification it uses a participatory guarantee system, in which fellow producers and co-producers visit farms and vouch for how food is grown.

Started in 2001 by agronomy graduates experimenting with small-scale organic farming, with the first market stall in 2002. By 2022 it counted more than 160 producers and seven markets. Admission rests on three criteria: organic practice (certified or not), selling only what you produce, and fair, contracted labour. It is funded by voluntary contributions (a suggested 6% of market takings) and also runs a farmers' presidium in Vergato, the Camilla community emporium, training labs and the DEMETRA project. It is part of the wider Genuino Clandestino movement.