The pilot case of AgriDataValue about anti-frost control, in Saint Emilion (France), aims to deal with early prediction of frost, along with automated remote mitigation (via precision watering) may result in significant improvement in fruits (especially in vineyards) quantity and quality.
In the article “Post-Spring Frost Canopy Recovery, Vine Balance, and Fruit Composition in cv. Barbera Grapevines” published by the Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research (open access) it is stated that spring frost is one of the most dramatic events that might occur in a vineyard, as freezing temperatures ≤ −1.5°C are known to cause severe injuries to swelling buds and developing shoots. The release from endodormancy encompasses a quick rehydration of buds and young green tissues moving from a water concentration of approximately 40% to > 80%. Consequently, tissue tolerance to low temperatures decreases, since cytoplasmic freezing temperature depends on the concentration of solutes, which get diluted by progressive rehydration. In such context, the occurrence of “false springs” due to warming trends accelerates and advances budburst and early shoot development, causing a likely increase in grapevine susceptibility to spring frost. Many wine regions in France, Germany, and Italy have experienced drastic yield losses between 2016 and 2021 due to spring frost occurrence.
The impact of spring frost on vineyards and the subsequent challenges faced by wine regions in Europe is significant. The AgriDataValue project aims to enhance crop resilience and improve the overall production. The pilot case in Saint Emilion, focusing on early prediction and automated remote mitigation, presents a promising avenue for improving both the quantity and quality of fruits, particularly in vineyards.
The AgriDataValue project was presented by Synelixis at the 30th Anniversary International Exhibition of Agricultural Machinery and Equipment, AGROTICA 2024. The exhibition was held at the International Exhibition and Conference Centre of Thessaloniki, from the 1st to 4th of February 2024. Agrotica is the largest trade fair in the Southeastern Mediterranean, presenting the new trends and the global technology of the entire spectrum of agricultural entrepreneurship.
In total 1,800 exhibitors from 49 countries participated in the event, while the cumulative attendance of visitors, from Greece and 17 foreign countries, exceeded 150 thousand people, creating thus a huge networking core for the primary sector. Within the framework of the AGROTICA 2024, we had the opportunity to inform visitors about the major contribution of precision agriculture to modern rural production. Visitors expressed high interest in the technologies incorporated by the AgriDataValue project such as Agri-environmental monitoring and precision farming solutions. SynField, which is Synelixis’ smart agriculture solution, was also presented at the exhibition. The advanced capabilities of SynField will be utilized within the AgriDataValue project.
Agriculture is once again going through a critical moment. In addition to the historical challenge of having to feed a growing population adequately, the need to anticipate the challenges posed by climate change is now becoming more pressing, given the early materialization of the risks that scientists had been anticipating. To this is added the need to modify agricultural practices in such a way that the quantity and quality of agricultural production is maintained (and increased), while reducing the impact on the environment in general and on the soil in particular, and, in the same way, that agricultural holdings are economically sustainable.
One of the agricultural tasks that has the most environmental and economic impact is the application of phytosanitary products for the control of pests, whether they are fungi or insects. Reducing the application to the cases and moments in which they are strictly necessary improves the sustainability of agricultural holdings. Achieving this improvement requires that treatments be applied at the times, phenological states, in which they are really going to be effective and, only if, there is a real risk of infection or plant damage.
During the last 300 years, models of predicting the phenological evolution of plants and the risk of diseases have been developed. These models are based on the linking of field observations, of the phenological states or of the presence of pests, with meteorological data, fundamentally temperature and environmental humidity. These models can be calibrated to adjust to the characteristics of a particular space, for which it is necessary to have precise meteorological observations and, above all, field observations, which makes their application by farmers in general difficult.
In recent years, taking advantage of the capabilities of data capture, processing, and visualization that current technologies offer, more advanced models of predicting phenology and disease risk have been developed. Developed by multidisciplinary teams, they take advantage of diverse data sources to make precise predictions, at the level of a plot, while also being general and applicable to different geographical regions. Many of these models apply Big Data and Artificial Intelligence technologies to process data from weather stations, weather forecasts, multispectral satellite images (Sentinel 2), or, among other data sources, from field observations. However, most of these models are still limited to specific geographical areas. One of the reasons for this limitation is the lack of datasets of field observations.
