In Pavia the first cultivation of aquatic zizania, the wild rice that consumes less water

“We talk about how to differentiate proteins in view of environmental and food sustainability, but we don’t ask ourselves how to do it with cereals, so our diets are essentially based on rice, corn and wheat. It makes sense to differentiate, both for our health, than for that of the land and also to tackle the climate crisis”. It is starting from these convictions that John Joseph Savini And Alessandro Bossi they founded in Pavia Rebel Grainsa company that aims to put ancient or unused cereal varieties on the market in Europestarting from aquatic taresa herbaceous plant native to North America.

The “wild rice” – so the Americans christened it – it is grown in winter, it needs less water than rice and above all not in the spring seasonduring which all crops need it: “The winter water requirement differentiates it from other crops – specify the founders of Rebel Grains, who for now import the cereal from the USA and Canada, but who have activated an experimental crop in Pavia -. Diversification helps traditional crops: through rotation, for example, the problem of weeds is avoided and the soil is re-oxygenated”. The consumption and production of monocultures of cereals, of course, impoverish general resources, because they in the earth and in the cultivation soil, so the plants become less resistant.

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Diversifying crops and expanding the range of crops would make it possible to protect the soil, avoiding depleting it from the point of view of nutritional properties, and to produce more. “It is said that the sixth mass extinction in the history of planet Earth is underway – comment Savini and Bossi -: Zizania aquatica has been included by the WWF among the 50 foods of the future – efficient in relation to the exploitation of natural resources and interesting for their nutritional profile – which will make it possible to safeguard biodiversity and the well-being of individuals”. Furthermore, compared to a classic white rice, this cereal contains 100% more proteins and 350% more fiber with a low glycemic index.

As always happens in a business story, however, there are difficulties and shadows. The first concerns the feasibility of cultivation in Italy: experiments are being carried out in the northern regions, but even here it may not be cold enough: in fact, to grow at its best, zizania needs the water to freeze. The second is the cost. Although Rebel Grains is already available in large-scale distribution, from Esselunga to Conad via Cortilia and Famila, the price is not even comparable to the finest varieties of rice: about 16 euros per kg. “Having a much higher satiating power than other cereals, however, 50 grams of zizania are equivalent to 80 of rice – specify Savini and Bossi -. We have also launched a mix of zizania and rice which has a more accessible cost and excellent nutritional properties” .

Zizania is only the first of the “unconventional” cereals brought to market by Rebel Grains. With the support of the Mora di Pavia farm, founded by Giovanni, the founders intend develop agronomic projects in the field of unconventional cereal production and to create in an area like that of the Lombard plain, where monoculture is extremely widespread, the opportunity to diversify and experiment with new crops that can generate benefits for man and the environment: “We are already studying the fonio, an ancient cereal that also grows in arid and hot areas, which is not by chance the national dish of Mali – they conclude -. It is essential to find varieties that can withstand drought and climate change.”