Department of Engineering
for Innovation
Department of Engineering
for Innovation
CORE Lab
Projects
OBJECTIVES:
The SIMPLe project aims to create a tool that allows to:
• Monitor production environment and products;
• Ensure greater production yield;
• Increase the environmental sustainability;
• Ensure the quality of products;
• Avoid the use of harmful substances;
• Streamline resources and reduce costs.
ACTIVITIES DESCRIPTION
The project is divided into four work packages: Coordination; Monitoring; Project realization; Disclosure. In terms of expected results, the proposed tools offer the agricultural sector the possibility of controlled and highly performing production. The automated collection of products and the system equipped with sensors will innovate the production and collection phases, making them intelligent and sustainable.
CONTEST DESCRIPTION
With a total value of over 260 billion euros, the Italian agri-food system represents a fundamental asset for the national economy, and together with manufacturing it is the leading sector in exports of Made in Italy. The companies in the sector, to meet the requests to increase production have often used capital intensive techniques with harmful effects on the environment. In this context, the continuous climatic variations that have generated impacts on natural ecosystems and agricultural production fit together.
In Puglia, the emergence of climatic impacts and the spread of pathogens (e.g. Xylella) has put the naturalistic cultural heritage and agricultural production at risk. SIMPLe meets the need to innovate agricultural production techniques and structures:
• Promotes the efficient use of resources, profitability, productivity, competitiveness, and contributes to the regular and sustainable supply of food products through solutions that allow: cultivate all year round, increase the controls on the product life cycle and optimize the harvest with a reduction in times and an increase in quality and quantity.
• Promotes the reduction of emissions, respect for the climate and climate resilience in the agricultural sector: proposing an ecological production system capable of operating in harmony with natural resources.
• Builds bridges between research, cutting-edge technologies and farmers, rural communities: through collaboration between the scientific community, the agricultural and business community, creating a network of excellence for the development and transfer of knowledge.
Role: Scientific leader for Research Unit “Department of Engineering for Innovation of the University of Salento”