Local, green, innovative and beautiful. Creating a community-feeling starting from the "ground".
"Le serre di Freya": holistic center with a research laboratory, a hydroponic greenhouse, and one Bistrot/ Shop. What we will do is basic: recycle unsold agricultural products into ingredients for food companies (such as powders or extracts), have a stable production with the hydroponic, and create a harmonious space for everyone to enjoy and participate actively. In 3 steps: stop wasting agricultural products, farm consciously, and inspire a community feeling.
Regional
Italy
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Mainly rural
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
As an individual in partnership with other persons
First name: Elisa Last name: Quaranta Gender: Female Age: 29 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Italy Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via Giulio Cesare 44/46 Town: Pontinia Postal code: 04014 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 389 996 3709 E-mail:elisa.quaranta93@gmail.com
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Yes
Email from the regional institutions for business-development
We believe that when things become harder, you have to act smoothly.
Considering the pressing needs we have to fulfill, and the obstacles humans will face in the incoming years, it is easily recognizable that we have to think smart when it comes to making choices. For us, to think smart is not just to be clever, but to think inclusive and far to future generations too. Isn’t it unbelievable that in an era where food is not ensured anymore for everyone and hunger is still an urgent issue, we do waste it? Are we really so selfish? Probably yes.
We will create a holistic agri-food hub to limit food waste but as a final aim to spark a community feeling through a multidisciplinary approach.
The hub will collect all the unsold products from the surrounding agricultural lands and analyze their safety and properties into the Food Research Lab (because we also want to maintain a low emissions profile, we will focus at a regional scale, with a replicability in other regions). Once we determine the characteristics of the product we have two paths for recycling: or transform it into powders for food industries (soups, vegetable hamburgers, child fruits cream etc.) or extract specific nutrients for food supplements companies.
The Food Research Lab wants to become a reference hub for Universities and companies with related initiatives.
Besides the waste recycling area, the primary production area will be a hydroponic greenhouse with a maximum of 3 different productions. The products from the hydroponic farming system will be sold in local markets and cooked for our bistrot.
Food waste
Recycle
Hydroponic farming system
Circularity
Community
The sustainability goals our project meet are:
- Food waste through the collection of agricultural products that have not been sold or have been damaged by climate events. We want to give new life to these products transforming them into powder or extract for food industries.
- Fair payments to farmers that would not have a profit for wasted products, otherwise.
- Sustainable farming with the choice of the hydroponic farming system. This can save the use of water and allow its recycling, monitor the growth of vegetables and fruits, and avoid any waste from climate and pests and disease. Hydroponic is also a useful tool in preventing soil use and its deterioration. Considering its property to grow indoor and with specific assets, hydroponic can be replicable in each geographic area.
- Renewable energy through the installation of photovoltaic plants.
- Raise awareness in the local communities through events, farm visits and workshops related to food and environmental sustainability involving both families and youth.
Aesthetic objectives:
The hub will be made of eco-friendly materials respecting the surrounding natural environment and built within its limits (ecological corridors, ecosystem areas).
The greenhouse will be transparent, making it also a beautiful scenario besides an efficient and sustainable farming system.
The structure of the hub will follow the principle of circularity, which is based on, guaranteeing the quality of experience:
The environment aims to create an inclusive space with a central round square, benches, and fountains, surrounded by a garden and flowers. The scope is to recreate a bucolic atmosphere that allows harmonious relationships with the visitors, as a place of knowledge and discussion.
The greenhouse, the Bistrot shop, and the Food Research Lab will be developed all around the central square, to create a continuous path. This choice allows the visitors/consumers to live a 360°C reality, through different stages of the food chain. Finally, we want to develop a Hub of education and community where communicate our main values of sustainability, in a fun and inclusive way.
All the activities for the public audience (visitors/customers) are limited to specific hours during the day, so as to not disturb our daily working routine.
The Hub has been designed to avoid physical and mental barriers. Physical barriers allow easy access for the raw materials, to move them inside the hub from one place to the other, and for a public purpose to increase the accessibility to all people.
As mental barriers, we mean to discourage any form of racism, violence, or not eco-friendly practices both from our employees and our visitors/customers.
Moreover, the hub also cares about fair payments and the true cost of food to break down unnecessary costs throughout the food chain.
In the above answers, we already explained the central role that citizens, both as visitors and customers, will have in the hub.
We want to raise awareness among the citizens through education, events, and workshops.
The impact of this involvement is to create a sense of community based on sharing common spaces, respecting the environment, and eating, using, and buying food consciously.
Because we are in the embryonic phase of the present project we are discussing with the regional institution for local enterprises. The institution is supporting us with the development of our concept, helping us to analyze each part as a separate one to understand its practical feasibility and its applicability. Through them, we will start building our network with interested stakeholders. But, we hope to create a wide network of stakeholders both public (as universities and municipalities) and private (as food companies, and research centers).
Our background as dietitians and food technologists brought us to a common passion for environmental sustainability, innovative technologies for food production, and the importance of healthy diets. The experience we base this project on has been fundamental in the choices we made: from the hydroponic farming system to the recycling of unsold agricultural products to produce valuable and nutritious food (extracts).
Our current jobs emphasize different aspects of the food chain which makes us: while Francesca is more focused on the final stages (market, relation with customers, and restaurants), Elisa is focused on the first stages (raw materials, R&D, and agriculture).
This synergy makes us complementary, and capable of taking conscious choices.
Our concept of innovation is not only related to technology but it is also linked to a different interpretation and valorization of raw materials:
1) Technological innovation: the hydroponic farming system, is considered an unconventional farming system;
2) Supply System Innovation: create a business from wasted products through techniques able to generate added value.
3) Not a simple one: but a circular company that embraces also the community in itself.
4) Renewable energy through sustainable sources.
With appropriate basic knowledge, all the hubs can be replicated or transferred in any other place because not dependent on any supplier, climate, and soil characteristics.
Everywhere there are wasted products, every region can host a greenhouse and, with the appropriate tools, any place can be good for a Bistrot - shop.
We studied this project with the willingness to make it versatile, and it is just its biggest strength.
This project has been thought aligned with the most recent and common food and environmental policies. From the European Green Deal to the Agenda 2030, the re-discovery of Agroecological practices, and the urgent need to create a bridge between citizens, science, and policies, we want to contribute to reaching different objectives. We will report the SDGs to summarize our main goals:
SDG 8 “To promote an economic growth lasting, inclusive and sustainable”: through the recycling of unsold agricultural products, fair payments to farmers, the true cost of food, and a green and circular business.
SDG 9 “To build a resilient structure, to promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization”: through an innovative hydroponic farming system, renewable energy sources, involvement of local farmers and markets, and respect for the surrounding environment of the production site.
SDG 12 “To guarantee production and consumption, sustainable models”: the sustainable production model is explained in the holistic approach mentioned above (circular economy, less exploitation of natural resources thanks to the hydroponic system, etc..). On the other hand, the sustainable consumption model is given by the creation of common spaces accessible to citizens that can buy, or eat in a place, the food produced by our company, bringing a sense of community.
SDG 13 “To adopt urgent measures to fight climate change and its consequences”: is intrinsic to the concept, as explained above.
SDG 15 “To protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of the terrestrial ecosystem”: is intrinsic in the concept too. Indeed, in the construction plan there it is an attention to not destroy the surrounding natural environment but make it better, through qualification of the area and sustainable use of all the products inside the company.
