The floods that devastated Romagna last May have been over eight months, enough time for the memory of those dramatic days to fade for the rest of the country, but not for those who lived through those days. The citizens, of course, but also those who work the land that still bears the signs of those disasters, like the farmers of the seven agricultural cooperatives in the Province of Ravenna. Agrisfera, based in Sant’Angelo, Ravenna, with four thousand hectares cultivated in Romagna, is ready to restart, respecting the natural cycles imposed by nature: time and patience on the one hand, and respect for the environment through innovation on the other. After six thousand submerged hectares and very heavy damage, they are innovating with solar and irrigation systems.
Between May 16 and May 18, hundreds of these hectares that had been spared by the swollen rivers were flooded to deflate the waterways. Approximately 1115 hectares were submerged for over two million euros in damages. 700 hectares suffered severe damage, remaining submerged for days. Crops such as cereals, wheat, sugar beets, soybeans, sunflowers, corn, walnut and pear trees, and alfalfa were affected.
Tractors and other equipment were also damaged. The president of Legacoop Romagna, Paolo Lucchi, stated that 6000 hectares across all the cooperatives were submerged during the floods, equivalent to 9000 soccer fields. Coop raised 2.1 million euros from 81,000 donors, part of which was given to Agrisfera to invest in technological innovation to recover from the mud and combat climate change. They are partnering with New Holland for electrically powered machinery.
Agrisfera also has a new irrigation system that is less energy-consuming and more efficient, as well as plans for agrivoltaics in partnership with the company “Concetto Green.” The future holds a promising agriculture and livestock project focused on advanced technology.