Green Flora and the Future: a project we built together

We acted as lead partner for the project “Green Flora and the Future: when innovation and sustainability meet the nursery supply chain”, funded under the Tuscany Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014–2022.

This was not a project limited to individual businesses, but one based on a broader principle: improving the efficiency and competitiveness of the entire nursery supply chain, starting from the Pescia area, one of the most important hubs in the sector in Italy.

A supply chain project in the truest sense

Green Flora and the Future was conceived as an integrated supply chain project (PIF); we worked with a clear model: bringing together businesses, expertise and research.

The project involved:

• 135 partners in total
• 18 direct participants
• 117 indirect participants

As lead partner, we coordinated activities and facilitated dialogue between the various stakeholders involved: agricultural businesses, universities and research centres. Companies contributed their work and plant material, while the academic sector provided analytical tools and applied research.

Collaboration with the University of Pisa and the University of Milan was not merely formal: it had a direct impact on working methods through the integration of analysis and experimentation.

Concrete actions within businesses

The project enabled us to intervene directly in companies’ production processes.

Thanks to co-financing, the following were introduced:

• new machinery and equipment
• more advanced packaging systems
• dedicated processing and storage areas

In practical terms, this meant working better: greater organisation, improved quality control and more efficient management of production stages.

For many of the companies involved, accessing this level of innovation would have been difficult without a structured project like this behind them.

When research truly enters the supply chain

One of the most significant aspects was the connection between production and the research sector.

Activities carried out with university partners addressed, among other things, concrete topics such as:

• optimal packaging conditions
• improved product preservation
• analysis of transport methods

These activities led to practical solutions. One key outcome was the possibility of evaluating sea freight as an alternative to air transport, with clear effects on costs, organisation and sustainability.

At the same time, new commercial opportunities emerged, making distant markets more accessible.

Results achieved

The project delivered clear results:

• introduction of technological innovation in processes and products
• reduction in production costs, particularly energy costs
• improved operational efficiency
• expansion into new markets thanks to more effective preservation systems
• development of technical and marketing skills
• strengthened collaboration among producers

This work has made the supply chain more structured, more responsive and better prepared to face market dynamics.

A project recognised as “Good Practice”

The quality of the work carried out led to the project being selected and included in the publication “Protagonisti per natura – Stories of rural development in Tuscany”, dedicated to the most significant initiatives funded by the Tuscany Region.

Furthermore, the project has also been published on the regional portal, with a dedicated page outlining its structure, objectives and results. Insert external link here (https://www.regione.toscana.it/-/green-flora-pif)

This recognition reflects not only the project itself, but also the approach: collaboration, a supply chain vision, and the ability to turn investment into concrete results.

Looking beyond the project

Green Flora and the Future is not a finishing point.

It is a step within a broader journey, concerning how the nursery sector can evolve: through innovation, but above all through the ability to work together.

This is what we continue to build on every day.