Digital innovation, a strong theme at EIMA 2021
Agriculture 4.0 and latest generation technologies are the central theme of the fourth day of the Bologna exhibition. A research carried out by CNR-Stems, University of Roma Tre, L'Informatore Agrario and FederUnacoma is presented regarding the propensity of agricultural and agromechanical companies to invest in machines and systems for the digitalization of agriculture
Company size and sector of activity are the main factors influencing the propensity of agricultural and agro-mechanical companies to invest in "green" technologies. This is the finding of an analysis conducted by the Institute of Science and Technology for Energy and Sustainable Mobility of the National Research Council (CNR-Stems) in collaboration with the Department of Education Sciences (DSF) of the University of Roma Tre, L'Informatore Agrario and FederUnacoma, whose results were presented at the conference entitled "Green investments, the orientation of farms and contractors". The meeting, attended by Antonio Boschetti (L'Informatore Agrario), Eugenio Cavallo and Giorgia Bagagiolo (CNR_Stems), Federica Caffaro (Università di Roma Tre), was held in the setting of EIMA International, the world exhibition of machinery for agriculture and gardening being held in Bologna until October 23. The survey, which involved a sample of more than 450 companies, highlighted a greater willingness to invest in "green" technologies by the more structured companies operating in sectors such as the livestock industry, where the issue of pollution is felt with greater urgency, or in the fruit and vegetable sector for which the sustainability of production represents an added value. About half of the sample (46%) - it was explained during the meeting - is willing to invest more than 10 thousand euros in technologies aimed at the conservation of natural resources, the reduction of production factors, the energy exploitation of biomasses of agricultural origin, the containment of pollutant emissions and energy consumption. A minority but still significant share of the farms surveyed (7.4%) could invest up to 100,000 euros to limit the impact of their agricultural activity on the environment and climate. The theme of sustainability - highlighted the European Parliament member Paolo De Castro during a round table held at the end of the conference - is very much felt by citizens and agriculture seems destined to reconcile productivity and environmental impact of crops. Alessandro Malavolti, president of FederUnacoma, the Italian association of agricultural machinery manufacturers which is the direct organiser of the Bologna show, stressed how many advanced technologies for reducing inputs are already available on the market and can contribute substantially to the sustainability of the primary sector. The presentation of the analysis carried out by Informatore Agrario was not the only in-depth technical event during the day, which saw numerous initiatives dedicated to the most advanced technologies for the digitalization of the primary sector. Of particular interest is the workshop on "Subsidies for agriculture 4.0. Focus on tax credit 4.0 and Sabatini" which, promoted by Assist Consulting, turned the spotlight on the subsidy systems for investments in the purchase of machines and high-tech systems for the primary sector. A technical conference entitled "Smart Farming and Innovation Brokering" was organized by Agia/CIA which, on this subject, also promoted the meeting entitled "The role of technological innovation in agriculture to support soil care in production processes". 4.0 technologies were the focus of the workshop "Agricultural mechanization and ecological transition", organized on the initiative of ENEA/Itabia, and of the Agrivol conference "From robotics to agriculture 4.0". Still on the subject of agriculture and digitalization, the fourth day of EIMA International saw an event entitled "Efficient farm management: digitalizing with xFarm."
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