U.S. Consulate General in Naples Visits Agrorinasce to Explore Reclaimed Assets from Organized Crime

The United States Consul General in Naples, Tracy Roberts-Pounds, visited Agrorinasce - Agency for Innovation, Development, and Security of the Territory, to personally witness the work carried out in 26 years of activity in the recovery and revaluation of assets confiscated from crime: an intercultural exchange on places that are examples of positive rebirth and territorial redemption. The Consul first visited the Environmental Education and Documentation Center of Santa Maria La Fossa, a confiscated property and current operational headquarters of Agrorinasce, named after Pio La Torre: she was welcomed by Giovanni Allucci, CEO of Agrorinasce, Elena Giordano, President of Agrorinasce, the regional councilor Mario Morcone, the mayor of Santa Maria La Fossa, Nicolino Federico, Maria di Mauro, Deputy Prosecutor of the North Naples Court, and the police forces. 'In this visit, we tried to convey to the American Consul Tracy Roberts-Pounds, the ethical, social, and economic dimension of Agrorinasce's action on the confiscated assets - Allucci declared - An important opportunity for comparison with other experiences, with which we will activate new projects and cultural exchanges'. 'The visit of the Consul represents an important sign of solidarity and commitment in the fight against organized crime. It shows that the international community stands alongside the local and regional authorities in combating this devastating phenomenon,' Morcone said. The visit continued in the greenhouse managed by the 'Terra Felix' cooperative for the cultivation of the cardoncello mushroom. From the circular economy to energy sustainability: the third stage of the meeting was the biogas plant, a portion of 4 hectares of the farm confiscated from Francesco Schiavone Sandokan in the Ferrandelle area of Santa Maria La Fossa, redeveloped by Agrorinasce and now a biogas plant for the treatment of zootechnical effluents in the process of conversion to a biomethane plant. The largest confiscated asset from the Camorra in Italy, 'La Balzana', was the last confiscated asset visited in the municipality of Santa Maria La Fossa. Two hundred hectares in size, thirty-one agricultural lands, twenty farmhouses, and fourteen rural buildings: a huge construction site that will transform La Balzana into the Agri-food Park of Typical Products of Campania. The Consul then went to Casal di Principe, where the social cooperative EVA transformed two confiscated buildings, in one the first has found its headquarters Casa Lorena, anti-violence center and shelter for 6 women and children, in the second are hosted two of the projects of the social cooperative EVA also aimed at the citizens of Casal di Principe: the nursery 'Il Sogno' and the 'Punto Luce', a community center for children.