Innovation and sustainability, the major themes of Fieragricola
An award for technical innovations at the trade fair and an exhibition on innovation with an evaluation system for the environmental impact of agricultural machinery promoted by important publishing houses of the sector, have enriched the 2016 edition of Fieragricola
Technological innovation, research and criteria to evaluate and measure the environmental impact and safety of agricultural machinery and so their sustainability in a global sense clearly emerged in this edition of the Verona event, with three initiatives which had as protagonists as many publishing houses with their own specialized publications: L’informatore Agrario publisher, which publishes the weekly magazine of the same name, New Business Media-Edagricole, with the weekly magazine Terra e Vita and Vado e Torno Edizioni, with the monthly magazine Trattori on agricultural mechanics. During the event was held the first edition of the Premio Innovazione, established by L’Informatore Agrario and Fieragricola to highlight the new products displayed at the event, which awarded 94 “stelle” (the name of the award given) to 49 products.
The awards were given according to parameters such as environmental sustainability, technological innovation of product or process, technical and economic efficiency as well as those innovations appeared on the market in 2015, which standed out as a step forward to the future.
The initiative promoted by Edagricole, as a part of the wider project “Nova Agricoltura”, consisted of an innovative proposal of technical information called “Tunnel dell’Innovazione” (Innovation Tunnel), that is a training/information course inside the main stand of the publishing house. In this tunnel, visitors had the chance to watch six concise videos related to as many innovations, chosen by the editors and the scientific committee of the project on behalf of dozens of innovative and sustainable technologies analysed by the projects in its years of activity.
Therefore, to visitors was given the opportunity to express their opinion by voting one of the innovations proposed, as well as to indicate the “still non-existing innovation”, ie that practice or technology that is still lacking, to make the farm more efficient and profitable.
During Fieragricola was also presented the technological platform Mobility Revolution Tractor, developed by LifeGate (the reference point of sustainability in Italy) and Trattori, a monthly magazine specialized in technics and the use of tractors and agricultural machinery. Mobility Revolution Tractor is the first rating system that evaluates the sustainability of tractors from over 300 horses to vineyards and orchards tractors.
The aim is, on the one hand stimulate farmers to increase productivity, preserving biodiversity and resources, so that fields can be cultivated in a sustainable and responsible way; on the other hand direct agricultural machinery manufacturers towards more innovative and sustainable products and processes.
“We believe it is a project of great value for farmers and agricultural machinery manufacturers – explained Stefano Corti, general director of LifeGate – because the need to increase productivity is real, but the focus will be on “how” to make a difference, since arable surfaces are limited and each farmer has to work hard through the use of more sustainable agricultural machinery and processes, in order to make lands more efficient, fertile and of course profitable.
