Glocal Impact Network

A few months back, Accademia signed an agreement with Glocal Impact Network (GIN), a young and dynamic reality committed to innovative and sustainable development on a global scale.

Glocal Impact Network is a consulting and design firm that operates within the development innovation field and applies it to international cooperation. GIN’s mission is already expressed in its name: a network of people, who act on local projects and initiatives, using a global approach and mindset, in order to generate a strong social impact.

GIN works on projects that are mostly related to agriculture and renewable energy and are based on three pillars: local materials, low-tech and open source technologies, and sharing of knowledge. Basing projects on this kind of philosophy allows for a strong social impact.

In just a few years, GIN has been able to give very real and substantial meaning to the concept of sustainability, through the projects that have been developed around the world, like the Liter of Light projects in the Philippines and the AgriTube systems installed in Senegal and the Ivory Coast.

Agritube is a system of hydroponic farming, economically sustainable and with a low technological input which allows for it to be scalable in all the developing countries: this project fits within the scope of simplified systems for off-soil farming sponsored by FAO.

Agritube is an open-source project created with the sole use of locally accessible materials (PVC tubes, pots, containers, solar panels), in this way sustainability and scalability in the long term are granted. The system is powered by solar energy, obtained by solar panels and rechargeable batteries.

An AgriTube system was installed in Accademia as well. The first one in Europe, to underline that the technology can well adapt to high urbanization contests.

For Accademia, this hydroponic unit has a demonstrative purpose, as well as being used to grow the vegetables that are then used in kitchen preparations, to foster local consumption and circular economy.

“We have found in GIN a really valuable partner for 3 main reasons: it’s made of a young and dynamic group of people; it embodies and addresses the main future challenges; and it’s a local partner, a neighbor,” says Massimo Battaglia, our Coffee Research Leader.

GIN is an extremely innovative firm and we share the same goals: promoting innovative, inclusive, and accessible solutions for global challenges. With them, we’d like to set up a permanent lab for innovation and define best practices for sustainable development.

Accademia’s hydroponic unit can be used as an example for the production of km0 vegetables, that can be used for both urban and developing environments. This would allow to have access to local food and minimize soil exploitation, bringing value to all those contests lacking vitamins and minerals.

For us, this hydroponic garden is key to our kitchen’s offering since the vegetables we grow are constantly used in the preparation of seasonal dishes.”