The characteristics of Hyst technology permit a sustainable response to the ever growing needs for food and energy, while fully respecting the environment.

Bits of Future: Food for All could be the key to the transition to sustainable development and economic well-being of the countries that will benefit from it.

A very important aspect is the social stabilization that would ensue. In fact, in addition to having access to better quality food, the local population would benefit from additional structures in which to find employment and income, thus creating new markets.

Furthermore, the development of supply chains linked to Hyst would also interest collateral sectors, such as banking and finance, as well as the advanced tertiary sector. This would trigger investments in sectors related to infrastructures, mechanics for installations, logistics and transport. It would create new jobs and new professionals, there would be economic benefits both in the investment stage and in the end-user stage.

Land too would benefit from Hyst because by using food crop waste for the production of energy it is possible to avoid allocating huge stretches of land to monoculture energy crops.

Finally, the synergy between agriculture, farming and energy production will open up new prospects for Developing Countries and will:

• give a new impetus to agriculture;
• create new jobs;
• reduce imports;
• reduce poverty, especially in rural areas.

Human Nutrition

Hyst can be used in the milling industry to modify the characteristics of by-products containing little nutrients (such as bran and middlings) so as to obtain flours with a high nutritional profile, in which vitamins and minerals are tens of times more abundant than in common cereal flours.

It is easy to understand how these results offer many advantages in contexts of poverty and malnutrition, where diets are based on the consumption of cereals. In developing countries the lack of both calories and proteins (protein energy malnutrition) affects especially children, exposing them to infections such as bronchopneumonia, malaria and measles. It causes the death, directly or indirectly, of more than 10.8 million children each year¹.
Around the world 190 million children, concentrated especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, suffer from vitamin A deficiencies, which lead to blindness, increased exposure to infection and, in the most severe cases, death². Better access to vitamins and zinc (found in abundance in Hyst products) would save more than 680,000 children each year³.

Stock Breeding

Even in the stock breeding sector Hyst is able to reduce problems related to a shortage of raw materials for animal feed and improve the quality of existing raw materials. In fact, processing very common agricultural residues, such as straw, with the Hyst system increases their digestibility and nutritional value making them similar to those of an excellent fodder (i.e. hay).

It thus decreases the need to use fine grains to get good animal feed, with a considerable reduction of costs.
The new products will effectively stem the collapse of production, making the sector less vulnerable to periodic and severe food shortages due to drought.
In addition, the reduction in imports of certain agricultural products will allow an appreciable lowering of production costs of factory farming, reviving the sector thanks to a better selection of breeds.
More widespread factory farming, thanks to the introduction of Hyst, can help strengthen the dairy sector, thus reducing imports (which currently, in many African countries, account for more than half of the demand of the market).

Using crop residues will also balance the needs of crop farming with the needs of animal husbandry, which are often forced to compete for the use of land.
With these raw materials it is also possible to obtain feed suitable for animals of different species, in full compliance with local dietary habits and religious traditions.

Stock breeding system	Characteristics	Hyst Potential
Transhumance	Seasonal and temporary migration of flocks, herds and shepherds to new pastures.	Dietary supplement suitable to cope with the lack of protein and mineral content of forages used in dry seasons. Availability of adequate feed during the dry season will limit transhumance which, by exposing the animals to pests and epidemics, is a major cause of mortality of animals.
Semi-intensive grazing	Partly exploits crop residues and provides greater continuity of milk and meat production.	Replacement of traditional cereal straws with high protein and more digestible feed.
Intensive stock breeding	Based on the use of feed that meets adequate quality standards.	The production of high quality feed from waste allows to considerably lower production costs, and reduce the use of cereals.

Energy

The Hyst system, by treating residues from agricultural activities (straw), produces with only one process flour for feed and bases for the production of biofuels.
This way it is possible to stop allocating food resources and farmland for energy production, with a speculative logic that has little to do with the interests of the population.

Using the assets of waste, generated from working on the farmlands, for the production of energy will bring about the revival of social and economic activities in areas that do not have the necessary infrastructure to power homes, hospitals, schools, crafts and small industries.
The pilot plants to be sent to the various countries are designed to produce enough energy to power the plant itself as well as adjacent areas.
Part of this energy can also be used to operate wells that reach groundwater, ensuring an adequate supply of drinking water to the population.

Producing energy and biofuels from agricultural processing wastes (with a superior performance to that obtained with dedicated crops) means eliminating any kind of impact on the environment and ensuring environmental sustainability also through a drastic reduction of CO₂ emissions.

1) Oshikoya et al., A systematic review of pharmacokinetic studies in children with protein-energy malnutrition, European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2010.
2) Klemm R.D. et al., Vitamin A fortification of wheat flour: Considerations and current recommendations, Food and Nutrition Bulletin, vol. 31, 2010.
3) Wfp Annual Report 2007.