Formidabilæ Project

FORMIDABILÆ seeks to enhance the sustainability and circularity of the agro-livestock system through a forage system that enhances the resilience of the corn, milk, and biogas value chains.

Spoke 6 progetto bandiera
The shift towards a circular economy is a fundamental step in reaching the sustainability objectives outlined in the Green Deal
Framework

The primary agro-industrial sector is undergoing a significant transformation due to globalization, the growth of the global population, and climate change. Additionally, within the European Union, the shift towards a more circular economy is essential for achieving the sustainability objectives of the Green Deal, with agriculture playing a critical role in this transition


Scientific Leader 
Antonio Gallo, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Enhancing the sustainability, circularity, and resilience of the agro-zootechnical system
Key themes

The flagship project FORMIDABILÆ includes five research modules (RM) aimed at enhancing the sustainability, circularity, and resilience of the agro-livestock system.

RM1 supports innovation in agricultural production by optimizing buildings, energy, and space. RM2 focuses on corn, which is widespread in Northern Italy, by improving genetic varieties and utilizing residual biomass. RM3 promotes a smart and sustainable agro-livestock farm. RM4 analyzes the climate impact on dairy herds. RM5 collects data for processing and analysis, implementing precision farming.

Formidabilæ advocates for focused strategies aimed at enhancing the smart, resilient, circular, and diversified farms within the agro-zootechnical sector
Objectives

The Formidabilæ flagship project involves businesses and regions in northwestern Italy and Sardinia. It promotes targeted approaches to enhance the smart, resilient, circular, and diversified farms within the agro-livestock sector. This initiative ensures both food security and economic and social sustainability within the dairy food chains, adopting a 4.0 and farm-to-fork perspective.

The primary goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in this sector. The research modules focus on aspects such as agricultural production, corn cultivation, livestock optimization, the impact of climate on herds, and the implementation of precision farming techniques. The project engages a multidisciplinary team comprising engineers, agronomists, botanists, biologists, and animal scientists, all coordinated by the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in collaboration with the University of Pavia, the University of Turin, the University of Sassari, and the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC)

Expected outcomes
  • Development of advanced systems for monitoring lands, crops, and livestock to enhance the efficiency of the primary sector. These actions aim to guide field and on-farm operations to minimize environmental pollution associated with production activities and generate traceability information.
  • Development of low-impact environmental raw materials through the application of innovative breeding and agronomic technologies that can improve the efficiency of cultivation systems.
  • Enhancement of the competitiveness of agricultural enterprises through the development of a decision support system for crop and livestock management to maximize yield, quality, and the utilization of available resources.
  • Characterization of nutraceuticals, ingredients, dietary supplements, and functional foods that promote integration with primary productions within the region.
Impact
  • Promotion of a circular economy process through the development of systems for managing and transferring knowledge and innovations in agriculture by integrating different production chains.
  • Advancement of innovative food production facilities with a focus on technologies, production methods, industrial organization, distribution, consumption, efficient resource utilization, building organization, minimal environmental impact, and business models. This also extends to partnerships with local energy communities/centers (TECHs).
Key partners
 

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore,

•        Department of Animal Science, Nutrition, and Food

•        Department of Sustainable Plant Production Sciences

•        Department of Food Science and Technology for Sustainable Agri-Food Supply Chains

 

University of Pavia

•        Department of Biology and Biotechnology

•        Department of Physics

•        Department of Mathematics

•        Department of Industrial and Information Engineering

•        Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture

 

University of Turin

·       Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences

 

University of Sassari

·       Department of Agricultural Sciences 

The Foundation Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC)