The first sheep meat in the world certified "carbon neutral" through a production chain of zero-emission Sardinian PGI lamb; an ingenious computerized water recovery system in agriculture against water waste; a real weather station to govern wine production and, again, gardens and products with the scent and flavor of pompia to safeguard this Sardinian biodiversity, but also a gourmet PGI lamb for schools , without forgetting a full-service farm of those most in difficulty in a community between authenticity and solidarity. These are the innovative projects that illuminated the 2023 edition of Coldiretti's Green Oscars staged in Montevecchio, Guspini.
The Oscar-winning farmers in the 17th edition are: Pietro Ledda, 34 years old from Sindia in the 'Fare Filiera' category (second place for Tenute Aini); Francesco Addis, 37 years old from Badesi for the category, 'Digital Enterprise' (Ottavia and Giovannino Pusceddu in second place); Marco Manca, 35 year old from Assemini in the 'Energy for the Future and Sustainability' category (second place was Nicola Ezza); Anna Peccini, 40 years of Ozieri for 'Coltiva Solidarietà' (second place, 'Funtan'arva' by Salvatore Ruiu); Giovanni Ladu, 36 years old from Siniscola, in the 'Guardians of Italy' category (second place for Nicola Monni) and the Don Deodato Hotel Institute of Oristano, represented by Giuseppina Armas, for the 'Campagna Amica' Oscar (second place for Gianfranco Deledda ).
Hosting the honors was the director of Coldiretti Sardegna, Luca Saba , who underlined that young people «must not be afraid to get involved by participating more and more actively in the agricultural and association world because they are the future of our productive and social. Coldiretti is there and works to make future generations protagonists."
Furthermore, for the president of Coldiretti Sardinia, Battista Cualbu , «Sardinia, thanks to all these young people, always presents a beautiful business card which demonstrates the great vitality of the new generations in agriculture – he underlines at the end of the awards ceremony – unfortunately too many young people still abandon the island looking for new opportunities, which is why it is still up to us to create the best growth opportunities in their land to make them stay. In this the Coldiretti school is a point of reference."
Here, in detail, all the prizes and winners.
FARE FILIERA – The prize for the Fare Filiera category went to Pietro Ledda with his project for a certified zero-emission Sardo PGI lamb production chain (with the BsGreen Neutry-food® brand). 'VERSOA' was born in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture of the University of Sassari, the BS-GREEN Company, 15 sheep farms registered with the Consorzio dell'Agnello di Sardegna PGI and the Daga Carni company. The project demonstrated that the carbon balance of the production of PGI lamb meat is zero. It is the first sheep meat in the world certified carbon neutral, through the application of a rigorous scientific protocol which calculated how the absorption of carbon on farms compensates for that emitted by the absorption of organic substances in the soil, in the vegetal component, especially trees. The certification has the merit of guaranteeing the precious work carried out by Sardinian farms also in front of the consumer. The project demonstrates that many other farms registered with the PGI may already be ready to be certified carbon-neutral. Agnelli net_zero, allows you to aspire to totally sustainable certified Sardinian agriculture. The first batch of net_zero lambs was put on sale yesterday in the Tutti Giorni supermarkets in Sassari and Cagliari and in the Crai supermarket in Oristano in December 2022.
DIGITAL ENTERPRISE – Raising the award in the category is Francesco Addis with his 'Li Duni' winery in Badesi . Located in the hilly area in front of the Gulf of Asinara, it is a mix of soil, sun and winds that come from the sea forming the peculiar traits of this microenvironment. Taking advantage of these characteristics, Francesco and his partners decided to use a weather station that provides valuable information on climatic conditions , such as temperature, humidity and wind speed, which are fundamental for the cultivation of vines and the production of wine. Thanks to this equipment the company can constantly monitor the weather conditions in the vineyard and adapt their agricultural practices accordingly. Overall, the use of the station has allowed Li Duni Winery to improve the quality of their wine and optimize their agricultural practices. This shows how technology can be a precious ally for wine producers, helping them to make smarter choices and improve their work.
ENERGY FOR THE FUTURE – An Oscar winner in this category is Marco Manca with “Cocchiland: synergy in the field” .
Marco works in the province of Cagliari in his completely 'plastic free' company , set up for sustainability. In the greenhouse he grows tomatoes of different varieties through the use of coconut fiber bags in which the soil is fertilized and irrigated thanks to a computerized system which, based on parameters such as the temperature of the greenhouse, the humidity rate, the irradiation or the pH of the soil, guarantees the supply of nutrients necessary for plants. But to avoid water waste, he has designed a system for recovering the water that eventually drains from the bags, via channels that are conveyed into a cistern, sterilized and reused for irrigation. In the greenhouse there is also tomato basil as a "sentinel" plant for possible fungal attacks. It is based above all on integrated defense: it releases insects into the greenhouse that are predators of those that attack the tomato, as well as bumblebees with the purpose of pollinators. Last but not least, the experimentation of the concept of "syntropic forest", i.e. the association of numerous plant types which, by cooperating, create a mutual ecological balance which frees the farmer from the use of herbicides.
LET'S CULTIVATE SOLIDARITY – The recognition to Anna Peccini for the Logudoro Agricultural Company. From the region of the same name in northern Sardinia, more precisely from the hills a few kilometers from Ozieri, he proposed the project " La Casa dell'Accoglienza ". In 2016, the Betania Onlus Association moved from Verona together with its volunteers to this corner of Paradise, to give life to a new charitable reality of welcoming and helping the needy and, subsequently in 2017, to an agricultural company that would allow them to support numerous charitable works. From here and with great enthusiasm and sacrifice, the 18 hectares of land once abandoned to neglect and now the place on which the community stands were brought back to their original splendor. Anna lives here with her and other families who dedicate their entire lives to volunteering.
CUSTODI D'ITALIA – The protagonists of the category are Giovanni Ladu , the winner of 'Custodi d'Italia' and pompia, the classic citrus fruit Made in Sardinia. Right in his company, Giovanni safeguards this rare example of biodiversity from which he obtains an excellent liqueur , jam and a candied sweet . In fact, in the company he creates "gardens" that emanate the scent of this fruit everywhere. But Giovanni was not always an agricultural entrepreneur. Born an engineer, in fact, he became a farmer in 2012, when before graduating he approached the cultivation of sa pompìa, the rarest example in the world of endemic biodiversity in Sardinia. He inherited the family lands in the municipalities of Siniscola, Posada, Torpè from his farmer and rancher grandparents, where the “Sole del Montalbo” company now stands. The company boasts a centuries-old tradition and has reached its fourth generation with Giovanni. Through a company modernization plan, started in 2017, he created an all-organic multifunctional company with 3 hectares of vineyard where he produces Vermentino and Cannonau. There are also olive groves (about 800 plants) and animals.
FRIENDLY CAMPAIGN – From the name of the Coldiretti market, to the Friendly Campaign category. The Green Oscar went to the Don Deodato Meloni hotel institute of Oristano for its commitment to the first regional gastronomic competition of Sardinian hotel institutes . Through the productions of the Campagna amica circuit, a dish based on PGI Sardinian lamb was created with all the other products from the Oristano market. A competition between eight hotel schools that pitted future chefs and food operators against consumers.
(Unioneonline/vl)