PRESS RELEASE On Monday in Lecce the third meeting of the InnoNets project on the fight against food waste

Bari, 21 June 2019 - The third stage of the roadshow of the INNONETS project, promoted by the Puglia Region and ARTI - Regional Agency for Technology and to be held on Monday 24 June (10.30 - 15.00) in Lecce (at the ex conservatory Sant'Anna), in collaboration with Legacoop Puglia and Politecnico di Bari, on the theme of combating food waste. These are four events, which began in Brindisi, made a stop in Andria, and continue on Monday 24 in Lecce and Tuesday 25 in Foggia (Civic Museum), to deepen into regional programs and initiatives on reducing food waste, contacting local actors engaged daily on the issues of sustainability, orienting themselves on food sharing, new economies of recovery and social innovation for a better sharing of resources.

The Apulia Region - Research, Innovation and Institutional Capacity Section and Active Social Inclusion and Innovation of Social Networks - intervene in each stage in the morning sessions, which present programs and initiatives to support innovation and reduce food waste, and ARTI , which presents the INNONETS project and its opportunities.

In the afternoon sessions, the testimonies of local actors engaged in the fight against food waste are presented, from territorial areas to projects and associations for social promotion such as Market Solidale di Fasano, Avanzi Popolo 2.0, Recuperiamoci Bisceglie and Comunità Emmanuel - Le Sorgenti. In the Lecce event, Valeria Patruno, of ARTI, introduces the meeting and presents the INNONETS project and its opportunities, while Emanuele Pepe, of the Active Social Inclusion and Innovation Section of the social networks of the Puglia Region presents programs and initiatives in support of the reduction of the food waste.

Following are the local testimonials, presented by: Silvia Miglietta, Councilor for Welfare of the Municipality of Lecce and President of the Institutional Political Coordination of the Social Territorial Area of ​​Lecce, Virginia Travi, Officer Responsible for Social Planning and Programming - Social Territorial Area of ​​Lecce, Salvatore Esposito of the Emmanuel Le Sorgenti Community and Davide Negro of the LOL LeftOver Lovers project.

The events fall within the scope of the InnoNets project, funded by the Interreg VA European Territorial Cooperation Program Greece-Italy, which aims to encourage territorial cooperation in the agri-food sector between the Puglia Region and the Ionian Islands Region (in Greece): the idea is to focus on innovation facilitation processes for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), pursued through thematic meetings involving research organizations, businesses, local government bodies and civil society.

Project partners, in addition to the Ionian Islands Region (Greece) which is the leader, also the Corfu Chamber of Commerce, the Puglia Region - Department of Economic Development, Innovation, Education, Training and Work with the technical support of ARTI, the Polytechnic of Bari and the Regional League of Cooperatives and Mutua di Puglia (Italy). Associated partners are the Hellenic-Italian Chamber of Commerce in Thessaloniki and the University of Basilicata.

Other meetings within the project are scheduled for June 26 at the Polytechnic of Bari, where Urban Food Policy, that is food strategies for cities and islands, will be discussed, and June 27 in Taranto: in the latter, organized by Legacoop Puglia, innovation facilitators will meet agrifood companies. A series of workshops will be held in July, which will see the Puglia Region and ARTI engaged on the themes of the circular economy and the fight against food waste on July 5 in Taranto and July 8 in Foggia, Legacoop on the theme of innovation in the SMEs of agriculture on July 10 in Lecce, and the Polytechnic of Bari on July 11 in Brindisi on the theme of sustainable cities and islands.

Contacts

ARTI - Regional Agency for Technology and Innovation

External Relations and Communication Service +39 080 96.74.217- 219

[email protected]

Puglia Region - Head of Communication of the Joint Secretariat

Carmela Sfregola +39 3493916007 [email protected]