It is not a question of the absence of datasets of field observations. The problem is that there is a reluctance to share them for use. This reluctance would probably disappear if there was confidence in the use of the data that is going to be carried out. Data spaces, such as the one being developed in the Agridatavalue project, have as one of their objectives to overcome this reluctance by guaranteeing the ownership and sovereignty of the data shared in them: the control of their use. They also allow shared use in the cloud and access to resources that allow the massive processing of data.
Figure 1. Eastern moth caterpillar a bug affecting peach trees.
The use case UC 3.1: Fruit trees disease forecast/detection developed by SARGA and ITAINNOVA will take advantage of the capabilities of the Agridatavalue data space and the resources deployed by several partners of the project to develop models of predicting phenology and risk of diseases in fruit trees (apple, pear, peach, etc.) from plots located in Aragon. To do this, it will use meteorological data from networks of stations managed by SARGA, weather forecasts, and Sentinel 2 multispectral images. However, the most appreciated resource will be the field observations, of the phenological evolution of fruit trees and the presence of pests, from the FARA network managed by the Government of Aragon.
The development of these models will allow farmers to optimize the use of phytosanitary products, reducing their environmental impact and improving the economic sustainability of their holdings. It will also allow them to make better decisions about the timing of harvests, which will improve the quality and marketability of their products.
In February 2023, a new project named AgriDataValue (ADV) was launched, bringing together approximately 30 partners from across the European Union and the United Kingdom. AgriDataValue, set to run initially for three years, aims to be the definitive game changer in the digital transformation of sectors like Smart Farming and climate adaptation. The project, however, is not just limited to its scheduled timeframe; it will extend beyond these years for monitoring and leveraging its results.
What sets AgriDataValue apart is its approach: integrating (big) data with existing systems and cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, blockchain, and traditional agricultural know-how. This integration seeks to create a platform that is not just a foundation for a sustainable business model in agriculture but also a cornerstone for research and development of innovative systems.
Delphy, participating as an agricultural partner, contributes in two of the 23 diverse pilots within this project. These pilots cover a wide range of areas, including crops like vegetables and fruits, and even animal farming. They are structured around specific Use Cases addressing challenges such as reducing fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation water use, improving harvest quality, minimizing greenhouse gases and nitrogen emissions, and enhancing animal welfare.
The first Delphy-pilot focuses on onion cultivation, aiming to optimize irrigation water usage. In the Netherlands, climate change has made consistent irrigation a necessity for crops like onions. Traditionally in Dutch arable farming, irrigation is done with reel systems, but more and more growers are switching to drip irrigation systems. Because of a more precise dosing of the water as well as the possibility of also applying fertilizers, even higher yields can then be achieved. As in some areas of the Netherlands, the availability of good-quality fresh water is becoming less and less, this has also become an important aspect. At Delphy, we have several studies ongoing on drip irrigation supported by soil moisture sensors and Delphy’s own-developed QMS water system. AgriDataValue can contribute to these studies by exploring the possibilities of AI and ML in combination with traditional farmer knowledge and experience to determine optimal water usage.
The other pilot in fruit farming leverages data collected through drones, satellites, and soil scans to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides. The challenge lies in efficiently gathering data through sensors, effectively combining it with other available data, and drawing impactful conclusions to support farmers’ ambitions. Delphy already has a lot of experience in using data in orchards, and AgriDataValue aims to further this progress in reducing chemical crop protection agents.
In general, AgriDataValue strives to simplify complex processes. The question at its heart is whether AI, ML, or other technologies can be used to make data-driven agriculture simpler, more efficient, and more sustainable.
About Delphy
Delphy is an agricultural consultancy firm, based in the Netherlands. It represents excellence and global expertise in the plant sectors, particularly food and flowers. With over 250 employees operating from various locations around the globe, Delphy is a guiding force in agriculture and horticulture. It is not just a consultancy firm; it’s a trendsetter in quality and expertise, shaping a sustainable future in the food and flowers industry.
Union “Farmers’ Parliament” (ZSA) was established in 1999 as non-governmental organisation. Today the organisation has grown up to 800 members representing farmers of all agricultural sectors in Latvia. ZSA is the main agriculture lobby organisation in Latvia with long lasting, highly successful and professional ties in rural development sector both in the national and European Union level. ZSA is active in different EU programmes’ projects with the practical experience, ensuring the testing and demonstration activities, working on political recommendations and organizing information and educational activities and dissemination the knowledge in Latvia and EU.
ZSA is actively participating in the AgriDataValue project, but also has other different developments which are related to the AgriDataValue topics.
