INNOVATION OF SUCCULENTS IN LIGURIA
The main objective is to support the succulents sector in order to provide tools to face the new challenges of the global market and to enhance the typicality of the territorial production.
Specific objectives are: a) creation of a platform that improves both the aggregation of farms of the sector and the public-private interaction through the dissemination of information and the offer of qualified services; b) promotion of product innovation through the introduction of new species and the diversification of the use of the final product and its commercial chainp
- Creation of a platform for the diffusion of innovation and for the development of qualified services in order to support the succulents sector.
- Product innovation through the introduction of new varieties / species to widen the production offer.
- Product innovation through the diversification of the end use of species / varieties already in production (cut succulents).
- Expansion of the commercial network of the sector through the integration between the commercial sector of pots and cut flowers and foliages.
Succulents have a centuries-old tradition in Liguria where the mild climate has been able to offer characteristics similar to the areas of origin of these plants. This has allowed the development of a significant production (approx 20 million pots/year and 50 farms located in the Western area) characterized by many species addressed to a niche market. The Ligurian production is leader at national level; in Europe it has the second position after Holland where there are few species produced in large quantities. For this reason, Western Liguria is an attractive center for the North Europe. The Ligurian productive reality (small companies, family-running with a production fragmentation) requires that stable supporting actions must be developed. The competitiveness can be improved through the introduction of new succulents with quantities which meet the market demands. By this way, farms could be supported and input would be given to the creation of new companies, favoring youth employment and the recovery of uncultivated agricultural areas. The innovation can have a real impact on the territory if new organizational models encouraging aggregation and integration and supporting companies with training, dissemination and development of specialized services for production and marketing are available. INSULI meets these requests and will favor the creation of a platform for product innovation and for the development of qualified services to support the "succulent" sector.
PLATFORM FOR THE DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION AND FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF QUALIFIED SERVICES SUPPORTING THE "SUCCULENT PLANTS" SECTOR - Instrument supporting the "succulent plants" sector which promotes collaboration between public and private sectors by improving the dissemination of innovations and information and by supporting SMEs with the creation or improvement of qualified services. The survey in phase 1 pointed out that the sector has the possibility of development. The interviewed SMEs stated, however, that product innovation is needed (new species and adequate quantities). Other problems are related to physiopathological aspects, distribution and marketing and agronomic techniques. Furthermore, it is necessary to give support to young people already in the production flows or who could be if they are properly trained. The Platform wants to contribute to the resolution of these problems and it will be a useful interface in Regional Strategies and with national and international networks. The platform: will act as a link among the various players in the supply chain; will aim at introducing innovation in the sector with medium-short term results; will foster the growth of professional skills and resources with possible new job opportunities; will facilitate the flow of information in the sector through the creation of a web page (italian-english that will provide news about the most widespread species and the services and products available to support SME's.
INTRODUCTION OF NEW VARIETIES AND SPECIES. The extremely diversified and niche production is one of the main strengths of the succulent plant sector in Liguria as this production structure is not found in other European countries. In phase 1, we have identified some species of potential interest, not yet present on the market or present with very small quantities; our goal is to introduce and evaluate these new products and at the same time to carry out a pilot production of these species / varieties. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the productive diversification of our territory. In particular, we will work on species / varieties belonging to the Cactaceae family (subfamily Opuntioideae), which are still little known in Liguria, with the exception for the most common species (poor knowledge of the species, difficulty in finding it on the market, slow development in particular for Andean species). Experimental fields will be set up for the evaluation of different biomorphological and agronomic parameters, under different growth conditions such as in greenhouses and open air, in pots or on the ground. Through micropropagation, in particular for slow-growing species, quantities will be obtained suitable to be introduced on the market in medium-short time. The operators of the sector will be provided with Illustrative cards and guidelines to facilitate the introduction of innovation in the SME’s.
THE CUT SUCCULENTS AS A NEW TYPE OF FINAL PRODUCT. The end product of succulents is a pot-plant or a composition of potted plants but in recent years a new ornamental method has been developed, consisting in the use of portions of succulent plants directly in floral compositions, like cut flowers or foliages. To date, some local SMEs have made preliminary attempts to commercialize this new type of product, but there is still a scanty production and various challenges should be overcome , such as conservation for an adequate time. Our goal is to evaluate the best solutions to provide the customers with a wide range of colors and shapes as well to outline the correct packaging ensuring a good performance along the transport till the final destination. Particularly we will work on species belonging to the Echeveria genus, as it includes a very large number of species, with a rosette shape and a wide range of colors. Evaluations on cultivation and production methods will also be carried out for these species. At the end of the project, the operators of the productive chain will be provided with guidelines to introduce and manage this innovation to improve the diversification of our territory .
INNOVATION OF THE PRODUCTION CHAIN -NEW MARKETS OPPORTUNITY. Usually, the succulents sector follows distribution channels which are different from the classic ones of potted plants or cut foliages and flowers. Therefore, it is interesting to promote an innovation which is aimed at increasing the commercial chain, by offering the succulents to the above cited commercial chains. INSULI wants to create a catalogue of 10 species / varieties which are representative of the succulents production of our Region. In this catalogue information about the products will be displayed (pictures, the general features as botanical indications, plant color and flower color, characteristics of their production expressing the quantities available, the vessel size, the period of greatest availabilitye and more). The identification of the species and the elaboration of the catalogue will be the result of the interaction among the different partners, growers and dealers of our regional sector. The plant material related to this catalogue will be inserted in the show-room created at IRF’s facilities; moreover, we want to spread the information through meetings addressed to the National Association of Flower Exporters (ANCEF Sanremo) and by disseminating on line this catalogue (website, facebook, etc.) presenting also the product innovations arisen from Innovation 2 and 3.
Documentazione del workshop Innovazione e conoscenza per l’agricoltura: le sfide del futuro per la cooperazione in Liguria
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