Systemic Design in AgroFood Sector: EN.FA.SI project

The EN.FA.SI. project (l’ENergia e il FAgiolo in SIstema), supported by the Piedmont Region with POR-FESR 2007-13 funds on productive transition and innovation, aims to develop a specific area in the North West of Italy (province of Cuneo) through a process of designing for food. The project will have a strong impact on: -the Environment: land conservation, protection of soil and native species, the consolidation of local culture, clean industrial processes, and efficient logistics; - the Economy: increasing productive activities in the area, niche businesses development, integration of different production activities; -the Technology: process innovation and efficiency; -the Society: increasing local workplaces, enhancement of the know-how mainly held by the elderly, the application of scientific innovation in the field. The design object of the project is the optimizazion/innovation of material and energy flows in the locally produced bean process (Fagiolo Cuneo). The Systemic Design (SD) studies not only the linear process, but also the inputs and outputs involved in each phase, to generate added value from what is usually considered waste. Environmental problems generate both difficulties but also the main opportunities for innovation related to Cuneo’s bean supply-chain, from cultivation to distribution, from packaging design to rediscovering and promoting traditional recipes. This research evaluates the input and output of all stages of production, studies the energy needs, the flows of matter and energy and sizing a system to ensure zero impact on the environment. Cuneo’s bean supply chain is of great importance for the cultural history of the province, highlighted by the presence of a 'Consortium' set up by the Chamber of Commerce of Cuneo in 1989, to promote this product registered as TFP (Traditional Food Products) and PGI (Protection of Geographical Indication). To ensure that this typical product with valuable organoleptic and nutritional characteristics becomes widespread it is necessary to introduce processes to ensure long term storage and faster cooking times for the end user. To achieve these goals the variety of bean chosen was Billò because its seeds have a rich pulp and the external part is thin. Furthermore, its cultivation can be strictly regulated and can be processed in an innovative way. The project was complex and involved many local SMEs and its strengths are related to the experimentation of new products, and the test of innovative production systems. The programmed changes provide an evolution in industrial processes that were modified from linear (resource extraction, processing and production of manufactured goods and scrap) to systemic and integrated, by creating a network of companies with zero emissions.