.png)
Pavia, June 10, 2025 - Riso Gallo, among the largest rice mills in Europe and among the oldest rice industries in Italy, and xFarm Technologies, a tech company specializing in projects for digitization and sustainability of agrifood supply chains, take stock of the first important results obtained one year after the launch of their collaboration and outline the ambitious goals of the new agronomic season.
At the heart of it all is the development of the Gallo4Farmers platform, specially designed and developed for all companies in the Gallo Rice supply chain, complete with a DSSDecision Support System) dedicated to rice farming, and functions for calculating environmental impacts.
The DSS, designed to support defense against brusone-the most impactful rice disease-confirms itself as a concrete and effective tool tailored to the needs of farmers in Riso Gallo's "Riso che Sostiene" supply chain. In fact, the project is part of Riso Gallo's broader strategy for increasingly digital, transparent and sustainable rice farming through concrete support to farmers in the supply chain. The goal is clear: a more responsible agriculture, capable of combining efficiency and respect for resources.
During 2024, 44 sensors (professional weather stations for environmental monitoring and leaf wetness sensors) were installed in two experimental fields, ensuring constant monitoring of 21 rice varieties. Weekly observations made it possible to assess varietal response to bruson, both on leaves and panicles, incorporating a key factor for forecast effectiveness into the model.
The results have been very positive: the DSS is now visible directly in the app and usable in real time by farmers in the supply chain, who can view crop risk and protection levels at any time.
In parallel with the development of the DSS, work on calculating the specific environmental impacts of rice cultivation was also initiated. In 2024, the calculation of methane emissions due to submergence, as well as the entire cycle of field activities and subsequent drying of paddy rice, was completed.
The project plans to replicate the experimental protocol for the 2025 season, keeping the same varieties and locations, in order to further calibrate the model. The goal is clear: to exceed the performance already achieved, further improving the precision and sustainability of interventions.
Also underway in 2025 is the platform implementation of data collection to extend this sustainability indicator to farms in the supply chain in a scalable and automatic way.
To date, 26 farms are involved in the project, with the goal of reaching 60 in 2025. Two technical meetings have already been held to share the data collected and the results obtained. Training sessions on the use of theGallo4Farmersapp , which allows farmers to access digital modules developed in collaboration with xFarm Technologies, also continue.
Matteo Vanotti, CEO of xFarm Technologies, says "xFarm was originally developed specifically on rice, a crop we know well. We are very proud of the results achieved, thanks to the collaboration between Riso Gallo technicians and our team of researchers active in the field. As a rice farmer, I know firsthand the difficulties we face, and bruson is perhaps one of the main threats, capable, in particularly unfavorable years, of leading to production losses of up to 50 percent. Digital tools, such as DSS, allow you to protect your fields more effectively while taking a more sustainable approach, as they allow you to intervene only if and when necessary."
Riccardo Preve, Managing Director of Riso Gallo, states: "These important results represent for us the confirmation of the value of a strategic collaboration with a company like xFarm Technologies, with which we share common values and objectives. This initiative is part of Riso Gallo's broader journey to promote an increasingly concrete approach to sustainability. It means actively supporting farmers, providing them with tools that enable responsible, effective and efficient business development. The effectiveness of the device after the first year is a clear signal: we are building a replicable model with real impact."
.svg)
.png)