The group starts the day in front of the NH Hotel, where a bus takes us to the charming Romagna, charming and a bit foggy to tell the truth since the rolling hills of Tebano seem to be the perfect location for Midsomer Murders. The group is compact and very close-knit, thanks to the previous day, which left everyone very satisfied.
To welcome us here comes Gianluca Barchi, of the CRPV (Crop Production Research Center), and immediately afterward he does the honors also the president of ASTRA, the Agency for technological experimentation and agro-environmental research, who starts clueing everyone in about the daily life in the labs, and the support they give to wine producers and growers, how they help them to understand the territory and to extract the best quality from vineyard to the cellar.
Graphs, stats, computer screens and white coats walking around colorimeters, reagents explain more than a thousand words, how technology can match tradition to give Agri sector the boost it needs to compete.
The group moves to the conference room, where Gianluca Barchi describes in detail two interesting projects, "Mo.Re. Farming" and "Agro.Big. Data. Science", that aims to develop platforms able to collect data from different sources, namely drones, satellites, and in-field sensors and to give farmers and growers advice about irrigation and fertilization.
Saying goodbye to Tebano and the hills, we move to Cesena, where ONIT, represented by Fabio Piraccini and his fellows, show the audience how a modern warehouse should work. The group is curious as ever, and the techies are willing to answer all the questions.
Outside the warehouse, there's time enough for a few photos. We step on the bus and we are on the way back to Bologna, full of suggestions and tips to bring back home.
