Inauguration of the Agrofood Research Hub Laboratory of the University of Brescia

22/07/2024

On Friday, June 21, 2024, at the CSMT Innovative Contamination Hub the Agrofood Research Hub Laboratory was inaugurated, this multi-platform scientific hub is dedicated to sustainable innovation in agricultural production and food processing.

There are two main objectives:

1. To develop innovative solutions supporting the ecological transition in agriculture, serving as a bridge between scientific innovations and the production sector.

2. To contribute to the education of students enrolled in the Bachelor's degree in Sustainable Agricultural Systems and the Master's degree in Technologies for the Ecological Transition in Agriculture, by providing spaces for practical exercises, internships, and thesis activities.

The establishment of the Laboratory was also made possible thanks to significant funding provided by Fondazione Cariplo and Regione Lombardia as part of the project "Biodiversity, soil, and ecosystem services: Methods and techniques for robust, resilient, and sustainable food systems" – Emblematic Major Call 2020.

Conference: Inauguration of the Agrofood Research Hub Laboratory of the University of Brescia 

AGROFOOD Research HUB's commitment to promoting biodiversity conservation in agriculture

A new vision of agriculture, therefore, appeals to those willing to pay to spend time "savoring memorable moments staged by the enterprise," as stated by Vera Ventura, a researcher from the Agrofood Research Hub team at the University of Brescia (which promotes sustainable production and socio-economic valorization of the agri-food sector). The excellence of the agri-food sector in Italy, Ventura explains, amounts to 19 billion euros (21% of the entire sector); Lombardy ranks third in Italy by value, with Brescia leading within the region. To illustrate the potential of our territory, "unique in Italy," asserts Professor Gianni Gilioli, president of the Sustainable Agricultural Systems course at UniBS. It is a heritage "to be safeguarded in quantitative and qualitative terms." The University of Brescia, through the Agrofood Research Hub, is providing the sector with analysis, insights, and valuable guidance for the future.

A significant moment of the meeting was the stories of successful agricultural experiences shared by four entrepreneurs from the Garda region, members of Confagricoltura Brescia. Speaking about their experiences with experiential agriculture were Ilona Thun from Conti Thun Agricultural Company in Puegnago, Marco Baresi from Marco Baresi and Son Marco in Lonato, and Nicola Cherubini from Cherubini Fratelli in Lonato. An emotional video also showcased the excellence of Isola del Garda by Alberta and Ilona Cavazza from Agricola Borghese Cavazza in San Felice.

At the presentation ceremony, which was held on Friday morning, November 25 at the board of Engineering, Rector Prof. Francesco Castelli, the president of the course of studies in Sustainable Agricultural Systems Prof. Gianni Gilioli, the president of Confagricoltura Brescia and Gatti Foundation Ing. Giovanni Garbelli and the vice president of the Gatti Foundation, Gaetano Gatti.

"It is particularly nice as Rector to participate in the delivery of these scholarships - says Prof. Francesco Castelli - as it shows how civil society and trade associations are involved in supporting the degree program in Agricultural Systems Sustainable."

"The choice of the Gatti Foundation to invest in deserving students who attend the degree program in Sustainable Agricultural Systems is an important sign of how the territory is looking at our educational and scientific initiative, and how we look at the territory and the issues that are emerging on the issues of innovation in agriculture, stressing that there is no sustainability without innovation. - says Prof. Gianni Gilioli - The degree program is characterized and will be characterized more and more in supporting this dialogue and in engaging young students in experiences of direct relationship with the productive world. This year was born also the master course in Technologies for the Ecological Transition in Agriculture, to complete the training with the idea of strengthening

the presence and contribution of scientific research and innovation within the production sector."

"Our Institution, recognized in 1961, was born with the purpose - recalls the Vice President of Gatti Foundation Gaetano Gatti - to contribute to the spread of the teaching of agricultural subjects that in our province have a long tradition, in these years crowned by the start of a three-year and master’s degree program in the State University of the city".

