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High Tech Farming

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High Tech Farming

Context

High Technology Farming is a broad concept which refers to a wide range of innovative technologies that can support the agricultural production process (sensors, modeling, automation, robotics, ICT, telemetry, BigData management, Earth Observation, etc). The exploitation of these technologies allows to move towards Sustainable Precision Agriculture (SPF). The need for a shift towards this new paradigm is well acknowledged and showed also in the following EU-level research from that provides a good analysis of the matter:

  • The study “Precision agriculture in Europe: Legal, social and ethical considerations”, published by the European Parliament Research Service in November 2017;
  • The study “Precision Agriculture and the Future of Farming in Europe”, published by the European Parliament Research Service in September 2016;
  • The outcomes of the EIP AGRI Focus Group on Precision Farming, published by the EIP AGRI Service Point in November 2015;
  • The study “Precision Agriculture: An Opportunity for EU-Farmers – Potential Support with the CAP 2014-2020”, Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, published by the European Parliament in March 2014.

Year established: 2017

Regions (lead and partner)

  • Leading regions: Tuscany (IT)
  • Participating regions: Aragon (ES), Autonomous Province of Trento (IT), Basilicata (IT), Bretagne (FR), Catalonia (ES), Central Macedonia (EL), Centro (PT), East Netherlands (NL), Emilia Romagna (IT), Estonia (EE), Extremadura (ES), Flanders (BE), Friuli-Venezia Giulia (IT) Galicia (ES), Gelderland (NL), Kanta-Häme (FI), Limburg (NL), Marche (IT), North Brabant (NL), North East Romania (RO), North Ostrobotnia (FI), North Netherlands (NL), Northern Ireland (UK), Norway (NO), Pays de la Loire (FR), Požega-Slavonia (HR), Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano (IT), Randstad (NL), Slovenia East (SI), South Holland (NL), South Ostrobothnia (FI), Veneto (IT), Weser-Ems (DE), Western Macedonia (EL)
MAP_HIGH_TECH_FARMING

Mission

The Partnership's mission is to strengthen European regions' innovation capacity beyond the targets agreed in the Florence joint declaration of 20 September 2012, by strengthening interregional collaboration on innovation, competitiveness and sustainability, focusing on precision- and smart farming in the Partnership’s relevant areas like winery, protected cultivation, agro-ecology, and others.

The vision of the Partnership is to develop a collaboration structure fitting within ERIAFF, being an active partner of the Coordination Committee of the network of the European Regions for Innovation in Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Dissemination and implementation of innovations in precision- and smart farming, sustainability, digitization, monitoring will be achieved through sharing, information, best practices and collaboration projects, also driven by the selected working groups and their objectives.

Objectives

The partnership’s objective is to:

  • provide the necessary administrative and organising workforce to support joint and interregional activities and projects, including identifying funding opportunities;
  • represent HTF in the ERIAFF network, with written and personal dedication, when asked for by the member regions or by the European Union;
  • commit to further develop the Partnership and its interregional activities through the establishment of relevant working groups, like
    • Policy & regulations
    • Funding opportunities
    • Precision farming in winery
    • Technology monitor for Smart Farming (including monitoring solutions)
    • (Technology) monitor for sustainable solutions
    • Digitization
    • (plant based) alternative proteins

Main activities

The S3 Agrifood Platform HTF agreed to work alongside following value chains:

  • Tree nursery, viticulture, fruits
  • Livestock
  • Arable, cereals, vegetables
  • Protected cultivation (green houses, etc.)
  • And we are creating one more on Demonstration

The main project proposed are: Smart Grape, this activity is the application of a new optical sensor for the non-destructive evaluation of wine grape maturity and ICAREUS to exploit 3D point clouds generated by consumer-grade RGB drones to develop a Decision Support System based on innovative AI computer vision algorithms, that automatically analyze vineyards digital twin and assess for canopy biometrics and field parameters, to create vigor and prescription maps for optimized variable rate pesticide treatments.

HTF-figure

Organisations involved

Belgium:

  • Flanders member (BE)

Croatia:

  • Požega-Slavonia member (HR)

Estonia:

  • Estonia member (EE)

Finland:

  • Kanta-Häme member (FI)
  • North Ostrobotnia member (FI)
  • South Ostrobothnia member (FI)

France:

  • Bretagne member (FR)
  • Pays de la Loire member (FR)

Germany:

  • Weser-Ems member (DE)

Greece:

  • Central Macedonia member (EL)
  • Western Macedonia member (EL)

Italy:

  • Autonomous Province of Trento member (IT)
  • Basilicata member (IT)
  • Emilia Romagna member (IT)
  • Friuli-Venezia Giulia member (IT)
  • Marche member (IT)
  • Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano member (IT)
  • Veneto member (IT)

Norway:

  • Norway member (NO)

Portugal:

  • Centro member (PT)

Romania:

  • North East Romania member (RO)

Slovenia:

  • Slovenia East member (SI)

Spain:

  • Aragon member (ES)
  • Catalonia member (ES)
  • Extremadura member (ES)
  • Galicia member (ES)

The Netherlands:

  • East Netherlands member (NL)
  • Gelderland member (NL)
  • Limburg member (NL)
  • North Brabant member (NL)
  • North Netherlands member (NL)
  • Randstad member (NL)
  • South Holland member (NL)

United Kingdom:

  • Northern Ireland member (UK)

Shared smart specialisation areas

Smart agrifood, sustainable precision farming, smart farming, decision support systems, farm management systems

Related projects

  • Smart Agri Hubs: SmartAgriHubs is a €20 M EU project under the Horizon 2020 instrument and brings together a consortium of well over 164 partners in the European agri-food sector. The project aims to realise the digitisation of European agriculture by fostering an agricultural innovation ecosystem dedicated to excellence, sustainability and success. (https://www.smartagrihubs.eu/)
  • agROBOfood: agROBOfood is an EU funded project aiming to build a European ecosystem for the effective adoption of robotic technologies in the agri food sector, which in turn will become more efficient and competitive. The heart of the project is formed by Innovation Experiments, organised and monitored by Digital Innovation Hubs.(https://agrobofood.eu/)
  • ERA-NET ICT AGRI FOOD: The ERA-NET Cofund ICT-AGRI-FOOD is a Horizon 2020 project aimed at bringing together actors from across the entire agri-food systems including primary producers (comprising both conventional and organic), advisors, SMEs, food processors, food retailers, consumers and the public sector (e.g. ministries, policy makers and regulatory bodies) with researchers in a multi-actor approach, to enable digital technology solutions for a transition towards sustainable and resilient agri-food systems. (https://www.ictagrifood.eu/)
  • VT Skills, an Erasmus+ project that aims to promote sustainability in Mediterranean viticulture.
  • STRATUS, a Horizon Europe project that aims to create an EU-wide advisory network through the creation of three transnational sub-networks (Fertilization Innovation Networks FIN) on precision farming, bio-based fertilisers and soil quality.

Contact

Latest news and upcoming events

  • 2024 ERIAFF Annual Conference in Seinajoki (FI), June 11-13 2024
  • 2023 ERIAFF Annual Conference in Bolzano, 22-24 May on Green and Climate Transition Plans in agriculture and in agroforestry systems