Shepherds: a profession that's back in fashion

The former model who changes her life and takes care of sheep. The philosopher and the clarinetist who retire to Sambuco, in the province of Cuneo. Schools to become shepherds.

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Return of the Shepherds

RETURN OF THE SHEPHERDS TO ITALY

We have been saying for a long time that work must be invented in the darkness of the Great Crisis. And 2 kids in Italy, according to data announced by Coldiretti, To work they invented a return to one of the oldest professions in the world: that of the shepherd..

They do it successfully and with modernity. Combining, for example, sheep farming, that is, a wealth of agri-food made in Italy, with artisanal cheese production, with farmhouses, bed and breakfasts. That is, by creating a virtuous and effective system of The circular economy.

ALSO READ: Roberta's story, at just 17 years old she decided to live in the mountains and produce cheese

RETURN TO PASTORAGE IN ITALY

There are many stories, and they all deserve to be told.Daniela Pasinetti, for example, is a former model who lives with her husband, Davide Bortoluzzi, in the Alpago valley, in the province of Belluno, Veneto. Instead of pursuing jobs in fashion, marketing, and communications, which she would have easily found as a former model, Daniela and her partner decided to build a stable, raise a flock, and produce pecorino and goat cheese. It's like: and they lived happily ever after. Carolina Leonardi, 23, wasn't born into a family of shepherds, but started from scratch, out of passion and to find work. She won a tender from the Tuscany region, and today, on her farmhouse in Seravezza, Tuscany, she has added her own flock to the local crops.

The return of the shepherds, young and mostly women, also means saving a heritage of 7 million 200 thousand sheep (an increase of 200 units compared to 2011), saving 38 breeds that were at risk from extinction, and giving a boost to the cheese sector in Italy, which produces 60 million kilos of products per year, half of which bear the DOP label.

SARA, THE PHILOSOPHER, AND MATTEO, THE CLARINETIST, SHEPHERDS IN SAMBUCO

Another very particular story is that of Sara and Matteo, who work as shepherds near Sambuco, a small village of 85 inhabitants in the Upper Stura Valley of Demonte, in the province of Cuneo. Matteo is a clarinetist who changed his life a few years ago by joining the Organics Farm, farms that offer food and lodging in exchange for work. Sara, on the other hand, graduated in Philosophy in Bologna and didn't want to follow in the footsteps of her father, a successful notary. Together, Matteo and Sara raise sheep and produce delicious cheeses that they then sell at local markets. Who knows if they'll ever be like them? Ninotto, the 104-year-old shepherd who still remembers the names of all his sheep.

INTERNSHIPS FOR SHEPHERDS IN LOMBARDY

Meanwhile, in Lombardy, in July 2022, a regional law was approved which establishes training internships at regional companies of this sector. A way to train shepherds and bring them closer, even culturally, to the profession.

HOW MUCH DOES A EARN? PASTORE

Un pastorAt the beginning of his career, he earns between €1.000 and €1.400 a month. After five years, this figure rises to €1.700 a month, with a 40-hour workweek.

HOW MUCH DOES A SHEEP PRODUCE?

A selected and cared for sheep produces on average 300-350 liters of milkBut it can, on average, reach 400-450 litres of milk in a period of six months.

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SHEPHERDING AND BUREAUCRACY

The notorious bureaucracy, the source of so much waste in Italy, could not fail to also affect sheep farming and its attractive qualities for young people. Thus, all animals must be registered in an electronic catalog. Anyone who eats the sheep they graze must pay VAT. If you make a mistake, even by small amounts, like the salt in your toma cheese, you're fined. Small absurdities in a microcosm with great potential.

YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE CHOSEN ANCIENT TRADES:

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