"The challenge of combining productive growth and environmental sustainability is increasingly entrusted to research and scientific development - recalls the President of Confagricoltura Ing. Giovanni Garbelli - for this reason Confagricoltura Brescia has been a partner of the University of Brescia since the beginning of the Degree Course in Sustainable Agricultural Systems." The President of Confagricoltura also declares his desire to transform scholarships into undergraduate prizes or PhDs to make the relationship between science and agriculture more and more complementary.

On the occasion of the final agreement of the project, held on 29 September 2022 at the Azienda Guido Berlucchi in Franciacorta, the importance of biodiversity for the sustainable management of the vineyard was highlighted. After the introductory greetings given by the guest Arturo Ziliani, Prof. Leonardo Valenti of DiSAA of the University of Milan introduced the project and its objectives, highlighting the importance of the initiative for the wine-growing areas. This was followed by Prof. Gianni Gilioli of Agrofood Research Hub of DICATAM, University of Brescia, who wisely highlighted the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services carried out by it, has also presented innovative studies on biodiversity that the University of Brescia is carrying out in viticulture with particular reference to the Franciacorta territory. 

Dr Isabella Ghiglieno, who is always a member of Agrofood Research Hub (DICATAM, University of Brescia), then presented the results of the project. From the many data collected, the information has been summarized in some key elements: the importance of the conservation and improvement of organic matter, the positive role of biodiversity on its regulation, indications on better vineyard management strategies for the conservation of epigeal and soil biodiversity, and finally the positive impact of biodiversity on vine production, the quality of musts and wines.

At the conclusion Dr. Pierluigi Donna of Sata Agronomic Studio highlighted the importance of the relationship and understanding between wineries, Research Institutes and Institutions for the knowledge of the fundamental issues for the sector and the wine territories.

The Horizon Europe project "Beyond Xylella, Integrated Management Strategies for Mitigating Xylella fastidiosa impact in Europe" (BeXyl), in which the University of Brescia participates as a leading WP, has been awarded a funding of almost seven million euros to support the definition of sustainable tools and strategies to effectively counteract the impact of annoying Xylella on European agriculture. X. fastidiosa is a pathogenic bacterium transmitted by insect vectors and associated with serious diseases affecting a wide variety of host plants (over 300 species including olive, cherry, almond, oleander, some ornamental plants). This bacterium is responsible, among other things, for the very serious disease known as "Complex of the rapid desiccation of the olive tree" (CoDiRO), which has affected the Apulian olive growing, determining what has been defined as one of the worst phytosanitary emergencies in the world. Analysis of possible future scenarios lead to estimate production losses due to X. troublesome, for Italy, in the order of several billion euros in the coming decades. Prof. Gilioli, of the Department of Civil, Environment Territory Architecture Engineering and Mathematics, as WP leader, has the task in the BeXyl project to define protocols for the integrated management of this fearsome pest of plants and to develop modeling tools to support the implementation of bacterium control strategies.

Winner among 14 project proposals, the Bexyl project can count on the expertise and experience of the major European and non-European Research Centres on plant health, including the Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Principal Invetigator of the project), the Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE), the CNR, JRC, the University of California and the Agricultural Research Organization of Israel. With the desire to create a multi-stakeholder community in order to converge efforts towards the identification of sustainable solutions for disease management, while promoting its full adoption and implementation. The consortium also provides for the participation of representatives of the productive world, including the European Nurserystock Association and the Italian Unaprol, Institutions and Intergovernmental Bodies, including European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation (EPPO). 

BeXyl aims to offer advanced tools to mitigate the impacts of X. fastidiosa on European agriculture by supporting the definition of infected plant management strategies and where possible, eradication of the bacterium by identifying critical environmental factors that support the establishment and spread of the bacterium and understanding the resilience mechanisms of exposed crops under a wide range of different conditions.