One important development is ZSA GEO digital map platform
ZSA has created a platform designed for the development and support of various digital technologies. The platform offers farmers the latest satellite images and the ability to compare them to see changes, various spatial data, which will continue to be supplemented with new digital solutions. Potential developments, models and data collected within the AgriDataValue project also could be technically integrated into the platform. Platform is accessible in the Web: https://app.smartagro.lv
The platform provides various spatial data layers, including: soil moisture and vegetation indices, various cadastres data, soil classes and values, information about agricultural fields integrated from the Latvian rural support service (LAD), satellite image maps, orthophoto maps, topographical maps etc.
Screenshot from the platform showing general vegetation index
After registration in the system, it is possible to draw or load your fields, display or add attributes from the LAD register, see the field area on the map and view them together with the data listed above and the latest satellite images. Platform also provides search functionality by the different parameters.
Satellite data is updated weekly and all cloud-free images are added to the platform. For example, in the season from March 2023 to September 2023, at least 10 images are available for comparison.
The app supports also mobile devices.
To the platform also additional information and layers can be added. For instance: The Latvian Nature Foundation (LDF) is starting the creation of a brand of natural meadow products within the project “LIFE-IP LatViaNature” and invites owners of meadows to apply as cooperation partners and potential producers of natural meadow products. The brand of natural meadow products will be a special label that will allow the consumers to recognize products that come from natural meadows, thus giving the opportunity to support the preservation of those meadows. In cooperation with ZSA, meadow owners will have the opportunity to display their farm and detailed information about products and services provided in the ZSA GEO map platform.
ZSA also developed a new meteodata platform which can be easily used on mobile devices and allows user to promptly review weather forecasts anywhere in Latvia: https://meteo.smartagro.lv. Currently, the platform combines the weather forecast services of SLLC “Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre” and MET Norway. But since it is possible to add other services to the platform, potential users are free to suggest other service providers of the weather forecasts.
InAgro hosted the second Learning Network meeting of Pilot 5 on the 19th of January. In total, 14 participants from which 10 farmers shared their experiences with smart farming.
AgriDataValue Pilot 5 is situated in Belgium (Flanders). It covers both vegetables and arable crops. The pilot consists of a field with six crops that are rotated yearly called the Optifarm. New technologies and management practices are applied, and data is collected. The field simulates a real farmers’ field while still allowing more risky and experimental treatments. The data acquired includes weather station data, laboratory analyses of soil samples, soil scans and multispectral drone data. Additional IoT sensors may be included during the AgriDataValue lifetime.
The meeting provided inspiring and valuable feedback on the work accomplished, identifying also opportunities and potential challenges. AgriDataValue aims to capitalize on the fruitful discussion and recommendations that were made. Furthermore, during the event, a QGIS workshop was organized.
On Tuesday, January 9, 2024, the chairman of the Board of Directors of NILEAS Producers’ Group, George Kokkinos, was interviewed by the French researcher and documentarian Mathys Hallet, for the realization of his documentary film, that will be published in 2025, on water management in agriculture in the face of climate change.
He emphasized NILEAS involvement as a pilot in AgriDataValue, by installing environmental sensors measuring air temperature and humidity, rainfall, leaf moisture, wind speed and direction as well as soil sensors in the olive orchards. AgriDataValue with the main aim to establish itself as the Game Changer in smart farming digital transformation and agri-environmental monitoring and strengthen the smart-farming capacities, competitiveness and fair income by introducing an innovative, open source, intelligent and multi-technology, fully distributed Agri-Environment Data Space.
The subject of the interview was the investigation of the ways for the proper management of natural resources with the aim of optimal utilization by the olive oil producers, as well as the pro-environmental practices they use, following modern agroecological approaches. Particular importance was given to the effects of climate change, the challenges facing the traditional model of olive cultivation, and the “tools” available to olive oil producers to adapt to the new conditions.
Topics such as the sowing of leguminous plants in the field, the fragmentation of branches, and the return of the by-products of olive cultivation to the field were discussed, as practices that mitigate the effects of climate change and contribute to the increase of soil organic matter. He referred to the optimal utilization of the available water resources by the producers, and the reason why the use of sensors in the plots and the underground irrigation serve to reduce waste. Additionally, the great gradation and the variability of the climatic conditions of the region, combined with the extreme weather phenomena, create the necessary conditions both for the shift of producers to organic farming, and for the search for techniques and means that will help them cope with these rapid developments.
