Agricultural innovation expands with new facilities in Italy and Germany

Agricultural innovation is advancing through specialized facilities in Italy and Germany. In Prarolo, Italy, the Italian Rice Experiment Station (Ires) has launched a 3-million-euro advanced facility dedicated to seed protection and variety development. The plant utilizes optical-electronic selectors to ensure seed purity by identifying color variations and removing weeds, alongside a climate cell that uses high-efficiency light to allow year-round growth, potentially accelerating the development of new rice varieties.

In Berlin, Germany, a large-scale urban farming project has launched in the Lankwitz district. A 2,760-square-meter hydroponic greenhouse has been constructed atop a REWE supermarket. This facility aims to produce up to 900,000 packages of salad annually, supplying approximately 500 supermarkets. Developed with ECF Farmsystems, the project utilizes rainwater, solar energy, and waste heat from the supermarket's refrigeration systems to minimize environmental impact and reduce transport distances.