H2020 Smart-AKIS Project: European Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) towards innovation-driven research in smart agricultural technology

From innovative idea to practical application: how to bring smart agricultural technologies to the field The EU-supported Smart-AKIS thematic network introduces farmers, advisors, researchers, entrepreneurs, innovation brokers, and other interested parties to new technological developments being implemented. From commercial smart farming technologies (SFTs) that can be leveraged now to innovative ideas that will define the future, the Smart-AKIS project aimed to ensure that those who could benefit from applying new technologies to their farming practices were aware of the latest developments.

Professor Spyros Fountas, project coordinator, explains: “We want to help European agriculture become more productive and, at the same time, more sustainable.” To this end, the project created an online platform that offers participating researchers and companies the opportunity to share scientific articles, commercial products, and research projects. All of this is accessible through an intuitive search engine that uses keywords such as crop type, field size, and more. “We wanted to ensure that farmers and other stakeholders could access the latest commercial and scientific knowledge,” says Professor Fountas. The Smart-AKIS e-platform was created in collaboration with experts from the European Innovation Partnership (IEA) for agriculture. We were delighted to have their support, as it allowed us to integrate with the EIP-Agri common standards. Ninety of our Practice Summaries (short, clear texts aimed at farmers and other end-users of smart technologies) are now available on the EIP-Agri platform.

But the project's activities were not limited to the web. They brought together participants in three regional innovation workshops in seven countries (Spain, France, the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Serbia, and Greece) and held two transnational innovation workshops. "We organized these workshops in Spain and Serbia with the aim of removing barriers to the adoption of existing smart farming technologies (SFTs). We wanted to generate new project ideas, both nationally and cross-border, to improve or redesign SFT implementation," says Professor Fountas. To gain insight into how such implementation is progressing on the ground, the project conducted an EU-wide survey of nearly 300 farmers and a parallel survey of 25 experts on the topic of SFTs. We felt that direct contact would be crucial to better understand our situation, so we also conducted personal interviews to understand the current status of SFT integration in Europe and the reasons why farmers decide or not to adopt the technology.

The survey, conducted among both potential end-users and developers, allowed the project to analyze the socioeconomic factors influencing the evolution of innovation in the SFT sector. It was a complex project, involving multiple stakeholders, various platforms, and several major conferences. Despite this, Professor Fountas is clear that all the effort was worth it: "We believe that Smart-AKIS managed to mobilize people across the EU and raise awareness about the unpopularity of SFTs."

However, we discovered that it's a matter of motivation, and that motivation comes from knowing what exists. That's why I think we've achieved what we set out to do. There's certainly a great deal of interest in learning more. Their events were well attended, which demonstrates the great interest in the topic. Professor Fountas believes they generated a very interesting debate and brought together different stakeholders, sometimes for the first time. "Our recommendations are also very interesting for policymakers in Brussels and in the countries concerned. The ideas generated by the project can help boost research and innovation in this field, to the benefit of EU agriculture as a whole."