AgriDataValue developed a questionnaire to collect important information. The survey contains 14 questions in total. The responses are valuable in understanding the readiness of farmers to adopt smart farming and precision agriculture, as well as identifying any barriers or concerns they may have, particularly in the case of the AgriDataValue project.
The questionnaire has been translated into 11 different languages (Greek, English, Spanish, Estonian, French, Italian, Romanian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Dutch, and Polish) and uploaded at the EUSurvey.eu. You may find the AgriDataValue questionnaire at the following link https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/AgridataValueSurvey or click here .
Agri-climate monitoring for climate change impact analysis
AgriDataValue, a pioneering initiative in Smart Farming, focuses on several multidisciplinary branches in the sector of agriculture, a fundamental one that embraces Agri-climate monitoring to comprehensively analyze the impacts of climate change on agricultural and livestock productions. By harnessing the power of advanced technologies such as Big Data, IoT sensors, Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI), and Federated deep machine learning (FDML), AgriDataValue aims to create a fully distributed Agri-Environment Data Space (ADS) as the platform of data platforms in the field. The project recognizes the critical role of climate variability and change in affecting agricultural production, biodiversity, and food security. Through the integration of diverse agricultural data, including micro-climate measurements and projections (small and large scales), soil conditions, and pest developments, AgriDataValue seeks to provide farmers with actionable insights as adaptation strategies to extreme climate changes aiming for risk mitigation. The initiative also aims to achieve the key objectives outlined in the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) strategy for the period 2023-2027. It aspires to be a game-changer in facilitating climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture practices in the face of evolving climate patterns.
A set of Agri-climate monitoring methodologies have been selected for potential application which are presented in figure 1.
Figure 1. Agri-climate monitoring methodologies
AI-based decision support system under the AgriDataValue principles
The AgriDataValue solution proposes a decision-support system (DSS) based on XAI and FDML. The main components of the DSS, its inputs and outputs are presented in Figure 2. The DSS functionality depends on five main components which are:
Climate data analysis
Data processing including data sampling, filtration, and dimension reduction.
Data analysis including correlation analysis and progressive elimination processes
Climate projection models
Air temperature forecasting (small-scale and large-scale projections)
Crop growth, Livestock, and Agro-economic models
Simulation of crop growth and livestock and estimating Agro-economic reactions using the forecasted air temperature.
Vulnerability analysis
Observation of the tendencies in climate and the change in its extreme conditions.
Analyzing vulnerabilities in the simulated and estimated results about the impact of climate change on agriculture and livestock.
Decision support component: adaptation strategies
Providing the user with informed decision support as suggested adaptation strategies to climate impact on crops, soil, livestock, and biodiversity.
Interpretable explanations for the experienced and non-experienced users that led the algorithm to the conclusions.
Following the above steps to reach the aspired results, the AgriDataValue solution ensures a trustworthy interaction of the user since it functions based on XAI and FDML which are highly important wherever interpretability and privacy are crucial, especially and most importantly in the decision-making stage.
In Polish orchards, environmental monitoring systems that would support agrotechnical decision-making have only recently been implemented. One of the pilots under the AgriDataValue project is the 17-hectare family orchard farm, located in the Lodz Heights Landscape Park, in the valley of the Mroga River, the municipality of Dmosin, Lodz province. Some of the harvested fruit is the basis for the production of juices at the “Wind Orchard” press, established in 2011.
Intensive development of fruit growing in this area began after the end of World War II. At that time, the Institute of Orchardery and Floriculture was established, which passed on the knowledge and experience in apple growing to local fruit growers. “Wind Orchard” owned by the family of Wiatr (in Polish “wiatr” means “wind”), refers to the region’s somewhat forgotten tradition of cold-pressing fruit juices, dating back to the first half of the 20th century. In such a process, the fruit must be fresh, whole, and healthy, which places high demands on orchard management. Among today’s technological solutions for agriculture, improving the efficiency of applied agrotechnical treatments, as well as the quantity and quality of yields, are systems for continuous monitoring of environmental parameters.
As part of the AgriDataValue project, environmental sensors measuring air temperature and humidity, rainfall, insolation, leaf moisture, wind speed and direction as well as soil sensors will be installed in the apple orchard located in the Kaleczew village. This system for monitoring environmental conditions, is expected to enable effective reactions and best decisions in the digital “Wind Orchard” management optimizing fruit production to the needs of its owners and the sales market.
The family orchard
The orchard and the “Wind Orchard” fruit press
Ms Grazyna Wiatr – the owner of the orchard and the fruit press
