DEMETER will digitally transform Europe’s agri-food sector

Agricultural technology experts from across the globe are now pooling their talents, expertise and resources with industry and the farming public through a ground-breaking and results-driven project which will digitally transform Europe’s agri-food sector and support vibrant rural areas.

Support farmers in precision decision making

DEMETER will show how field and plant sensors, weather stations, monitoring and control devices and so much more will help support sustainable and safe farming and food production systems into the future. Through its multi-actor approach, the future farming programme is also set to improve farmer wellbeing and generally support farmers in precision decision making.

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DEMETER will show how field and plant sensors, weather stations, monitoring and control devices and so much more will help support sustainable and safe farming and food production systems into the future. – Photo: Roel Dijkstra

Over 38,000 devices and sensors

This € 17 million programme, funded by the European Commission under Horizon 2020, will involve 25 deployment sites, 6,000 farmers and over 38,000 devices and sensors, spanning 318,000 hectares in 18 countries, 15 of these EU states. It includes 60 partners and together, they will run 20 different pilot programmes across five agricultural sectors.

Optimising data analysis

Participants involved come from different production sectors, among these dairy, meat, vegetables, fruit and arable crops; production systems, conventional and organic, and different farm sizes and types, optimising the data analysis obtained across multiple farms.

Big names in world farming such as John Deere are on board and one of the core partners is the World Farmers Organisation. An open call for interested farmers, technology solution providers and other interested parties will be launched next year. It will have a € 1 million budget.

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The DEMETER Consortium. Big names in world farming such as John Deere are on board and one of the core partners is the World Farmers Organisation. – Photo: DEMETER

Demeter is the goddess of the harvest and presides over grains and the fertility of the earth and our DEMETER project demonstrates TSSG’s and the project team’s strength as precision agriculture leaders in Europe.

DEMETER will demonstrate the real-life potential of advanced interoperability in the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies across the value chain in multiple agri-food operational environments, involving different production sectors, production systems and farm sizes.

New business models on the farm

Through this initiative, we will also show how an integrated approach to business, behaviour and technology can support farmers and the sector. It provides further opportunities, including new business models on the farm and in the wider agri-food economy, while also helping to safeguard Europe’s precious natural resources.

DEMETER will monitor plant and animal products during their life cycle from farm to fork, increasing on-farm profitability, lowering farming’s ecological footprint and decreasing the use of natural resources.

Data gleaned will be shared, thus supporting new business opportunities for viable, sustainable rural communities.