As the event draws nearer, the calendar of events and in-depth themed discussions taking place at the Bologna exhibition centre over the five days from 9 to 13 November is taking shape. The 45th edition of EIMA promises to be very rich in content: in addition to workshops, conventions and seminars on technical topics, the event features major political issues and scenario analyses.
The organisational machine of EIMA International, the world exhibition of agricultural machinery that will hold its 45th edition in Bologna from 9 to 13 November, is in full swing. In these very days the offices of FederUnacoma, the association of agricultural machinery manufacturers that is the direct organiser of the event, are fine-tuning the full calendar of themed events that have always punctuated the five days of the exhibition. While it is still being worked out, the programme already appears to be rich in content, including press conferences, conventions, exhibitions in the demo area, seminars and workshops.
In the foreground, political and economic issues relating to the development of the agro-mechanical sector, which are the focus of the press conference presenting the event, scheduled for Tuesday 8 November. The meeting is an opportunity to take stock of developments in the world market for agricultural machinery, with an analysis of possible short and medium-term trends. Political and economic scenarios will be discussed again on Wednesday 9 November, with geopolitical analyst Dario Fabbri opening a window on the military conflict between Ukraine and Russia, and the consequences for the agricultural sector and the agro-mechanical industry.
Moreover, the next edition of EIMA is an important moment of debate with politicians and representatives of institutions – delegations of European and Italian parliamentarians will be present in Bologna – called upon to define strategies for the sector, which has to deal with structural and long-term crises, such as those linked to global warming and drought. Together with technological innovation, the climate emergency is one of the strong themes of the Bologna event. Various meetings have already been scheduled on this subject, from the workshop on “Climate change: risk management”, promoted by FederUnacoma and Agia/CIA (Wednesday 9 November), to the seminar entitled “Sustainable use of water – EUWAY Project” organised again by AGIA/CIA (Thursday 10 November), and the conference on “The challenge of water. Accessible technologies for developing countries” organised by FederUnacoma/CEFA.
The digitalisation of mechanical vehicles, the spread of precision agriculture, the new frontiers of automation and artificial intelligence are fundamental for the sustainability of the primary sector, and it is precisely these technologies that are at the centre of the meeting scheduled for Friday 11 November by the Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation (AEF), while the meeting organised by the Agricultural Robotics Association (FIRA) on Thursday 10 November looks in particular at systems for highly automated agriculture. Agriculture 4.0 will also be discussed at the meeting of the Smart Agrifood Observatory which, also on Thursday 10 November, will take stock of the spread of digital technology in the agricultural and agrifood supply chain.
Also dedicated to technology, the award ceremony for Tractor of the Year 2023, organised by Trattori magazine, is scheduled for Wednesday 9 November. The Tractor of the Year finalist models will parade in the impressive outdoor demo area of EIMA International, specially set up between halls 35 and 37.
Also worth mentioning among the appointments at the Bologna event is the “Contractor of the Year” award ceremony promoted by “Il Contoterzista” magazine and scheduled for Friday 11 November. A brand new item at EIMA 2022 is the “Garden E-motion” event, promoted by Comagarden, which consists of a programme of demonstration tests of vehicles and equipment for gardening and landscaping, set up in an open-air area inside the exhibition centre and centred on different types of machines.
