Social, tech and nature: web cultivations

The natural environment is now being crossed with the virtual one, giving rise to digital cultivations, which allow consumers to create their own vegetable patch on the web, let real farmers manage it and receive the produce they want as if it were home grown.

All this has been made possible thanks to ortomanager.it, an online platform which enables anyone to carry out all the necessary steps digitally in order to go from sowing the seeds to the harvest. If the resulting produce is in the form of conserves, the benefits of this system can be summarised as follows:

• the elimination of unsold produce;
• and the drastic reduction of prices (because no middle man is required).

The creators of this platform are the marketing consultant Vincenzo Dell’Olio and the farming entrepreneur Antonio Turchiarelli, who explains how their project was inspired by the Farmville project, with the aim of emphasising the important role of farmers while guaranteeing genuine products, typical of the local tradition.

Still on the theme of ‘agricultural technology’, we must also mention Grow the Planet: a project created at H-Farm, which is a kind of Social Network, where it is possible to cultivate a real vegetable patch in a virtual environment, while exchanging seeds, samples for tasting and information with other members.

However, that is not all: thanks to this system, users can resolve various issues relating to their cultivations, using the support of experts, books and articles. Furthermore, it is also possible to help children learn about nature, while enabling them to interact with their peers from other regions.

In addition to the systems mentioned above, the web embraces agriculture through Coltiverra: a site also available as an app, which allows seasonal produce to be grown with the use of technology and some simple knowledge.

The double aims of the project are certainly to get users involved in the various phases from cultivation to harvest, while providing greater opportunities for Favella: a company which has been producing top quality food products, while respecting nature, for almost a century.

Last but not least is the case of leverduredelmioorto.it: a project set up by the owners of a rice farm near Vercelli, who have decided to try out the so-called vegetable cultivation for direct consumption.

The procedure is very simple. The distance growers can rent a piece of land for a price varying from 850 to 2050 Euros per year. As well as cultivating the products they are interested in, they can also monitor each phase of their crops’ growth.

As mentioned above, the link between the natural and digital environments is becoming ever stronger, bringing changes to society’s habits (consumers and producers above all), but also reducing the gap between past, present and future.

It is no longer necessary to own land and get your hands dirty in order to have your own agricultural production. In addition, it is not necessary to possess any highly specific agricultural abilities either.

All that is required is an interest in cultivation and the ability to use the web and technology.

The experts behind the platforms, sites and apps will take care of the rest; their main aim seems to be to promote ‘Made in Italy’ produce, while restoring dignity to farmers.

These farmers have been forced to sell at low process and cut their earnings for too long, especially due to foreign competition which is able to offer much lower prices compared to Italian ones.  Another important advantage is that with this system, the end consumer can also save money.

Translated by Joanne Beckwith