The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) and the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) https://internationaldataspaces.org/ (partner of AgriDataValue consortium) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that outlines how they will together contribute to a flourishing data economy through the creation and development of standards for data spaces that ensure sovereign, interoperable, and trusted data sharing. OGC is an international non-profit consortium aiming to make geospatial (location) information and data services FAIR – Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. IDSA is an international non-profit association that follows a user-driven approach to create a global standard for international data spaces and interfaces based on sovereign data sharing. The two organizations have already identified AgriDataValue as a relevant to their work project. The AgriDataValue project, throughout its lifespan, will boost data sovereignty and will not just offer an open Agri-environment Platform of Platforms for capturing, processing in-situ and upgrading data, but also data sovereignty tools.

Almost half a year after we officially kicked off the AgriDataValue project, we are pleased to release our first AgriDataValue Newsletter.

Read the newsletter here.

AgriDataValue adopts a DevSecOps approach for development, integration, testing and deployment.

The integration framework and tools are covered in this blog post, along with an indication of which ones AgriDataValue used to create the project’s CI/CD pipeline. Development, security, and operations, or DevSecOps, automate the integration of security at each stage of the software development lifecycle, from initial design through integration, testing, deployment, and software delivery [1].

The term “DevSecOps” suggests that security is integrated into the Agile and DevOps practices that development organizations adopt. Instead of relying on Quality Assurance (QA) testing at the end of the development cycle, on production, security issues are addressed as they arise in this viewpoint. Therefore, by automating the delivery of secure software without slowing the software development cycle, DevSecOps speeds up both the software development and release cycles.

The best practices for DevSecOps, as identified by IBM in July 2020 [1] may be summarized as follows:

• Shift left: It encourages integrating security into all processes from software development to delivery from the start and moving security from the right, or the end of the DevOps process, to the left. Particularly, early involvement of cybersecurity experts in the design, development, and validation processes can help to implement security as software components are constructed. In the early stages of the software lifecycle, security risks and vulnerabilities can then be discovered and properly addressed.
• Security education: To achieve the intersection of engineering and compliance with an organization’s security measures, software engineers must receive security training. The terms threat models, compliance checks, vulnerability tests, and implementing security controls should be understood by developers.
• Culture: The implementation of DevSecOps requires a culture of security within organizations or even teams because it will enable people to comprehend and carry out their responsibilities in the DevSecOps lifecycle. In fact, the culture of security will involve people, communication, processes, and technology so that the chosen technological tools and the necessary software security are integrated into organizational processes.
• Traceability, auditability, and visibility: These principles should serve as a guide for companies adopting DevSecOps in order to ensure greater insight into a more secure environment. Tracking configuration items that are well documented and distributed appropriately within the company will make it easier for DevSecOps to function there.

DevSecOps, as approached in AgriDataValue, is illustrated in Figure 1. According to the figure, this DevSecOps approach has the following stages: “Plan,” “Create,” “Verify,” “Package,” “Release,” “Configure,” “Detect,” “Respond,” “Predict,” and “Adapt.” These stages are correlated in a continuous workflow.

The terms “Plan” and “Create” refer to the design and development of software, respectively. The terms “Verify”, “Package,” and “Release” refer to Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery, which are handled by automated CI/CD tools, specifically GitLab in AgriDataValue. The remaining steps of the “Ops” section deal with production-level QA testing and the procedures for relaying their results back to the design and development phases in a continuous, circular interaction. Monitoring and analytics tools will make it possible to properly log throughout the entire software lifecycle during the DevOps process.  Last but not least, security is integrated into every step of this DevOps cycle, implementing security by design across the individuals, teams, and technologies involved in the creation and release of the AgriDataValue software.

[1] IBM Cloud Education, „DevSecOps,“ IBM, 30 07 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/devsecops

In an era where data drives the world, it is not a surprise that agriculture, too, is embracing the immense possibilities of data-driven decision-making through smart farming and agri-environmental monitoring. In this context, AgriDataValue project has been born to enhance smart-farming capacities, competitiveness, and fair income by introducing a fully distributed platform of platforms based on cutting-edge technology, such as complex deep learning-based decision support systems to revolutionize the food supply chain.

