In the Ticino Valley, in northern Italy, the rice fields of Cassolnovo have become the stage for an unexpected experience: more than a hundred nests of the black-winged stilt, a bird with long graceful legs, have found refuge in the heart of the fields. Far from considering them as intruders, the rice farmers chose to adapt, modifying their daily actions to protect the chicks. This initiative, carried out in collaboration with the Ticino Valley Natural Park, shows that agriculture that is very attentive to nature is not, therefore, less productive.
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In Lombardy, rice farmers protect the chicks of wading birds
22-med September 22, 2025
• In the Lombard rice fields, farmers save more than 100 nests of the black-winged stilt.
• A unique experience where intensive agriculture and biodiversity go hand in hand.
#agriculture #biodiversity #bird #ricefield #Italy #migration #naturalpark
This summer, there was something new in the daily life of Cristina Ballone, owner of a rice farm in Cassolnovo, in northern Italy. When work began in her fields at dawn, she would first go to check on the small group of black-winged stilt chicks that had settled in her rice field. “I had become very attached to them; it had become almost a daily appointment. Some people start the morning with a coffee; I went to meet the little ones,” she recounts with a smile. “They were really cute; I tried to approach them without being noticed to photograph them and then show them to my children and my mother. But they were always smarter than me.”
The black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is a typical bird of wetlands and marshy areas, recognizable by its black and white plumage and its thin, very long legs. Usually, they are not numerous in the Cassolnovo area, but this year, for an unknown reason, it was different. Several farmers found themselves with more than a hundred nests in their fields where they cultivate rice by immersion sowing. This traditional technique is considered excellent for biodiversity conservation as it creates agro-ecosystems favorable to many plant and animal species that prefer wetland areas.
A collective project born from simple actions
The farmers of Cassolnovo could have seen the presence of about a hundred nests in the rice fields, precisely where they needed to pass with the tractor to carry out their work, as a beautiful constraint. Instead, they did not hesitate to report their presence, thus participating in the project designed to prevent them from being crushed and killed, even if it meant modifying their agricultural practices.
They maneuvered more slowly with the tractors, stayed away from the nests to avoid disturbing them, interrupted the distribution of phytosanitary products when necessary, etc. Giovanni Locatelli, a farmer, for example, had many nests in his fields. His neighbor Cristina Ballone spent hours with him on the tractor to help him avoid them and turn off the treatment dispensers at the right time.
“A sensitivity neither acquired nor owed,” as defined by Ismaele Rognoni, president of the Lombard Park of the Ticino Valley (which includes the Cassolnovo area), thanking the farmers for the success of the project. The nests were saved, the eggs hatched, and after spending several weeks of summer in the fields feeding on insects, crustaceans, and small invertebrates, the black-winged stilt chicks grew enough to embark on their migratory journey. An extraordinary result and an example of agriculture respectful of the rhythms of nature that has attracted media attention from all over Italy.
A natural park at the heart of balance
It is no coincidence that this happened precisely in this part of the country. Cassolnovo belongs to the province of Pavia, one of the 47 municipalities in Lombardy (whose capital is Milan) included in the Ticino River valley. Due to its configuration, this valley has always been extremely rich in ecosystems. In 1974, it was decided to protect it by establishing the Lombard Park of the Ticino Valley. “There are more than 20,000 hectares of plain forests here, and in this sense, we are an extraordinary case, even on a European scale,” explains the park director, Claudio de Paola. “Biodiversity is very rich, with 6,800 living species. Moreover, we host 15 sites of the Natura 2000 Network and are the largest ecological corridor existing between the Alps and the Apennines.”
However, of more than 91,800 hectares, only 20,500 are protected as a natural park. The rest of the territory includes inhabited areas, villages, and towns. And, above all, cultivated fields. “More than 50% of the park's area is occupied by agricultural zones. This is intensive agriculture, which therefore uses inputs, high mechanization, and chemical support when necessary,” indicates Michele Bove, the agriculture sector manager. “These are 1,250 farms on which the support of just as many families depends. However, years of work by the park have borne fruit, especially in guiding businesses towards forms of agriculture that guarantee, as much as possible, respect for natural elements while preserving productivity, and therefore income.”
When tradition and biodiversity meet
The black-winged stilt, in particular, has become an emblematic species of how more sustainable and traditional agricultural systems can promote biodiversity and a better balance with nature. “When it does not find a suitable environment to nest, the black-winged stilt also adapts to semi-natural environments,” observes Monica di Francesco, head of the wildlife sector of the Park. “Indeed, in our case, it found the suitable environment in these agro-ecosystems formed by rice fields cultivated using a traditional method, that of immersion. Water is then present in the fields for several months, including the period when this species nests.”
The rice farmers also benefit from a healthy agricultural ecosystem rich in biodiversity. Di Francesco explains that in a field where rice is grown by immersion, amphibians and birds typical of aquatic environments are formidable natural insecticides as they feed on insect larvae, including those that can harm crops.
In any case, Ballone recounts, paying attention to the nests and the chicks was a spontaneous reaction. “After all, we are in contact with nature every day. At the operational level, the effort has not been so great; the new equipment allows us more flexibility. And although we have not yet started the harvest, from what I see, it seems to me that the yield has not been compromised at all.”
An inspiring alliance
The daily life of farmers is neither easy nor peaceful, anywhere. But no one in the Ticino Park expected the rice farmers of Cassolnovo to engage so much to protect the nests. “Yet, that is what happened, especially thanks to the constant dialogue we have with the farmers, for many years now,” notes Rognoni, the park president. “This experience is a beautiful example of how, for the good of an animal species, and ultimately of nature, so many people can find a way to meet and collaborate, even if they are likely to have different needs and ideas.”
Featured photo: young black-winged stilts nesting in the rice fields © M.-Nocciola-giu