Objectives and expected results

The overall objectives of the TRACE Innovation Plan are to develop a new organizational model of supply chain management with the goal of ensuring the full achievement of minimum product quality specifications (minimum active ingredient content of crops), environmental sustainability of the production process, and making the necessary information transferable to the end customer, effectively and safely.

The expected outcomes for the TRACE plan are:

• Strengthening the sustainability of the medicinal plant supply chain by improving interaction among producers, systematizing procedures and activities, and making them stable over time (Action 1);
• The adoption of precision agriculture tools (weather stations and soil moisture sensors) and real-time monitoring (e.g., wireless IoT sensors) (Action 2);
• The application of computerization tools along the supply chain with the aim of simplifying traceability operations (e.g., through blockchain) and supporting automated processes for analyzing collected data (e.g., through artificial intelligence);
• Increasing, through training and advisory activities, the skills of farms on the topics of using IT and technologically advanced tools (portal, DSS Decision Support Systems, precision agriculture tools), managing sustainable production, using low-impact cultivation techniques, sustainability certification and traceability.