and is located on the south coast of Sicily at the mouth of the Salso River requested that people stay at home until the severe weather had passed In a statement via Social Media he said that areas of his city were flooded after 162 mm of rain fell in 3 hours Despite serious damage to roads and buildings there has been no reports of injuries of fatalities Mayor Cambiano said “I want to thank all those who have worked so hard: civil defence and their commitment testifies that when everyone works together The heavy rain triggered a landslide that blocked the Highway 123 between Licata and the town of Campobello di Licata Mayor Cambiano said that full damage assessments will begin tomorrow expressed his solidarity with the entire community of Licata and announced that the government will declare of a state of emergency for the city early next week This will allow access to public funds of around 30 euros Referring to the fact that Licata is known to suffer frequently from flooding “we need to intervene to fix failures of the past…by eliminating structural problems.” Richard Davies is the founder of floodlist.com and reports on flooding news Cookies | Privacy | Contacts © Copyright 2025 FloodList Italian industries like food production rely heavily on the imports of raw materials Italy is one of the European Union’s largest agricultural producers and food processors four percent of the population thrives in the farming industry there is a dire want for seasonal and cheap workers new and albeit defenseless migrants have a desperate need for any type of job to establish themselves in Italy Campobello di Mazara is an industrial desert hidden among the olive groves The settlements are composed of mostly Senegalese and Gambians living in makeshift wooden shacks the so-called “ghetto of Campobello” burned down followed by a heated protest Hundreds of workers lost all their belongings and were left homeless Cheikh Baye Fall is one of those fortunate enough to flee Campobello he assembled the “How to build a space to hold Solidarity with Campobello” campaign following the labor field’s destruction “Even after th[e] tragic [fire], the farmers continued to toil and construct huts whilst everyone turned a blind eye to the tragedy,” Cheik told Ark Republic. As if the situation could not worsen, this is not a first. More than three years ago, the same camp was demolished by local authorities for inhumane living conditions Recent research states about 500,000 migrant laborers in the industry 80 percent of those working without work contracts are foreigners Predatory employers continue to gather compelling profits incomparable to the amount of work being done workers endure ceaseless hours under exploitative conditions for meager wages Richard Braude of the political organization explained the company’s systemic role as complicated “[M]ost [foriegn laborers] working in agricultural sites such as Campobello [di Mazara] do not have [work] contracts Fundamentally, Italy’s strict immigration laws—which became even stricter during far-right leader Matteo Salvini’s brief tenure as interior minister from June 2018 to September 2019—prohibit migrants living on Italian soil from working a regular job “We toil relentlessly under the sun and get treated worse than animals just to have humane treatment,” Senegal-born laborer Mikiele Diop affirmed in a teary address regarding the dilemma for immigrants that often exists within the Italian documentation system He lamented the remorse of the living situations being tougher than his motherland calling this system biased would be an understatement.”  The governmental failure to implement defined assertive long-term policies contributes to continual protests and assemblies organised by concerned parties cooperatives and protests might drive the current Administration to properly address work and immigration regarding the Italian agricultural system Richard insists that the practice of providing working documents to workers might be deliberate Some large buyers purchase from vulnerable small farmers who cannot cover taxes food merchants sell their products to supermarkets that can meet the costs small farmers employ people at very low wages without proper contractual protections to increase their profit margins the situation fueled some migrant groups to innovate A collective of West Africans formed a cooperative to protect their agricultural rights in Rome promotes social inclusion through the production and sale of organic yogurt as well as vegetables “The formation of [pro-farmer rights] cooperatives ha[ve] been key in helping migrants who work in the agricultural sector to get proper documentation.” Cheikh Diop from Barikama every worker in the cooperative is documented He confirmed that the government intervened initially some members participated in the January 2010 Rosarno riots against racism and farm worker exploitation there have been projects since the introduction of the anti-caporalato law that prohibits an unlicensed supply of workers to others the middleman hires five or six workers to work on a farm and takes the cut there has been government and trade union opposition “against the middle man.”  This is evidenced by funding made available to encourage more ethical practices in the sector Richard explains that some small temporary interventions can make a few good examples These government-funded interventions may involve corruption and the final results might be either good or bad Arci Porco Rosso is part of the cooperatives “We try to help people with accommodation but overall the sector continues to get worse.”  he states places like Campobello might be the worst in the world the legislative course is a house of cards despite Barikama and Arci Porco Rosso`s success Artist Lina Issa invited workers from Campobello in Palermo to revisit what they had lost by building one of their huts with the public even passers-by and market vendors were in attendance to meet the workers the “space to hold project” continues to support the Campobello reconstruction through external funding an outright answer on whether the Mattarella Administration will intervene to discontinue unethical working conditions remains in limbo efforts to diminish illegal practices are visible victims’ aggravation should be anticipated We’re raising money for Ark Republic and Black Farmers Index We need your help to keep the wheels churning and the stories flowing Please donate to organizations committed to keeping you informed with rich robust stories and great connections to empowered people Nyawira Mithayo is a journalist covering political and cultural issues in Europe & Africa Sign up for Ark Republic's Weekly Check in Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Louisiana rice producer and rice mill owner uses agriculture as a form of reparations Farmer’s collard green giveaway sponsored by Black Farmers Index and Ark Republic honor New Year’s culinary From pasture-raised beef cattle to free range chickens to fresh caught fish The pandemic saw thousands of Americans dive into the age-old vocation of farming A lifelong gardener answers the call to build an Eden to educate a community and return Email: buildwithus@arkrepublic.com Phone: 973-988-5881 Location: 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