In this eye-opening episode we welcome the esteemed Adriano Battilani, the General Secretary of Irrigants d’Europe, to BKT Network. Hailing from Emilia-Romagna in Italy, Adriano's expertise stretches Europe-wide, making him a powerful advocate for agricultural sustainability.
Adriano delves into the complexities of water management in agriculture. Emphasizing the need for a paradigm shift, he discusses the intricate web of water, energy, food, and the environment that demands innovative solutions.
The episode unravels a compelling narrative of a new mechanization age, where Earth observation tools, drones, and robots promise transformative impact. However, the real challenge lies in balancing 19th-century legacies with a 21st-century outlook.
Adriano also brings to light the pressing issues facing farmers in irrigation. From the struggle to change crops in the face of changing water requirements to the burden of technological investments, farmers are at a crossroads. As policy and science interface, Adriano emphasizes the necessity of supporting farmers not just with technology but also the skills to navigate rapidly changing scenarios.
-
Nicholas Brozovic -
Zac Gazit -
Asad Sarwar Qureshi -
Adriano Battilani
- Earth observation tools, drones, and robots are transforming the agricultural landscape, providing new possibilities and dramatically impacting farming practices.
- Farmers face challenges in adopting new technologies due to the financial burden of previous investments and the lack of market demand for certain crops.
- Water-saving measures in agriculture must be balanced with practical considerations, as there is a limit to how much water can be conserved before it becomes impractical or unsustainable.
In this series
He has over twenty years of experience working on water management issues worldwide. Nicholas strives to influence the way managers, decision makers and funders view and implement policies to sustain water use in agriculture. He and his team partner with many kinds of stakeholders to understand, test and validate new technologies and business models. He has mentored a growing community of students and young professionals dedicated to improving water and food security globally.
Zac Gazit is constantly looking for ways to combine his passion for technology and innovation with his desire to make our world a better place. His experience in developing and growing high technology companies and his work with internationally renowned companies led him to start ALVÁTECH, an award winning AgTech company that is rapidly growing worldwide. Zac is a keen advocate of green change and is working with governments and organizations to make a global impact and form a green legacy.
Before joining the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) in 2014, he worked at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in different scientific and management capacities in Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Central Asia, and Bangladesh. He has about 30 years of experience in action research aimed at finding agronomic and engineering solutions geared towards mitigating the incipient water logging and salinity problems of irrigated areas and developing conservation strategies for the water-scarce regions of the Middle East, South Asia, Africa and Central Asia.
A member of the Director’s staff and appointed representative by EU Institutions and international organizations of the Italian National Association of Land protection and Irrigation Consortia (ANBI), and a member of the Board of Directors of the Euro-Mediterrannean Irrigators Community (EIC). He has more than 40 years of experience as researcher and project manager in the fields of irrigation, fertigation and cropping system’s sustainability. Since 1990, he has been involved as principal scientist in EU research projects and as scientific responsible for projects financed by public bodies and private institutions, industries and stakeholders.
