Start-ups and drones: farming is going \u2018smart\u2019<\/p>\n
The overall picture is challenging, but in agriculture a new generation is emerging that is committed to technology and the environment \u2013 by Christian Benna<\/p>\n
Over there, amongst the yellow-green fields and white farmhouses, the latest-generation drones rise, black and silent. They are piloted by young farmers who, instead of the spades their grandparents used to wield, now hold the joysticks that control the drones. They map the land in preparation for sowing and take photographs from above to work out how much water is needed for irrigation. Meanwhile, on the ground, labourers are piling up the \u2018traditional\u2019 sheaves of wheat: the product, however, is entirely new \u2013 or rather, it marks a return to the ancient, \u2018vintage\u2019 flour, stone-ground, rich in protein and low in gluten. Nearby, on the hills, olive trees \u2013 the symbol of Southern Italy \u2013 grow alongside traditional vines, and exotic cultivars are also appearing: hibiscus, peanuts and bitter aubergines. Harvesting still requires hard work and the clatter of farm machinery, but software developed by innovative start-ups is used to optimise processes, and sales orders are taken online.<\/p>\n