Each day after the conference, a selection of demofarms open their doors to you!
Get some insights and interact with plant-related organizations from Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna.
Wednesday 30th June: Bio-Based Innovation for Plant Cultivation
15:30-17:00 CET: Field Visits Bio-based Products and Processes for Plant Cultivation, focus on the post-harvest stages - Moderators: Enrico Francia, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy & Célia Gavaud, Agrifood Clust-ER, Italy
To illustrate the potential of bio-based innovation, two field visits will be organised;
1) Experimental Station for the Food Preservation Industry (Research Foundation), SSICA, Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy: Case Study of Tomato By-Products
- Luca Sandei, Head of Department, SSICA, Parma, Italy; started over 120 years ago, the demo site is a key player of transformation and packaging the industry;
- Angela Montanari, CEO TomaPaint, Italy; spin-off set up from a collaboration with SSICA, Angela Montanari has won an EIC Accelerator grant in 2020 to boost her product to markets.
2) Cesa Demofarm, Cesa, Tuscany, Italy: vegetal biomass, the case of biochar
- Marco Locatelli, Innovation Manager, Ente Terre Regionali Toscane, Tuscany, Italy
- Francesco Primo Vaccari, Researcher at the Bioeconomy Institute, CNR, Italy
- Followed by discussions with:
- Peter Sørensen, Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Aarhus University, Denmark on biochar
- Clémence Decherft, Certis Europe, bio-control bio-based innovation
Thursday 1st July: High-Tech Zero Carbon Footprint Horticulture & Fruticulture
11:00-12:30 CET: Field Visits High-tech zero carbon footprint Horticulture, a focus on ornamental productions & fruticulture; Moderator: Fabio Boscaleri, Tuscany Region Brussels Office, Italy
Two field visits will be organised:
1) Vannucci Piante, Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy: Founded in 1938, the company has become a global leader in ornamental plants through significant investments in innovation
- Vannino Vannucci, CEO of Vannucci Piante
- Francesco Ferrini, University of Florence
2) Research Centre for Crop Production (CRPV) and Italian Cooperative of Nurseries (CAV), Parma, Italy are two essential actors of the Italian plant production innovation scene; they are also keen believers in the demofarm approach
- Nicola Minerva, ASTRA-CRPV, Italy, on new production techniques, new technologies in agriculture and biodiversity protection
- Marco Pancaldi of CAV, Italy, on producing healthier plants with greater vigour and plant diagnostics innovations from the human sector
Followed by discussions with other European experts including:
- Franck Milone Delacourt, Delled-La Fleur, lab developing therapeutic cannabis, France : Rationalising the use of resources to produce medical cannabis in a controlled environment through the optimisation of « cultivation routes »
Do you want to make a direct contact with a speaker? Register to the 1to1 meetings on 01 & 02 of July, directly here.
