Ilaria Zappitelli – Ecowheataly

Who Controls Wheat Seeds? The Role of Multinational Corporations

by Ilaria ZappitelliGreen Policies 8 September 2025Comments are Disabled

The seed is the starting point of every harvest, and controlling its availability means wielding enormous power over global agricultural production. Over the past thirty years, the seed sector has undergone an unprecedented wave of consolidation, drastically reducing the number of independent players. From Farmers’ Seeds to Patented Seeds For centuries, farmers selected, saved, and …

From Field to Table: Short Wheat Supply Chains and Local Flours

by Ilaria ZappitelliWheat Production 8 September 2025Comments are Disabled

Wheat is not only the raw material for bread, pasta, or pizza: it is also an indicator of how our food system functions. In recent decades, the wheat supply chain has become highly globalized: grains grown in Canada or Ukraine reach Italian mills, flours produced in Europe end up in baked goods in Asia, and …

Desertification and grain production: a fragile balance

by Ilaria ZappitelliWheat Production 16 August 202516 August 2025Comments are Disabled

However, the growing threat of desertification is compromising the production stability of this strategic crop, with direct implications for food availability and global markets. Desertification, defined by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) as land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas due to climate factors and human activities, currently covers over …

Grain routes: the global voyage of cargo ships

by Ilaria ZappitelliSenza categoria 22 July 2025Comments are Disabled

International grain trade is largely dependent on a complex and vulnerable maritime network. Routes connecting major global producers (such as Russia, Ukraine, the European Union, and North America) to markets in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa are often exposed to geopolitical, climatic, and logistical factors that affect their constancy and cost. Major Maritime Chokepoints …

Wheat and food sovereignty: what does it really mean?

by Ilaria ZappitelliGreen Policies 15 July 202515 July 2025Comments are Disabled

The term food sovereignty is increasingly used in public discourse, often as a synonym for food self-sufficiency or agricultural protectionism. But in its original and scientifically grounded meaning, the concept is much broader and deeper—especially when it comes to strategic crops like wheat. What is food sovereignty?Food sovereignty was defined in 1996 by La Via …

The ECOWHEATALY project at the AIAM 2025 Conference.

by Ilaria ZappitelliNews 12 June 202517 June 2025Comments are Disabled

From 11 to 13 June 2025 we participated in the XXVII National Conference of the Italian Association of Agrometeorology (AIAM), entitled “Agrometeorology: from information to application”, hosted at the AMAP (Agency for Innovation in the Agri-food and Fisheries Sector of the Marche), Osimo (AN). The conference represented an important opportunity for interdisciplinary discussion on the …

Sustainable wheat policies: Ecowheatly also at the forefront at MADME 2025

by Ilaria ZappitelliNews 30 May 202530 May 2025Comments are Disabled

Our team continues to bring relevant scientific contributions to major international events. On May 30, 2025, Ecowheatly researcher Dott. Alessandro Ceccarelli participated in the MADME 2025 – Multi-Agent Data-driven Modelling in Economics conference, held in Venice at the San Giobbe campus. The paper, presented in the session dedicated to Green Policies, was entitled: “Agent-based simulations …

Ecowheataly at the center of international research: Gianfranco Giulioni presents at ANNSIM 2025

by Ilaria ZappitelliNews 30 May 202530 May 2025Comments are Disabled

We are proud to announce the participation of our colleague Prof. Gianfranco Giulioni in the ANNSIM 2025 – Annual Modeling and Simulation Conference, held at the Complutense University of Madrid from May 26-29, 2025. The conference is one of the most important international events in the field of modeling and simulation, bringing together experts from …

CO₂ emissions from wheat production: how much does a loaf of bread weigh?

by Ilaria ZappitelliWheat Production 28 May 202528 May 2025Comments are Disabled

When we bring home a loaf of bread, we rarely consider its environmental footprint. Yet behind every kilogram of wheat turned into flour and then into bread lies a well-defined carbon trail. Understanding the climate cost of what we eat is increasingly crucial in a world searching for solutions to the climate crisis. Wheat’s Life …

Water use in wheat cultivation: waste and solutions

by Ilaria ZappitelliWheat Production 26 May 202526 May 2025Comments are Disabled

Water is a key resource for agricultural production, and wheat-while a relatively drought-resistant crop compared to others-requires significant amounts of water at critical times in its biological cycle. In a context of increasing water scarcity due to climate change and over-exploitation of aquifers, optimizing water use in cereal farming has become not only desirable but …