Agri-food: which technologies to guarantee our health?

In an international and constantly evolving market, the agri-food is an important economic sector for countries, like Italy, that are in the Mediterranean region. In recent years, smart digital technologies, machine learning, and big data have been playing an important role in improving the physical production of goods and the quality of operations of the agriculture sector. For example, sensors that a few decades ago were available only in small research greenhouses, now can be deployed in agricultural fields. The information they can transmit over the internet can be used to make real time adjustments to the various steps needed to harvest an agriculture product. Ultimately, the digital solutions applied to agriculture aim to limit waste while minimizing human labour. The “From farm to fork” strategy of the European Green Deal identifies digital technologies as the tools to achieve greater agricultural sustainability. In order to guarantee greater profitability, once a quality agriculture product has been harvested, it is necessary to enhance it by certifying its origin and by disclosing the methods used to produce it and by reporting on the safeguard systems adopted. For these reasons, it is vital to follow agricultural standards that can give the product a certification of quality. For example, data analysis, smart labels, blockchain and smart contracts, that follow standardized protocols, are tools that, in addition to certifying the origin of a product, can reduce brokerage costs, improve deliver time, maintain persistent quality while minimizing human errors. In this study we conducted a literature review on the articles published in last two International Symposia on Mechanization, Precision Horticulture, and Robotics with a focus on innovative technologies and their fields of application developed for the agri-food sector. An overview of the impact of implementing and following standardization practices is presented as well.