News & Events
Regional Working Group Meeting in Bologna: Advancing Sustainable Agriculture
On 6 November 2024, during the EIMA Energy Exhibition in Bologna, DeliSoil’s Italian Regional Working Group held a workshop entitled “The Residues of the Agro-Food Industry: Opportunities for Sustainable Agriculture”. The event connected researchers, industry representatives, and stakeholders to discuss the potential of transforming agri-food residues into innovative soil improvers within the Circular Economy and Sustainable Agriculture.
Professor Nelson Marmiroli from CINSA-University of Parma opened the workshop, outlining DeliSoil’s objectives of enhancing soil health through sustainable, byproduct-derived soil improvers. Dr. Caterina Agrimonti emphasised the importance of Regional Working Groups for collaboration across sectors, explaining how they bridge gaps between research, businesses, public bodies, and citizens.
The session also featured an interactive survey moderated by ENEA, where participants discussed:
- Barriers to soil improver supply chains, such as cost and legislative gaps.
- Needed innovations, including flexible technologies and clearer risk assessments.
- Ways to strengthen collaboration and communication between stakeholders.
Key Findings
- Legislative barriers—a lack of clear definitions for byproducts and incomplete soil regulations—pose significant challenges.
- Improved logistics and communication strategies are needed to raise awareness about the value of agro-food residues.
- Networking events and Living Labs, integral to DeliSoil, can help demonstrate the practical benefits of these innovations.
- Participants stressed the importance of flexible, scalable technologies for processing diverse residues.
The workshop reinforced the value of collaboration in promoting circular agriculture and soil sustainability. The findings will guide DeliSoil’s ongoing efforts to transform agri-food byproducts into solutions that benefit both the environment and agriculture.
The meeting concluded with actionable plans to strengthen stakeholder connections through collaborative platforms like Teams, expand Regional Working Groups by engaging more food industries, farmer associations, and legal experts. The group aims to organise further workshops in the future to address specific challenges, such as legislative shortcomings.
