The main themes of the G7 Expo: technology, training and cooperation

At this year's G7 Expo the spotlight is on the conferences organized by FederUnacoma. Technological innovation, training, recovery of degraded lands and Italian-African cooperation are some of the main themes at the forefront of the conferences, as well as a focus on young people

In addition to the open-air display of agricultural machinery and technologies, FederUnacoma has also organized several opportunities for discussion on the most current issues for the agricultural machinery sector during the G7 Expo. From digital transition to training, Italian-African cooperation to robotics, and the recovery of marginal lands, the conferences in Ortigia sponsored by the association of agricultural machinery manufacturers have given rise to a lively debate that has involved operators in the sector, experts, university professors, along with many young people and students interested in entering the world of agricultural mechanics.

Digital transition: the difficult task of training. Digital transition and training were discussed at the conference entitled “Digital transition in agriculture: a 'systemic' challenge”, which saw participation by Giancarlo Bellina, Vice President of Confindustria Siracusa, Alessandro Monteleone, Coordinator of the National Rural Network, Danilo Monarca, Professor of Agricultural Mechanics at the University of Tuscia, Mariateresa Maschio, President of FederUnacoma, and Paolo Menesatti, Director of the Department of Engineering and Agri-food Transformations at CREA (Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of the Agricultural Economy).

Electronic technologies, the most advanced computer systems, robotics, as well as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence are now a key factor for development even in the agricultural sector, which - as the speakers stated in their talks - is today called upon to take up the challenges of food safety, environmental sustainability, and optimal management of resources. In the next twenty years, the world's population will grow to over 10 billion people and this will create a significant increase in food demand, not only in terms of quantity but also in terms of variety and quality of production. "Agriculture is facing epochal challenges that require highly scientific management of production factors. The agricultural mechanics sector – stated the president of FederUnacoma during the conference – is the linchpin of this process, because machines are not only “the operational arm” of agricultural work, but are “its 'mind' with the ability to collect and process an enormous amount of information and to optimize an activity impacted by variables of all kinds, including meteorological and climatic concerns, and pedological, orographic and phytosanitary ones". “Investing in digitalization,” explained Giancarlo Bellina, “is essential in order to ensure a sustainable agricultural future”. In fact, as the president of Confindustria Siracusa Gian Piero Reale mentioned on the sidelines of the conference, "The transformations that characterize our world today, both agricultural and industrial, also concern a new approach to digitalization, which now affects all sectors of the economy and people's lives. It is an exciting challenge that sees the present and the future approaching at high speed until they overlap."

The CAP 2023-2027 includes among its key objectives the modernization of agriculture and rural areas through digitalization. However – as underlined by the coordinator of the National Rural Network – the Italian production system is encountering several obstacles. "First of all, there is the well-known critical issue related to the undersizing of agricultural companies – explained Alessandro Monteleone – which have difficulty investing in new generation machinery and technologies. But there are also issues related to the presence of efficient infrastructure networks and the ability to access research and technology transfer".

In this scenario, the greatest disadvantage faced is that of the lack of skills and professional figures capable of programming and managing advanced digital systems. "No farmer, contractor or agricultural mechanic can manage the new vehicles and the sophisticated computer systems that govern them without specific training". "There is a new generation of machines today – added Danilo Monarca – but there is no new generation of users and technicians capable of getting them to work".

An important aid for the training of “high tech” agricultural operators is provided by the technology called Simagri, a simulator for precision agriculture created by CREA. "Simagri was inspired by automotive simulators and has innovatively integrated the common functions found in agricultural mechanization". "Its layout – said Paolo Menesatti – is generic, that is, it does not relate solely to a specific tractor model, and combines maximum construction simplification with ease of use and adjustment as well as with the genuine resemblance of the cabin of a modern tractor".

To overcome the training deficit it is essential to act quickly and promote great synergy between the world of industry and the education system. "Our Federation is an active part of this and works with institutions to promote the updating of teaching plans and training paths at various levels. We have recently established a high-level training school, the AFI Academy – concluded Mariateresa Maschio – which next year will begin to offer courses and seminars largely dedicated to digital systems in agriculture".

Next gen technologies: the “youth factor”. Technological innovation and training were also at the center of the round table on the topic of "Artificial intelligence and youth entrepreneurship in the agrifood supply chain", held as part of the G7 Youth. The meeting, opened by a greeting from the Minister of Universities and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, was held in the fantastic setting of the Ortigia theater, where numerous speakers, including Mariateresa Maschio (president of FederUnacoma) and Alessio Bolognesi (responsible for the digital, robotics and Artificial Intelligence areas of FederUnacoma) addressed the issue of training new professional profiles modulated on the specific needs of the primary sector and on emerging agricultural technologies. This highly technological agriculture guided by robots and artificial intelligence - it was emphasized during the workshops - is what lies in store for the new generations. Advanced systems allow for increased production and the protection of natural resources, first and foremost water and organic matter in the soil. But to carry out this fundamental task, extremely complex parameters must be managed, which – explained Alessio Bolognesi in his speech – require increasingly advanced digitalization and the massive use of artificial intelligence systems.

