Cascina Oschiena is one of the oldest paddy fields in the province of Vercelli. Rice has been produced on this farm since the XVI century at the time of the Benedictine Monks.
Today we maintain the long tradition of cultivating this ancient crop while also guaranteeing the highest quality standards and protection of the Environment. Our rice is grown in an Ecological Biodiversity Protected Area - Natura 2000 and it is ‘Friend of the Earth’ certified. We planted over 5000 trees and created over 60 acres of Natural Wetlands by converting one fourth of the farmland from rice cultivation into a Nature Reserve.
Our aim is the survival and reproduction of amphibians, bees, dragonflies, and butterflies, and the nesting of different species of migratory birds, especially the Black-tailed Godwit, since Cascina Oschiena is the only recorded nesting site in Italy.
Preserving the Environment today is not enough, it is necessary to give back to Nature for a better Future.
The Landscape
The rice-growing landscape is distinguished above all by the flatness of one’s overall view. This is the great lure of a land which gives a sense of boundlessness limited only in the distance by spectacular mountain chains. The flatness of the land however is not a coincidence: another feature of a rice-growing environment is its inextricable link with water. That which appears perfectly flat in reality is not. Compared to the past, today landscape is characterized by an almost total absence of hedgerows and tree-lined perimeters. In order to restore the ancient landscape, safeguard and improve the local ecosystems we decided to plant over 5000 tall trees and shrubs along the paddy fields margins and near our little XVI century Chapel “Madonna del Tabalino” that rises in the middle of the fields.
Agricultural experiences
Come to our farm and farm with us! It is essential for us to share what we do, how we farm, our products, their history, our passion, our territory and landscape and Cascina Oschiena's Nature Reserve. Visit us to learn all about rice, to experience life on the farm as it is today with a great leap in time to centuries ago, and to relax and enjoy the peacefulness of Nature!
For information call us at +39 392 226 2845 or send an email to alicecerutti@cascinaoschiena.it
The Black-tailed Godwits Project
The project of the Natural Wetlands of Cascina Oschiena has the aim of recreating and maintaining during every season a natural wetland environment for the survival and reproduction of amphibians, dragonflies, butterflies and the nesting of different species of migratory birds. The main target species is the Blacktailed Godwit, since Cascina Oschiena is the only recorded nesting site in Italy.
