Water - Friuli Venezia Giulia

The Water Living Lab – Friuli Venezia Giulia was established through collaboration between farmers, researchers, and technicians from the Agritech network, with the goal of addressing one of the most pressing challenges in modern agriculture: the efficient and sustainable management of water resources.

From the very first meetings with arable and livestock farms, a shared concern emerged regarding water availability and usage—particularly for water-intensive crops such as maize. In response, innovative practices were co-designed and tested, including the introduction of maize hybrids with varying maturity classes and drought tolerance. These hybrids are being trialed on four pilot farms to assess their productivity under water stress conditions and to identify adaptive solutions tailored to the region.

Another key component of the Living Lab is the use of environmental and agronomic sensors to monitor real-time data on critical parameters such as evapotranspiration, rainfall, soil salinity, and solar radiation. These technologies provide essential insights to support more precise and sustainable agronomic decision-making.

The Living Lab also promotes open days and demonstration activities, which are essential for sharing results and co-creating new solutions with local stakeholders.