San Gavino, farewell to large-scale industry: focus shifts to honey, rice, and saffron.

Once upon a time, large factories and mines supported thousands of jobs between San Gavino Monreale, Guspini, Villacidro, and Arbus. But now, much of Medio Campidano has become a graveyard of industry, with only one foundry standing since 1932, providing over 130 paychecks. This is why many young people and adults have decided to invest in the land and quality agriculture . Saffron (which has European DOP recognition), rice, honey, and legumes are some of the area's excellent products.

Marcello Curreli, 33, born and raised in a family of farmers , has always loved the countryside: "Those who work in the fields have no set hours and dedicate a lot of time and passion to it. Today, working in agriculture can be a significant opportunity. My family and I own a farm of about 80 hectares, but we also have a laboratory for packaging and processing agricultural products such as legumes (chickpeas, broad beans, beans, lentils), spices like saffron, as well as garlic, basil, mint, oregano, and chili pepper."

Fausto Caboni , 55, has believed in saffron and other crops for many years: "I've been growing saffron since 2003, and in 2007 I joined the DOP brand. Overall, I have a 40-hectare farm and I also grow cereals, legumes, and fodder crops. I participate in important fairs such as the Salone del Gusto in Turin and others . I converted the farm to organic farming in 2010, driven by an ethical desire to respect the land." and of to guarantee quality and genuine products in line with local traditions."

Sandra Pascalis, who specializes in producing quality honey, fell in love with the magical world of bees : "I started my business," she explains, "in 1999 in the 'Campu Linus' area. I followed my father's example because bees are a family passion. We produce wildflower honey, thistle honey, and eucalyptus honey. In the countryside, there are thousands of bees in every hive: production, which runs from March to July, depends on the flowering of the plants. Sardinia imports very high percentages of this product: behind it is a long labor of love and passion. Many people are used to seeing honey only in jars and don't understand how this excellent product is achieved."

Stefano Curreli, 61, has been growing rice for decades : "I started in 1987 and now farm about 45-50 hectares of rice. I have eight employees and manage the entire supply chain, from growing the rice to processing it into ready-made risottos and rice cakes. We export rice throughout Europe, starting with countries like Spain and Germany . Production per hectare is about 7,000 kilograms, but this varies depending on the year."

The market demands quality products and has focused on the undisputed quality of the PDO saffron. Giorgio Concu, 60, says: "I chose this path years ago because I believe it's essential to certify product quality, especially in the Italian market. It's crucial to have concrete support from the Region because participating in trade fairs and markets is expensive. In this way, the PDO makes sense, only if you have the opportunity to expand your horizons beyond Sardinia: I grow about 3,000 meters of saffron, and of these 600 meters, under the PDO label, I named my product 'Manu Deus'."