Farmtopia

The last decade has seen an explosion of interest and investment in the use of digital technologies in agriculture (DATs). The use of DATs is seen by many as an opportunity to increase the economic and environmental performance of the agricultural sector. In spite of considerable public and private investment, uptake and use of DATs by EU farmers has been limited, especially among small and medium farms. These farms require cost-effective DATs that help them increase their environmental and economic performance and cross the digital divide.

The overall objective of the Farmtopia project is to democratize digital farming by creating a paradigm shift in the way DATs for small farms are created, deployed and paid for. This will be achieved by a) fostering co-creation of DATs to ensure they will solve real problems and fit the needs of small farms; and b) lowering the cost for both farmers and DATs providers, by creating a set of reusable software modules, predefined business and governance models, and identifying public provision of infrastructure that can enable scale-out of DATs.

Using a multi-actor approach, Farmtopia will engage farmers, DATs providers and other relevant actors in 18 Sustainable Innovation Pilots (SIPs) in at least 15 countries across Europe, and guide them in co-creating, deploying and piloting innovative DATs while designing, adapting and validating appropriate business and governance models to support them (such as the French CUMA model, which is embraced by >225.000 farmers). The focus will be mainly on specific crops and livestock for which current DAT provision is inadequate as well as on crops that are important for the European economy. 9 SIPs have been pre-selected and 9 more will be awarded through an Open Call, enabling a dynamic response to a changing policy and technology landscape.

Role of GAIA: Consortium partner

Main activities and responsibilities of GAIA EPICHEIREIN:

GAIA as leader of task “Knowledge Transfer and Exchange of Experiences” will support project partners to create a network and to implement demonstration activities for all relevant actors, aiming to support knowledge transfer and the replication of Farmtopia digital solutions and good practices.