As the storage and computing capabilities go forward, deep learning, generative models, and AI in general have taken the spotlight. However, in the agriculture domain, there are several challenges that complicate training these AI models.

1. The Data Dilemma: Despite the increase in agri-environmental monitoring, in several use cases the scarcity of data harms the generalization capabilities of the models.

2. Representation Reality: In instances where data is accessible, it often lacks in representing the diverse realities of agriculture: geographic location, crop types and farming practices introduce biases that hinder the effectiveness of AI solutions.

3. Privacy Predicament: The presence of sensitive and private data makes entities reluctant to share their insights with other entities.

4. Non-technical end users: In agriculture, the end-users are often farmers or technicians with limited model interpretation experience. This poses a challenge as complex AI models often operate as black boxes, requiring enhanced efforts for comprehension and trust-building.

AgriDataValue’s Game-Changing Solution

How will AgriDataValue tackle these challenges?

Federated Learning (FL) is a Machine Learning approach that prioritizes privacy and decentralization. It enables models to be trained on data distributed across multiple devices without the need of sharing any sensitive information. Following this paradigm, devices or clients train their AI models with their local data and share their model updates with a central sever that aggregates them. This places FL at the forefront of innovation across diverse privacy-sensitive fields, such as medicine, finances, and agriculture.

In this context, AgriDataValue will go one step further and deploy a Hierarchical Federated Learning (HFL) approach that optimizes the resource usage by introducing a structured hierarchy into the FL process. This hierarchical arrangement allows for multi-level communications, making it a highly scalable solution and adaptable to domains like agriculture, with a high variety of data sources. The hierarchy is composed by a root server, that generates the global model, the end-users or edge devices, and several intermediate layers of servers. These intermediate server layers aggregate the model updates coming from lower layers and send the aggregated models to other aggregators positioned above in the hierarchy. After the final aggregation performed by the root server, the global model is forwarded down to the hierarchy layers.

In this way, AgriDatavalues solution proposes the fusion of HFL with privacy-preserving algorithms and explainable AI (XAI), to overcome the challenges arising when constructing reliable decision systems rooted in trustworthy and comprehensible AI. In doing so, AgriDataValue platform of platforms aspires to generate AI models from diverse data sources, all while efficiently safeguarding the privacy of sensitive information. These solutions position themselves as a pioneering force in driving innovation and research within the agricultural sector.

Introduction

AgriDataValue is designed and structured to significantly contribute to the overall EU agricultural development. Targeting the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) implementation, the project will drive developments in Precision Farming and Agri-Environmental monitoring and strengthen the Agricultural Digital Transformation at European Level. AgriDataValue has conducted a research regarding the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period 2023-2027. The key points of the new CAP are presented in the following report.

The European Union’s CAP has long been a cornerstone of agricultural support and development. As we enter a new phase, the CAP 2023-2027 brings forth transformative changes aimed at ensuring a more sustainable, resilient, and innovative agricultural sector. With a heightened focus on environmental protection, climate action, and enhanced support for rural development, the new CAP represents a significant step forward in shaping the future of European agriculture.

1.            Embracing Sustainability

Sustainability lies at the heart of the new CAP, reflecting the EU’s commitment to address environmental challenges and promote biodiversity conservation. The CAP 2023-2027 aims to promote sustainable farming practices that minimize the impact on natural resources. Farmers will be encouraged to adopt agroecological approaches, reduce chemical inputs, and embrace conservation practices to preserve soil health and protect water resources.

2.            Enhancing Climate Resilience

Climate change poses unprecedented challenges to agriculture, with extreme weather events becoming more frequent and unpredictable. The new CAP places a strong emphasis on climate resilience, offering support to farmers to adapt and mitigate climate risks. Funding opportunities will be available to invest in climate-smart technologies, such as precision farming, renewable energy solutions, and carbon sequestration practices, which contribute to climate change mitigation and sustainable land management.

3.            Supporting Young Farmers and Innovation

Nurturing the next generation of farmers is vital for the continuity of the agricultural sector. The CAP 2023-2027 introduces specific measures to support young farmers, facilitating their entry into agriculture and ensuring a vibrant rural future. Moreover, the new CAP encourages innovation and digitalization in agriculture by providing funding for research and the adoption of advanced technologies. This promotes a more competitive and efficient agricultural sector, capable of meeting evolving consumer demands and global challenges.

