Arvaia is a cooperative of citizens, producers and farmers. It was founded in 2013 in Bologna. In June 2015, through a public tender, the Municipality of Bologna rented them 47 hectares of agricultural land in the area of Villa Bernaroli in the Borgo Panigale-Reno district. Arvaia is a CSA-Community that Supports Agriculture - which produces and distributes organic agricultural products to members every week. The cost of a weekly “part” of products in 2016 was around 15 euros and the average annual weight of the products delivered each week is 5.6 kg.
 
How it works?
Every year in January the members gather to give their financial contribution for the production of the year that begins. The risks of the agricultural enterprise are assumed and they benefit from everything that is produced and distributed weekly in equal parts.
The investments necessary for production are made possible by the capital lent by the shareholders, held for 3 years and remunerated at 2% per year. Arvaia does not use bank loans.
The decision-making bodies of Arvaia are the shareholders' meeting, the board of directors, the president and vice president, the Coordinators of the internal working groups. The Coordinators meet twice a month together with the board of directors and they decide about the life of the Cooperative.
 
Data for 2016:
324 members/partners
€ 227.600
4.5 work places for the production
157 volunteers for the educational farm
41 interns
176 parcels distributed every week, 483 kv of bio vegetables
The social and environmental objectives approved in January 2016:
Produce and consume the products of the earth in an organic way with equally shared production costs.
Reduce the ecological footprint with agro-ecology, exploiting the biological systems of the territory and increasing biodiversity and public use of the area with internal pedestrian paths.
Increase the number of members involved in voluntary activities in the field, creating regenerative places for the beauty of the landscape.
Communicate the activities of Arvaia to the world, enriching opportunities for meetings with citizens in the context of the use of the agricultural area.
Improve the participation of members and the communication between them for a proper solidarity with the cooperative’s activity.