The Famiglia Ottolini Cooperativa Sociale

The Famiglia Ottolini Social Cooperative was founded in 2002 in Suardi, in the province of Pavia, with the goal of promoting educational and inclusion programs for children and young people in vulnerable situations. Inspired by the principles of putting the individual at the center and empowering its participants, the cooperative develops projects that intertwine welcoming, training, work, and the promotion of the local area, offering concrete opportunities for growth, autonomy, and participation in community life.

Among the initiatives that best represent this approach is Orto del NOI, a social farming and artisanal processing project that combines environmental sustainability, inclusion, and the revival of local traditions. Through cultivating the garden, processing the produce, and promoting ancient agricultural varieties from the Lomellina region, work becomes an educational tool capable of restoring dignity, skills, and autonomy to young people and those in vulnerable situations.

The cooperative promotes a development model based on caring for people and the local area, fostering the creation of short supply chains, dialogue with the local community, and the spread of sustainable practices. Educational activities are integrated with productive ones, creating an experience in which quality, biodiversity, and social responsibility reinforce one another and contribute to generating shared value.

Through its projects, the Famiglia Ottolini Social Cooperative demonstrates how agriculture, education, and inclusion can become tools for social innovation, transforming the region’s agricultural and human heritage into an opportunity for growth for the entire community.