4.            Strengthening Rural Development

Rural communities are the backbone of agriculture, and the new CAP seeks to strengthen their economic and social fabric. Funding will be channeled into initiatives that enhance rural infrastructures, improve access to education and healthcare, and promote local entrepreneurship. The CAP 2023-2027 will also encourage diversification in rural economies, fostering sustainable tourism, renewable energy projects, and non-agricultural activities to create more resilient rural communities.

5.            Simplification and Fairness

Recognizing the complexities of the previous CAP, the new iteration aims to simplify procedures and streamline funding mechanisms. By reducing administrative burdens and enhancing transparency, the CAP 2023-2027 intends to ensure a fair distribution of support among farmers and stakeholders. Direct payments will be more targeted, focusing on environmental and social outcomes, rewarding sustainable practices and active farmers.

Conclusion

The Common Agricultural Policy 2023-2027 heralds a new era of sustainability, resilience, and inclusivity for European agriculture. With its strong commitment to environmental protection, climate action, and rural development, the CAP empowers farmers to become stewards of the land and champions of biodiversity. By embracing innovation, nurturing young farmers, and promoting sustainable practices, Europe’s agricultural sector is poised to lead the way in meeting the challenges of the 21st century. As the CAP 2023-2027 unfolds, it lays the foundation for a greener and more prosperous future for European agriculture.

The 1st Advisory Board meeting for AgriDataValue was held online on the 24^th of July 2023. It was attended by external advisory board members and the consortium partners. The advisory board consists of three external experts, namely, Mrs. Marianna Faraldi (project manager at Tecnoalimenti S.C.p.A), Mr. Gregory Chatzikostas (vice president of business development at Foodscale Hub), and Prof. Federico Alvarez (associate professor at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid -UPM).

The consortium presented an overview of the project objectives, current and planned activities, as well as the project’s overall architecture. In addition, the consortium presented the project’s pilots and the associated use cases. The Advisory Board members provided inspiring and valuable feedback on the work accomplished, identifying also opportunities and potential challenges. The consortium of the AgriDataValue aims to capitalize on the fruitful discussion and experts’ recommendations that aim to safeguard the project’s smooth operation, public outreach, and impact creation.

The 2^nd plenary meeting was held on the 27^th and 28^th of June 2023 in London. During the two-day physical meeting, the consortium reviewed the progress on all work packages and had the chance to address development issues. The partners presented the results achieved so far and the next steps towards the successful delivery of AgriDataValue. 

Several announcements have been made by the media regarding the project, prior and after the AgriDataValue kick-off event.  The technological superiority, scale of deployment and comprehensive end-to-end multi-actor involvement draw the attention.  AgriDataValue, during its lifespan (6 years), is targeting the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and it will strengthen the Smart-Farming capacities and empower farmer’s competitiveness and fair income. A presentation of the project and its objectives were illustrated both in high traffic online news sites and in a major agriculture newspaper (print form). Bellow you can find the links to the online announcements. 

Links to Press Releases

1. ETHEAS (the National Union of Agricultural Cooperatives in Greece)
2. Agrinio Agricultural Cooperative Union (online publication) 
3. Newmoney.gr (online press) 
4. Agronews.gr (online press 1)
5. Agronews.gr (online press 2)
6. Agro24.gr (online press)
7.  Sofokleous10.gr (online press)

The kick-off meeting of the AgriDataValue project was held on the 22 and 23 of February in Athens. Through this two-day kick-off meeting, the partners gathered to set the roadmap and the next steps towards the successful delivery of AgriDataValue over the next six years. AgriDataValue  (Smart Farm and Agri-environmental Big Data Space) will lead the pan-European digital transformation in agriculture. The project stands out for its technological superiority, scale of deployment, and comprehensive end-to-end multi-actor involvement. The consortium, led by Synelixis, consists of 30 partners from Greece, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovenia, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Poland, the Netherlands, Latvia, and Lithuania. 

Announcement by Agronews

https://www.agronews.gr/ekdiloseis/204600/parousiasi-tou-programmatos-agridatavalue-stis-22-fevrouariou/

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