*This is the sixth and final post in a series of blog entries published as part of the author’s ongoing research.
Cevdet Bulut | PhD Candidate | School of Business Management, Royal Holloway, University of London
Situated in the scenic hills of Muggia, a charming Italian town near the Slovenian border, the Lenardon family farm has been dedicated to traditional wine and olive oil production for over a century. During my recent field trip, I had the pleasure of meeting Bruno Lenardon, one of the customers of Primo Principio (See my previous blog on the company), who kindly accepted to take part in my multiple case study research, exploring how the diffusion of IoT innovations unfolds within diverse geographical and socio-economic contexts. I was accompanied by Nicole Salvatori from Primo Principio who assisted with interpretation.
The Lenardon farm‘s origins date back to the early 1900s, when Bruno’s grandfather first cultivated the land. Today, Bruno continues this legacy on two hectares of vineyards and one hectare of olive groves. Despite losing a portion of their land to Yugoslavia during border changes in 1954, the Lenardon family has remained dedicated to their craft.
“My father had much more land, but after the border moved, we lost a few hectares,” Bruno recounted. His father was a pioneer, bottling wine at a time when few others did, selling to local restaurants and shops. This innovative spirit has clearly been passed down to Bruno, who now runs the operation almost single-handedly, with occasional help from his sons and seasonal workers.
Running a farm is not without its challenges. Bruno shared that the business is no longer as profitable as it once was, particularly compared to his father’s time. Nevertheless, his passion remains undiminished. Today, he produces around 8,000-9,000 bottles of wine and 1,000-1,300 bottles of olive oil each year, mostly for local restaurants, shops, and a high-end Italian food retailer, Eataly.
Despite the demanding nature of his work, Bruno does not shy away from the labour-intensive tasks that keep his farm thriving. From early morning starts to long days in the fields, he is deeply involved in every aspect of production. “Most of the time, I’m in the farm,” he said, noting that while the olive trees require less attention, the farm demand constant care.
While Bruno honours the traditional methods of winemaking, he is also open to integrating modern technology to improve efficiency and product quality. As environmental factors became more unpredictable, Bruno knew he needed to adapt—but he also knew he couldn’t do it alone.
“I was sceptical at first,” Bruno admitted, referring to WiForAgri by Primo Principio introduced first by Federico Longobardi, an engineer and co-founder of the company who recognized the farm’s potential for innovation. Despite initial doubts, Bruno now relies on this technology to make informed decisions, particularly during the rainy season when disease risk is high. “The technology has done a lot of improvements, so why not use them?”
Founded ten years ago, Primo Principio is a pioneer in applying IoT technology to farming in Italy. The company was established in Alghero, Sardinia, and later expanded to Trieste, near the Slovenian border. The core of their technology is providing decision support systems for farmers, using IoT to gather data from the fields and transform it into actionable insights. The company designs and oversees the production of specialised weather stations equipped with sensors, which are then installed and maintained on-site. These devices monitor everything from soil moisture to weather conditions, feeding data into complex analytics models. However, as Andrea Galante, co-founder and Head of Business Development at Primo Principio, points out, the real challenge lies not in the technology itself but in making it reliable and understandable for farmers.
Bruno’s reliance on the weather station has grown over the years. He first piloted the product with support from a local agricultural association, which later reimbursed him some of the costs. Impressed by its reliability, Bruno has now committed to a five-year contract. He uses the weather station to monitor conditions critical to crop’s health, such as rainfall, humidity, temperature, and potential In a region where many have abandoned traditional farming for industrial jobs, Bruno remains one of the few dedicated farmers. His commitment to both preserving and modernizing his family’s legacy is evident in his approach. While some of his neighbours continue to make wine using centuries-old methods, Bruno believes in the importance of understanding and controlling the winemaking process scientifically.
“The technology has allowed us to understand processes that we didn’t know about even 25 years” Bruno’s commitment to innovation is not shared by all his neighbours. Many local winemakers still adhere to traditional methods, avoiding modern technology in favour of practices that have been passed down for centuries. This hesitation reflects findings from my earlier review paper on barriers to technology adoption in agriculture. Bruno believes that this reluctance stems from a deep respect for tradition and a belief that winemaking should remain unchanged. However, he is convinced that embracing scientific advancements can enhance the quality of the wine without compromising its authenticity.
When asked how to convince others to adopt new technologies, Bruno suggests direct communication and demonstrations. He acknowledges that discussing the benefits with other farmers could seem self-serving, but he emphasizes the importance of understanding the science behind winemaking. For Bruno, making wine is a complex process that requires careful monitoring and control, something that modern technology can significantly aid.
My visit to Bruno Lenardon’s farm was more than just a field trip; it was an exploration of how tradition and innovation coexist. Bruno’s approach highlights the resilience of small-scale farmers who nurture the land with passion and expertise, blending respect for history with a forward-looking mindset.
About
This is a series of blogs curated by PhD candidate Cevdet Bulut, who is investigating the adoption of IoT in agriculture. In this series, the author shares a limited version of his field notes and highlights from multiple case studies in a news story format as part of his current research study. The scope of the case studies is to uncover what factors (socio-economic, cultural, technical, etc.) affect the adoption of IoT and to gain experience from the field that can guide the design of viable IoT-based business models for the sector. A new blog will be published on each case study with the participant’s permission.
Blogs in this series:
