{"id":2240,"date":"2024-02-06T16:07:03","date_gmt":"2024-02-06T16:07:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/circulareconomyforfood.eu\/circular-economy-for-fish\/"},"modified":"2025-10-24T15:21:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T15:21:09","slug":"circular-economy-for-fish-en","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/circulareconomyforfood.eu\/en\/circular-economy-for-fish-en\/","title":{"rendered":"Circular Economy for Fish"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Innovative Soil and Habitat Fertilizer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

The objective of the FISH research (funded by the RDP Liguria Region 2014 – 2020) is the introduction and dissemination in the main Ligurian crops of an innovative biostimulant product obtained from the waste of animal and plant product chains of the territory itself. The project aims to improve the quality of farmland, in a highly agriculturally fragmented area; decrease the need for irrigation by improving crop resistance to water stress; study an alternative product to pesticides; foster ideal conditions at the biological level for the establishment of beneficial microorganisms, decreasing the phenomenon of groundwater pollution and eutrophication; and support, through microbial action, the growth of healthy plants, which are less susceptible to attacks by pests, diseases and environmental stresses.<\/p>\n\n

The partnership composed of universities and companies (CHARTA – Services and Systems for Territory and Environmental History, University of Turin, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo, Gli orti di San Venerio, Societ\u00e0 Agricola Il Sicomoro a r. l., Azienda Agricola Villa Rocca, Impresa Agricola Gallizia 1250, Azienda Agricola Genta Emanuele, Azienda Agricola Ouca) developed a Circular Business Model hypothesis that starting from the critical issues of the fish supply chain under analysis, adopting a systemic approach to analysis and design, makes its own some of the objectives present within the Farm to Fork strategy (European Commission, 2020), including that of reducing by 50 percent the use of pesticides and 20 percent the use of fertilizers, both if they are of chemical origin by favoring the regeneration in a circular way of the microbial biota (Fassio et al., 2020) and thus increasing soil biological fertility.<\/p>\n\n

Going into the specifics of the Circular Business Model proposed by the experimental research, it is mainly characterized by 7 steps:<\/p>\n\n

Finding<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

of the second raw material to be used for the development of the biostimulant, i.e., S.O.A.s – Animal By-products of Animal Origin, derived from a first stage of fish processing (S.O.A.s could be sourced from small and medium-sized enterprises in the Ligurian territory or directly, from fish markets);<\/p>\n\n

Conservation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

of the S.O.A. and, therefore, freezing them to ensure that the physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics of the S.O.A. are maintained prior to processing into hydrolysate;<\/p>\n\n

Transport<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Of S.O.A.s at the processing site. Upstream design of logistics flows, so as to limit and minimize them, preferring the use of environmentally friendly means;<\/p>\n\n

Transformation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

of S.O.A. for the development of a biostimulant through an enzymatic and microbiological process. The hydrolysate is the result of a standardized process: hydrolysis (7 days), consisting of autolysis, acid and enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation (15 days) with lactobacilli and, finally, a hot basification process;<\/p>\n\n

Packaging<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Of the biostimulant produced in sustainable packaging. Development and design of flexible packaging (optimization of logistics and thus reduction of transport-related CO2 emissions), suitable to contain the biostimulant and protect it from any external agents that could alter its physical, chemical, microbiological characteristics as well as its power of action;<\/p>\n\n

Distribution<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

of the biostimulant produced to Ligurian horticultural and floricultural farms, so that they can use it to maintain and\/or increase biological soil fertility, support the growth and development of horticultural and floricultural products throughout the entire life cycle of the crop, from seed germination, to transplanting, to the final harvest;<\/p>\n\n

Application<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

of the product obtained, foliar or root, depending on the species to be treated and the amount of product to be applied.<\/p>\n\n

What emerges is a Circular Business Model aimed at enhancing Ligurian territorial assets, emphasizing the existence of interconnected systems (Capra & Luisi, 2014) between seemingly distant realities (Industrial Symbiosis). Laying the foundations for the development of a robust, sustainable and scalable fish and horticultural value chain, FiSH thus has a strong cross-sectoral character and implies the synergistic action of different kinds of actors who aim to operate in a circular fashion, on a regional scale, for the generation of positive environmental, socio-cultural and economic impacts (Caser et al, 2022).The main spatial impacts of the FiSH Project can be summarized as follows:<\/p>\n\n