Between 13 and 16 October 2025, the DEMO.net project consortium carried out its second international technical visit, this time to Italy, as part of the project’s planned activities for the exchange of knowledge and experiences.

The DEMO.net project, funded by the PRR – Recovery and Resilience Plan, began in April 2023 and brings together 14 partners. COTHN, CONSULAI, FNOP, and INIAV form the coordination core, joined by 10 SMEs representing most of the Portuguese’s regions and the main fruit and vegetable sectors.

The delegation, made up of 16 participants including representatives and technicians from the project’s partner Producer Organisations (POs), travelled to Italy with the aim of learning about different models of organisation in the fruit and vegetable production sector and promoting peer-to-peer knowledge exchange.

The visit began at the Metapontum Agrobios Research Centre, part of ALSIA (Lucanian Agency for Development and Innovation in Agriculture), a public body of the Basilicata Region dedicated to agricultural and agri-food research and knowledge transfer. During this visit, participants attended an institutional presentation of ALSIA, which highlighted its main areas of activity, as well as a presentation from AOP Arcadia (Association of Producer Organisations), outlining its objectives and production enhancement strategies, including examples from several of its member organisations. The group then toured the research centre’s facilities and the Frutthera PO headquarters, gaining insight into the innovative approaches and organisational models adopted in this Italian region.

Next, the group visited the TECNOPOLIS Science and Technology Park in Bari, where they took part in a session focused on innovation and the connection between research and business. Several key Italian entities were introduced, including the IOCC – Italo Orientale Chamber of Commerce, EIT Food for Italy, and CETMA-DIHSME, which shared their experiences in promoting trade exchanges, supporting innovation, and fostering collaboration between research institutions and SMEs. One of the highlights was the presentation “Bridging research and SMEs for agrifood innovation in Southern Italy – From Baltimore (USA) to Bari: Auxergen’s research-to-field innovation journey”, which demonstrated the importance of international cooperation in transferring knowledge to the agri-food sector.

The final visits took place in the Puglia region, at leading companies in the Italian fruit and vegetable industry. Participants visited Azienda Lapietra, a reference company specialising in hydroponic tomato production that combines cutting-edge technology with sustainable farming practices. The company stands out for its innovative circular resource management solutions, including the use of solar energy for greenhouse lighting and heating, as well as the reuse of irrigation water. The group then visited Ortofrutticola Egnazia, one of the companies behind the Miss Freshness brand, born from the collaboration of two families with deep roots in Puglia’s agricultural tradition.

This technical visit allowed project partners to deepen their understanding of organisation and innovation models in Italy’s fruit and vegetable sector, strengthening international cooperation and promoting the transfer of good practices to the Portuguese horticultural industry.

Learn more about the project and follow its results at:

https://akisportugal.pt/grupos/demo-net-rede-de-partilha-demonstracao-e-inovacao/activity/