The fourth edition of Novelfarm, (Pordenone fairgrounds, February 15-16, 2023) sheds light on the essential role of indoor crops in safeguarding food safety and biodiversity. Access to the event is free, and more info is available at: https://novelfarmexpo.it/.
NovelFarm is the only Italian event dedicated entirely to soilless crops and vertical farming. The sector is growing all over the world and in Italy as well. After being looked at with curiosity, there now exist considerable examples, especially when it comes to vegetables and salad.
Thanks to interventions from representatives of international organizations, Italian policymakers, researchers, and operators, NovelFarm will stress how indoor farming in its advanced form (from greenhouses to vertical farms) is a productive combination of techniques and technologies that can guarantee high-quality and high-quantity sustenance for the global population as it will continue to grow over the next few decades.
Soilless crops help save water and fertilizers, and they practically use zero pesticides, eliminate the need for fungicides and, most of all, they free the soil and leave the environment and biodiversity intact, which are somewhat affected also in the case of 'organic' farming.
This year's edition will update participants on new technologies and solutions, most of all when it comes to genetics and varietal selections for vertical farming. Various seed producers are now offering varieties particularly suitable for soilless cultivation.
The academy and growers are also working a lot to build the best solutions that combine market and economic needs with the possibilities that the control of growth parameters can provide. Advanced genetic manipulation techniques will also be discussed, as well as environmental selection, i.e. the study and management of cultivation conditions that can lead to the soilless reproduction of root microorganisms.