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Thanks to the platform developed by xFarm Technologies, 130 farms belonging to the Legume Chain of which Andriani is the leader will be accompanied, starting in January 2023, in a process of optimization and digitization of production activities.
How? Through the development of specific agronomic models for crop defense, the development of new production manuals, and the dissemination of new regenerative agriculture practices with a view to sustainability.
Milan and Gravina in Puglia, Oct. 10, 2022 - Growing and improving the digitization process for legume production at Andriani Spa, a Benefit Company and BCorp, one of the most important companies in the food innovation sector, thanks to the collaboration with xFarm Technologies, the tech company targeting the digitization of the agribusiness sector. A decisive element of this collaboration is the fusion of tradition and technological innovation within a historic Italian group, which consolidates the logic of digital to increase the sustainability of production, respecting biodiversity and the traceability of the production chain.
In order to achieve these ambitious goals, the tech company will provide the innovative Apulian company with the digital platform xFarm, which will easily support farmers and all operators in the supply chain at every stage of production: from farm management to monitoring the entire supply chain, with specific risk alerts for outbreaks of legume diseases, to sustainability management and enhancement with integrated calculation of various environmental indicators. Not only that, xFarm will in fact also support Andriani in the development of new production manuals with new guidelines inside to support farmers toward the adoption of sustainable practices.
For Andriani, this is a further step in its journey toward increasingly sustainable development, which it has been undertaking for a long time and which sees it constantly engaged in implementing innovative and virtuous solutions, as well as in pursuing an inclusive process in which the entire supply chain is actively involved, with a view to a value network.
The project will start in January 2023 with an initial involvement of 130 farms and will last five years. It will be fully operational by 2028, when 200 farms scattered throughout Italy will be involved and 7,000 hectares will be digitized.
The platform, available on both mobile and desktop, will enable comprehensive supply chain management because it allows farmers to monitor in real time and improve different production steps and farming practices, while supply chain managers can keep track of aggregated farm data and compare key farm parameters and indicators such as carbon footprint, water footprint, eutrophication and acidification.
In addition to the digitization part, the project includes the development of specific production manuals. Indeed, these will be updated with new chapters on regenerative farming practices, such as the use of cover crops, minimum tillage and green manure.
For the full implementation of the project, direct involvement of all stakeholders in the supply chain is planned, primarily farmers, who will undergo ad hoc training held by the team of agronomists and engineers at xFarm Technologies to introduce the platform and all the various functions and make sure that this tool is understood and used to the fullest.
Through the integration of IoT sensors, climate data, and predictive models, the xFarm platform enables full control over agronomic management: knowing the level of exposure to disease risk of leguminous crops allows, on the one hand, to prevent plant stress and, on the other hand, to reduce the use of plant protection products, thereby improving the sustainability of production.
The collection and analysis of the data collected will also provide a more precise understanding of theenvironmental footprint within the supply chain, which is essential for improving decision-making and agronomic techniques at both the supply chain and individual farm level, reducing resource waste and consequently mitigating environmental impact.
"Sustainability, economic and environmental, is the real challenge for supply chains. The current year has shown us this: drought and raw material costs are putting farms in great difficulty. We need cutting-edge tools and technologies that increase the efficiency of agricultural realities on the one hand and decrease the environmental impact of entire productions on the other. We are happy to be at the side of a reality like Andriani in this path toward even more sustainable legume production, through digital " - explains Giovanni Causapruno, Agrifood business unit manager of xFarm Technologies.
"Especially in industry, to be fully achieved sustainability must involve an inclusive process that actively involves the entire supply chain. For this reason, as a company we are constantly committed to providing solutions and guidelines for conscious action and to stimulate innovative approaches, implementing dialogue and discussion with partners and suppliers, in the wake of cooperation and transparency," echoes Michele Andriani, President and CEO of Andriani S.p.A. Benefit Company and BCorp.
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