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Milan, Nov. 21, 2024 - xFarm Technologies, a tech company that supports the work of 450,000 farms belonging to more than 100 supply chains on more than 7 million hectares worldwide, and dss+ a leading company in Operations management consulting services, present the first survey on the readiness of Italian farmers to adopt more sustainable and resilient practices in Italy. The survey was conducted on a sample of 1,000 farmers and identified some of the most useful elements for designing appropriate improvement programs in the field of Regenerative Agriculture. The study was previewed at Agri Data Green Summit, the usual event organized by xFarm Technologies with the contribution of Bericus to discuss the new perspectives of the Agritech sector.
The world population is steadily increasing and so is the demand for food, in a context where primary production operators face several challenges: climate change, limited availability of raw materials, cost control but also changing market demands. Therefore, there is a need to look to sustainable and forward-looking agronomic techniques, such asRegenerative Agriculture. Consequently, production chains need a profound transformation: technological, cultural but also organizational, capable of making the necessary steps forward in terms of environmental compatibility possible and sustainable over time."xFarm Technologies and dss+, which have long collaborated to support the evolution of agricultural production management, have decided to listen to farmers and ranchers. All this with the awareness that a 'top down' attitude is no longer sufficient; in fact, an empathetic approach is needed that focuses not only on the well-being of the environment, but also on the issues and problems of those who concretely work in the field," - says Matteo Peyron Sustainability manager of dss+, on stage at the Agri Data Green Summit to preview the project.
The survey prepared by xFarm Technologies and dss+, administered to 1,000 farmers nationwide, consisting of about 30 questions, found that 90 percent of the study participants say they are interested in introducing more sustainable practices in farm management. Regarding the most important risks to the farm, for 30 percent of participants, climate change is among the top risks, higher than market fluctuations but almost on par with rising costs. While a transition to more sustainable practices seems key to securing a future for the agronomy industry, 25 percent of participants say there is a lack of expertise in this regard, while 10 percent note some difficulty in engaging contractors. Of note, only 34 percent of respondents know the minimum level of organic matter below which soil is degraded, while 60 percent do not know what Regenerative Agriculture consists of. Thirty percent raise an additional problem: the lack of capital to trigger the change process.
So what would it take to change and make possible a full-bodied spread of more sustainable practices in Italy? Among the most interesting aspects mentioned are contractual and market access benefits, availability of farm management tools and training, in addition to the obvious economic development. Indeed, there is a relationship between farmers' availability and their perception of economic profitability. Just as there is a good correlation between expected profitability and willingness to apply the practice. The most environmentally positive practices are not always perceived as more profitable, examples of this are agroforestry or no-tillage.
The data that emerged through the survey will be crucial to better adjust the approach to the most important element within the collaboration between xFarm Technologies and dss+, namely the involvement of model farms, virtuous examples, "best in class" through which to share and experiment with improvement protocols, with an attitude of active listening to operators and supply chains. The results of this questionnaire will serve to strengthen the relationship with operators, not by moving the issue from the field to the offices, but instead, on base of the concreteness of the results, by building a road to progress alongside farmers and ranchers.
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