In 2025, the project “Enhancing Artichoke By-products: Research and Innovation for Circular and Resilient Agriculture” demonstrated how what is commonly treated as waste can become a valuable resource for both the environment and farm businesses. Promoted by the Producer Organisation Agrigest – Arte Verde and funded under the 2024/2025 programme, the initiative brought together scientific research and agronomic innovation to reduce waste, recover value from plant residues, and accelerate the transition towards a circular agriculture model.
From field to laboratory: a new perspective on artichokes
Agrigest bringing together over 30 members and cultivating more than 500 hectares of artichokes in the Medio Campidano area – handles every year between 7 and 8 million artichoke heads destined for the fresh market and for processing. Behind these figures lies an often-overlooked reality: more than 80% of the harvest becomes plant residue – bracts, leaves, and stems – so far only partly reused as livestock by-products.
The project set out to change this perspective, turning what was previously managed as waste into a source of environmental, economic, and scientific value.
Research: uncovering the hidden richness of residues
The scientific team analysed by-products from three typical Sardinian artichoke varieties – Spinoso Sardo, Tema, and Romanesco – collecting samples at different points in the production season. Through in-depth chemical analyses, they identified a wide range of bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, flavonoids, caffeoylquinic acids, amino acids, and antioxidant substances.
The findings highlighted a striking potential:
• Romanesco showed three times the polyphenol content compared to the other cultivars;
• Tema and Spinoso Sardo presented higher concentrations of tannins and antimicrobial substances, with promising applications in natural agronomic solutions.
These molecules – produced by plants for defence and adaptation – represent a biological “signature” of resilience and can be repurposed to support the health and productivity of other crops.
From science to the field: applications for regenerative agriculture
Building on the laboratory results, the project explored practical pathways to reintroduce artichoke residues into agricultural production cycles:
• Organic soil amendments, to improve soil structure and fertility;
• Natural biostimulants, rich in polyphenols and amino acids, to enhance plant resistance to environmental stress;
• Compost and compost tea, to strengthen soil microbial vitality and reduce reliance on chemical inputs.
The objective was clear: return to the soil what the value chain discards, closing the production loop and turning waste into a concrete opportunity for circular innovation.
A step forward in Sardinia’s circular transition
The project showed how the valorisation of agricultural residues can become a strategic lever for climate neutrality and the competitiveness of the agri-food system. Reducing waste requires rethinking the entire value chain, creating a model in which each stage – from cultivation to processing generates value for the next.
