Barilla, a global leader in the agri-food sector, places innovation and sustainability at the heart of its philosophy. The company, committed to reducing its environmental impact, aims to continuously improve its production practices to ensure not only food quality but also the protection of the planet. This commitment is reflected in its ESG objectives, which see Barilla actively involved in a series of initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture and the reduction of CO2 emissions.
Barilla has highlighted that the agricultural phase of durum wheat production can represent up to 35% of the ecological footprint of a kilogram of pasta. This has prompted the company to develop the Barilla Sustainable Farming Project, a model for the cultivation of durum wheat that seeks efficiency in production and the optimal use of resources, reducing the environmental impact and improving the economic return of the farmers.
In this context, the collaboration with Garden@ represents an important step forward. Hort@, founded in 2008 as a spin-off of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, specializes in decision support systems (DSS) that facilitate optimal resource management in crops. An example is granoduro.net, a tool that has allowed Barilla to optimize the production of durum wheat, a key resource for the company.
Matteo ruggeri, Sustainability Project Manager of Hort@, underlines the importance of granoduro.net: “This tool provides a comprehensive support for sustainable durum wheat management, contributing to the reduction of environmental impact and the conservation of resources. It allows users of the Barilla supply chain to make informed crop choices, optimize the use of technical means and water and monitor the entire durum wheat production process, from sowing to harvesting, with an eye always on sustainability.”
The collaboration between Barilla and Hort@ was born from the need to address the challenges posed by an increasingly competitive environment and a market attentive to environmental issues. Begun in 2012/2013 with a direct comparison between traditional and digital management of the wheat supply chain, this partnership has demonstrated the tangible benefits of data-supported decision-making systems.
Thanks to this collaboration, Barilla has managed to manage over 370.000 tons of wheat per year, monitoring and optimizing every phase of production: the result is a constant improvement in the quality of the grain, now richer in proteins and specific weight.
“We have been honored to collaborate with Barilla for over a decade, a bond that demonstrates our shared commitment to innovation and sustainability in cereal crops, with a particular focus on durum wheat. This long-term collaboration has allowed Hort@ to continuously refine our Decision Support Systems (DSS), making them increasingly precise and reliable. With Barilla, we share fundamental objectives: both companies are driven by the need to make agri-food chains more sustainable and to constantly improve product quality, ensuring that it is sustainable not only from an environmental point of view but also from an economic one. It is a commitment that profoundly transforms the way the sector operates, orienting us towards a future in which quality and sustainability go hand in hand.” - he claims Joseph Piacentino, Head of Sales and Marketing, Hort@.
The application of Barilla's agricultural paradigm has led to tangible benefits: a reduction in direct costs per hectare of up to 15%, an increase in gross income per tonne of grain produced of between 10% and 30%, an increase in gross saleable production and production yields, and a reduction in the carbon footprint per hectare of crops of up to 10% and of the water footprint of up to 5%.
In addition to bringing tangible benefits, this collaboration has also allowed us to train Barilla farmers and stockers in the use of new technologies. This allowed a smooth transition to the use of new digital tools, which have concretely improved daily farming practices. Hort@ has provided ongoing training, ensuring that the digital tools provided are not only used, but concretely improved daily farming practices.
Looking to the future, Barilla, based on the experience gained with durum wheat, is extending digitalization to other supply chains, with the aim of promoting an even more efficient and sustainable management of agricultural resources. A vision that, thanks to the collaboration with Garden@, is taking shape, leading the agri-food sector towards a greener and more productive future.
