Seeds of Legality



What is the Seeds of Legality program?
Seeds of Legality is a unique program offered by Syracuse University in Florence (SUF) that gives students the opportunity to volunteer their time and labor working on Sicilian farmland that has been confiscated from the Mafia in recent years. It is a chance for students to engage with the Italian culture while making an important civic and social statement in favor of freedom and legality.

What do students do?
The specific nature of the fieldwork depends on the season. In spring students may plant tomatoes, in summer they may stake the fields for use as vineyards, in fall they may harvest crops or prepare the land for a new crop.

Why do students go?
There are many reasons why students choose to volunteer their time and effort in Sicilian fields. For many it is an opportunity to make a moral, political or social statement; for others it is a way to reconnect with the land from which their ancestors came; while for others still, it is a meaningful type of academic and/or community service experience.

What do students say about it?
The response from students has been overwhelmingly positive. Comments include: “This was the best thing I’ve ever done,” “Sicily is amazing!,” “I found my life in Sicily!”

How did the program come about?
SUF’s efforts to increase public awareness about the Mafia began in Spring 2006 when SUF hosted a conference entitled “Mafia and Legality” with the participation of high profile figures in the fight against organized crime, including former Antimafia Attorney General, Pier Luigi Vigna; Vice President of the Tuscan Regional Goverment, Federico Gelli; and the mayor of Lamezia Terme, Giovanni Speranza. The conference was held in conjunction with SUF’s Week of the South program, which also saw the participation of members of the Giovani della Locride, a Calabrese youth organization for legality.

In Spring 2007 the project was further developed when SUF awarded twelve winners of a university-wide contest with a trip to Sicily which included two days in the town of Corleone helping farmers of the cooperative “Lavoro e Non Solo” reclaim land confiscated from the Mafia. The students were accompanied by the Consul General, Nora Dempsey, and Vice President of the Region of Tuscany, Federico Gelli, as well as SUF Director Barbara Deimling, demonstrating high-level support for this initiative.

Due to the success of the program, SUF has been sending students to Sicily as part of a collaborative effort ever since.

For more information, please contact Prof. Natalia Piombino nnpiombi@syr.fi.it.