Organic farming is a type of farming based on the natural fertility of the soil without the use of synthetic substances or Gmos and that uses only the help of natural elements (such as manure and compost) that do not alter the integrity of the soil. The ultimate aim of organic farming is to provide the consumer with 100% synthetic chemicals-free products and, at the same time, to guarantee biodiversity.
For over 30 years, the family of Maria Rosa Ghiringhelli of Gambara, province of Brescia, has been a promoter of organic farming and today is the industry leader in northern Italy for organic horticultural cultivation.
30 years of organic
Ms Maria Rosa and her husband Ettore began to deal with organic farming at the beginning of the 1990s, when this issue was still in its infancy and reserved for a niche of consumers, founding the Azienda Agricola L'Ambiente Naturale. During those early years, the marketing of the products was mainly done with the “zero km” criteria, and over time, that one of the Ghiringhelli proved to be a great intuition that has been able to prevent a leading trend in the panorama of contemporary agriculture. Over the years, organic farming has made progress and today it is strictly regulated by a guarantee disciplinary and by careful checks on soil and products. Vegetables are grown according to their seasonality and, thanks to the licence valid throughout the European Union, they are also marketed in different countries in the large-scale distribution. The Azienda L'Ambiente Naturale, now in the hands of his sons Pietro and Giovanni, cultivates completely, with the biological system, about 40 hectares of land and, in the vanguard today as already 30 years ago, has decided to make a further technological leap, always within the strict boundaries of organic farming.
The intervention of Idromeccanica Lucchini Spa
Open-field organic farming requires a wide area of respect between the land cultivated with organic and that cultivated with other methods. This space allows to avoid contamination of various kinds. In order to guarantee the total protection of the biological environment and not to waste soil, the Ghiringhelli Family, together with Idromeccanica Lucchini, decided in 2020 to expand the surface covered in single-span tunnel greenhouses with one hectare of multi-span greenhouse structure that protects the biological environment in the best possible way. This greenhouse allows to better protect the cultivation from pests, insects, and all those external agents that can alter the quality of the product.
The used technology
The multiple greenhouse model Multyhortus was built by Idromeccanica Lucchini Spa without the use of concrete foundations that could contaminate the soil. Completely self-sustainable, it is built with reusable materials and suitable for organic cultivation and covered with recyclable polyethylene. The multiple structure of the greenhouse also allows you to install gutter for the collection of water that is conveyed, stored and reused to avoid unnecessary waste. Collected in a basin, the water is used for irrigation, thus reducing the consumption of well water. For all crops typical of the periods with the harshest climate was used a non-woven tissue put to protect the newly planted plants that scrupulously come from organic seeds. The non-woven fabric is reused for different crop cycles and when it is no longer suitable to serve its functions is recycled. In addition, it is possible to use, both indoor greenhouse and open-field level, biodegradable mulching in corn starch, with the aim of protecting crops from pests.
Lucchini Greenhouses for organic
Idromeccanica Lucchini Spa is able to satisfy the specific requirements for every single requirement in organic farming. In addition to the normal polyethylene cover, greenhouses can be equipped with nets to protect crops from insects and avoid external contamination that alter the biological integrity of the crop. The irrigation systems can be optimized indoor greenhouse and open field, with the aim of obtaining the highest yield without unnecessary wastes of water. Idromeccanica Lucchini supports producers in choosing the best greenhouse for each specific case and scrupulously follows the discipline of organic cultivation in all the steps. Each specific optimization request can be designed and fulfilled.
