H2020 INNOSETA Project: Accelerating innovative practices for spraying equipment, training, and advice in European agriculture through knowledge mobilization and agricultural innovation systems
- Type Project
- Status Filled
- Execution 2018 -2021
- Assigned Budget 1.998.562,5 €
- Scope Europeo
- Main source of financing H2020
- Project website INNOSETA
Spraying is a common method in the agricultural industry to combat pests and prevent crop diseases. However, if not performed with proper equipment or training, it can cause more harm than good, not only to crops but also to the environment. In this context, the EU-funded INNOSETA project seeks to establish an innovative and self-sustaining thematic network. This network will facilitate connections between researchers and farmers, enabling better advisory services, training, equipment supply, and maintenance related to spraying. Furthermore, the project seeks to drive novel innovations by addressing inefficiencies in scientific advancements. By providing crucial data and training to farmers, the project aims to improve crop productivity and reduce environmental pollution.
Objectives achieved:
- Identification of the main problems affecting users related to crop protection activities and their level of adoption of new technologies.
- Identification of the main reasons for not adopting the latest technologies and developments that are already available.
- Searching and sorting through a long list of already available SETAs (spraying equipment, training materials and advice).
- Development of the INNOSETA platform, which has already been implemented with a significant database of materials.
- Create an international network in collaboration with other nearby EU projects focused on the topic of crop protection
- Develop a practical and useful guide of policy recommendations intended to assist authorities in developing actions aimed at improving the crop protection process, fully aligned with the requirements established in the Farm to Fork Strategy.
Main achievements:
- Practical data obtained after a comprehensive survey to identify the main concerns, problems, and needs of users in different countries.
- Intensive collection, evaluation, and classification of already available SETAs. More than 1,200 SETAs were identified, evaluated, and classified.
- Design, development, and implementation of the INNOSETA platform where all classified and selected SETAs have been successfully uploaded.
- Design and organization of various regional workshops where stakeholder representatives from different sectors have the opportunity to experience the platform, providing intensive and important feedback on its usefulness, potential improvements, gaps, and other useful information.
- Significant development of the international network. Significant networking activity has already been developed during the first phase of the project. INNOSETA has been in contact with a long list of other similar and/or collateral projects, including those in the EU, with a national or local scope. Collaborations with other EU projects have already been established.
- The INNOSETA project and the INNOSETA platform have been included as a training activity in the Better Training for Safer Food (BTSF) course on Pesticide Application Equipment (PAE). This course has already been attended by more than 400 participants representing EU Member States responsible for implementing the mandatory in-use inspection program for sprayers.
The adoption of new technologies and the digitalization of agriculture are priority objectives and a key element in addressing the new challenges of the European Green Deal, the recently launched European Farm to Fork Strategy, and the new CAP. The list of relevant R&D projects funded by the EC, national, and local authorities is truly remarkable, generating a wide range of devices, products, new concepts, and practical tools to assist farmers in their daily work. However, the degree of adoption of these new technologies is quite low and heterogeneous across EU Member States and in relation to specific types of farmers.
However, even considering the wide range of tools available (new technical solutions, training materials, and extensive online resources for improving knowledge), there is still a significant gap between research, academia, and developing sectors, on the one hand, and most everyday practices, on the other. There is significant room for improvement in disseminating and communicating the extensive and important list of materials already available.
Appropriate and effective training to foster new knowledge and skills is key to achieving the adoption of new legislation, technologies, and practices. Therefore, measures are needed to improve the educational level of all stakeholders. The acquisition of new skills will facilitate the adoption of new technologies and a deep understanding of EU legislation, which, in turn, will ensure a holistic and sustainable approach.
The main objective of INNOSETA is to establish an innovative and self-sustaining Thematic Network on Spray Equipment, Training, and Consulting to contribute to bridging the gap between available new high-end crop protection solutions, whether commercial or derived from applicable research results, and everyday European agricultural practices. In this regard, INNOSETA aims to promote the effective exchange of new ideas and information between research, industry, extension, and the agricultural community, so that existing research and commercial solutions can be widely communicated, while simultaneously capturing grassroots needs and innovative ideas from the agricultural community.
The main objective of the INNOSETA project was to develop a universal, easy-to-use, and freely accessible platform where users could find and take advantage of all these new developments, training materials, ongoing projects, and industrial solutions, ready for use and direct implementation in their daily work, in their own language and at their educational level. It has been found that, in most cases, these materials are little known and do not reach their target audience. Through the developed platform, users, regardless of their language, educational level, or needs, will be able to find comprehensive and accurate information on the use of APPs.
The objective of this network is to establish a self-sustaining Thematic Network on Spray Equipment, Training, and Consulting, designed for effective exchange among researchers, industry, extension services, and the agricultural community. This network will link research and directly applicable commercial solutions with comprehensively collected grassroots needs and innovative ideas, thus helping to bridge the gap between research and innovation in this field.
The proposed network will be organized to cover the spray application needs of the most widely used crops in Europe: cereals, vegetables, orchards, vineyards, and greenhouses. These networks will be organized into seven national innovation centers linked to international interactive workshops. This Thematic Network will address important and timely topics crucial to improving crop productivity and reducing environmental impact.
These include spraying equipment, technologies, and practical methods for estimating and reducing spray drift and environmental pollution; information and procedures on the benefits of conducting regular inspections of sprayers in use; new spraying equipment and components to increase application efficiency; practical information and advice on the rate expression dilemma, especially for orchard and shrub crops; calibration and operating procedures through dynamic videos and interactive training and learning materials; sprayer and nozzle classification systems to enable farmers and pesticide companies to determine the most appropriate nozzle, sprayer, and technology combination for specific pesticide applications; environmental requirements for new sprayers in accordance with ISO 16119; and best management practices acquired over the years from various EU research projects and publications.
The INNOSETA project has a significant impact on society. In most cases, there is a lack of awareness about the use of plant protection products in agriculture. The development of INNOSETA allows society to understand the importance of the efforts, developments, and new technologies already available to achieve the overall goal of safer and more sustainable food production. These tools also demonstrate the need for the rational use of plant protection products to ensure sufficient food production to feed the world's population. The use and implementation of all the tools already collected, classified, and uploaded to the INNOSETA platform will enable an accurate, safe, and environmentally friendly process.
INNOSETA contributes to improving the adoption of new technologies by helping end-users discover and use materials that are already available, but in most cases difficult to find. INNOSETA offers a comprehensive database of off-the-shelf materials (SETAs) linked to crop protection activities. The project platform promotes developments and tools from other public and private sector-funded projects (most of them EU projects), organized and distributed in a logical and user-friendly way. INNOSETA's long-term impact is related to the development of a free, public database of PPP applications where manufacturers, academic institutions, authorities, advisors, and end-users (farmers) will upload, store, and find practical tools for their daily work.
The INNOSETA consortium has worked intensively on three main aspects: a) continuing to update and expand the database, i.e., maximizing the list of available SETAs (the platform currently includes more than 1,000 entries); b) promoting and disseminating the INNOSETA platform within the EU and worldwide. This objective goes beyond the EU's borders, representing a significant opportunity to also influence producers in third countries (most of whom are food suppliers to the EU); and c) establishing a practical and viable solution to ensure the platform's sustainability. The main objective of this last activity is to prevent the results of three years of effort and significant investment from becoming obsolete.
- UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYA (UPC)
Related projects