LAB Innova - a project for Africa. The agricultural machinery sector has a long history of cooperation with Africa, as the use of mechanical technologies is a basic condition for productivity growth and the modernization of the primary sector. Both of these are priority objectives for the development of the continent's agricultural economy. Today, with the creation of a free trade area and the growing commitment of Italy to strengthen technical and commercial cooperation, the conditions have been created for a further leap in quality in relations with the countries on the African continent.

This was discussed during the conference that took stock of the progress of the LAB Innova project, the technical-managerial training program promoted by the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) for the agri-business sector in Africa. The meeting, organized by ICE in collaboration with FederUnacoma, the Italian association of agricultural machinery manufacturers, opened with a speech by Matteo Zoppas, president of the Agency, who reiterated the strategic importance of Italian-African cooperation, particularly in terms of technical and professional training. Many countries still suffer from a significant technological deficit that – Zoppas explained in his speech – must be filled not only through investments in innovative machinery but also through specific training programs that can introduce farmers to the use of these machines. Over the next ten years, thanks to the creation of the African Continent Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the continental free trade area already ratified by 47 states, intra-African trade flows are expected to grow by 52%, generating revenues of USD 450 billion. The free trade area, as well as the Special Economic Zones created in individual countries offer Italian companies in the agro-mechanical sector important channels for access to African markets and significant opportunities for cooperation.

"But the great news today is represented by the Mattei Plan which – said Mariateresa Maschio – is characterized by a “holistic” approach to cooperation, which encompasses political, economic-social, cultural and security dimensions". "This approach can be particularly effective for the agricultural mechanics sector which, in a situation such as the African one – added the president of FederUnacoma – is able to operate by offering a much more extensive range of technologies and overall know-how".

ICE's LAB Innova project is aimed precisely at technical-managerial training. The project - stated the general director of the Agency Lorenzo Galanti - in addition to promoting partnerships for our companies in Africa, provides skills development paths modeled on the specific needs of the continent. In their speeches, ICE Faculty professors Umberto Trulli, Enrico Turoni, and Fabio Santoni discussed the clear progress of the LAB Innova project, while the director of the ICE Office for Business Training, Alessandro Cugno, who was entrusted with closing the proceedings, provided an overview of the Agency's training activities and provided a summary of these activities.

Food security comes about through the recovery of “difficult” terrain. Closely linked to the topic of Italian-African cooperation is that of the recovery of degraded lands. According to estimates in a recent report published by FAO and NEPAD, 65% of Africa's productive land is subject to degradation and approximately half of the continental surface is threatened by desertification. The emergency, however, is not limited to the African continent alone. At a global level - FAO estimates - 41% of all land is in a condition of moderate or high degradation, and this situation conflicts with the need to increase cultivated surfaces to satisfy the growing food demand of the global population. According to estimates by the World Resources Institute, over the next 30 years, another 590 million hectares will have to be brought into production, in addition to the 1.6 billion hectares currently cultivated; this means that between now and 2050, global utilized agricultural area (UAA) will have to increase by 37%. It is an extremely demanding challenge, not only because of the large extent of the lands that must be brought into the production cycle, but also because many of those currently in use are experiencing degradation due to soil salinization, the loss of organic material and desertification, and thus risk being taken out of it.

The topic was discussed during the conference “Borderless Territories: Small Farms and Urban Gardens: All the Technologies for 'Macro' and 'Micro' Agriculture”, organized by FederUnacoma. Stopping and reversing this process cannot rely solely on the actions of agricultural entrepreneurs, but rather will entail public decision makers to urgently develop adequate support policies. "The problem also affects Italy." "The recovery of degraded lands – said the president of the CIA of Emilia Romagna, Stefano Francia, – is fundamental not only for agricultural purposes, but also to ensure the hydrogeological safety of our territories and to encourage tourism in rural areas, which represents a further, important source of income for farmers". On the other hand, it is precisely the profitability of agricultural activities, conditioned by a large number of variables, that ends up discouraging investments, even in marginal areas. "For this reason it is necessary to provide public incentive tools that – added Francia – support agriculture in the risk areas, territories in which specific, highly specialized machinery is required".

From minimum tillage equipment that preserves the organic substance of the soil, to self-leveling combine harvesters capable of working on very steep slopes, to fleets of drones capable of operating on otherwise inaccessible terraces, the Italian agricultural machinery industries possess an extremely diversified range of technologies, which also adapt to the needs of “extreme” agriculture. "Designing and building mechanical means that can operate in such demanding conditions - explained the Head of the FederUnacoma Technical Office, Davide Gensini, - is a great construction challenge that our industries are overcoming through their ability to innovate and develop cutting-edge solutions, customizing them according to the specific needs of the territories". "This includes drones, robots, advanced digital applications, and more". "The new frontier – continued Gnesini – is represented by mechanization for hydroponic and aeroponic crops".

This is exactly what Emilia Arrabito, Director of Svi.Med, spoke about when presenting the results of a project on tomato cultivation involving Sicily and Tunisia. Both hydroponics and aeroponics are soil-less cultivation methods in the protected environment of a greenhouse – explained Emilia Arrabito during her speech – but while in the first case the plant receives nutrients through irrigation, in the second it receives them through nebulization. "Both methods can be considered as a possible solution to the problem of the reduction of soil fertility and the need to optimize the use of resources, since – concluded the director of Svi.Med – in addition to reducing land consumption, these particular types of cultivation have also allowed us to cut water consumption by 35% as well as the use of fertilizers and phytosanitary treatments".