The Asiago Plateau not only offers a stunning landscape, but also benefits from a perfect climate for the cultivation of strawberries and red fruits. The pre-alpine environment, with cool nights and sunny days, allows the production of fruits with an excellent and natural sugar content.
Two generations of tradition and innovation
This is a well-know company in the area, since it has been operating on the Asiago Plateau for three generations. The company is characterized by the production of strawberries and a very short production chain. It sells the product directly or at zero kilometre in local supermarkets. The company, which is now in its second generation, has been able to understand market trends investing in the soilless production to improve quality and maximise the production process. Lastly, this company has an entirely Italian agronomic chain.
The role of Idromeccanica Lucchini
Idromeccanica Lucchini stood as the only technological partner, acquiring a customer that previously relied on other companies, supporting him in the supply and installation of the system and, above all, obtaining the economic and tax benefits for young farmers.
The financing programme
Thanks to Idromeccanica Lucchini, the client presented a complete agronomic business plan and had access to funds for a pre-depreciation of the investment. Strategic agreements with Ismea also granted the client interest-free loans with non-repayable deductibles. It is expected that, thanks to the advice of Idromeccanica Lucchini, the client will be able to depreciate the investment in just two years. Idromeccanica Lucchini also supported the project with its own financial levers while waiting for state funding. The client will thus soon be able to reinvest the profits for further expansions and upgrades of the project.
The technical intervention
This project had unique features. In fact, the geographical conditions and the rocky terrain made it difficult to install a greenhouse that could not be cemented in place due to landscape constraints. The significant orographic slopes (up to 25%) made it necessary to have a customised design and engineering solutions to follow the slope of the terrain. The greenhouse being placed on different levels also made it necessary to consider the temperature differences between the various areas. To solve all these problems, Idromeccanica Lucchini built a hybrid greenhouse that combines the characteristics of the Multytunnel and those of the Atlantic RU. It was possible to optimise the covered area by using the multiple module and to increase the resistance of the plastic film in case of snow load. This also avoids the opening and covering of the greenhouse, thus reducing costs and labour. Idromeccanica Lucchini, who supplied the hardware part, was able to carefully study the ventilation of the system, which, thanks to its narrow structure, allows natural ventilation and irrigation homogeneity to keep the same climatic conditions everywhere, thus maintaining the territorial features.
High hopes for the future
This project represents a key precedent for all those orographic situations, in Italy and abroad (Switzerland, Austria and Scandinavian countries), where it is necessary to operate in compliance with restrictive land protection regulations. It also gives many hints for the future to create a new standard and to generate social and environmental benefits. Idromeccanica Lucchini can therefore show great satisfaction for having overcome the expectations of such a complex challenge.
