Project description
Customised technological advancement transforms small farms
Above all other considerations, creating a sustainable food system necessitates the restoration of primary production to the 'guardians' of the land, namely the proprietors of small and medium-sized farms and agricultural structures situated in rural areas. The EU-funded GUARDIANS project is designed to bolster agroecological farming models using economical and people-centred digital solutions. These solutions will undergo testing on 22 small and medium-sized farms encompassing diverse production types across six pilot initiatives led by farming cooperatives in four countries. The objective is to assist owners of such farms in bridging the technological divide that separates them from larger farms. This objective is pursued through a co-creative approach that involves farmers, agricultural stakeholders, scientists, technicians, and SMEs.
Objective
Ensuring a sustainable food system requires, above all other factors, re-entrusting our primary production to the guardians of our territory, the owners of small- and medium-sized farms and farm structures in rural areas. GUARDIANS focuses on understanding their challenges and empowering them with a set of digital innovative solutions that will help them to bridge the current technological gap between small and large farms.
GUARDIANS will put in place a set of cost-effective and human-centric digital solutions, which aim to support and empower the penetration, sustainability and resilience of more agroecological farming models, like regenerative agriculture, natural grazing, alternative managed grazing strategies, and the promotion of pollinators in different farm structures. To do this, a multi-actor co-creation methodology, a set of adoption pathways and 9 different technologies, combining software and hardware (i.e. drones, sensors), will be customized to cover the farmers' needs.
These digital solutions will be tested through a total of 27 small- and medium-sized farms and farm structures with a wide range of production types (arable crops, woody crops, grassland and livestock production) in 6 pilots represented by farming cooperatives (acting as one stop shops) from 5 different countries with diverse environmental, climatic and socio-economic conditions. As a result, GUARDIANS will increase the uptake of innovative digital technologies by farmers, guaranteed by the use of a multi-actor approach, integrating farmers and agricultural stakeholders at all stages of the project, as well as scientists, technicians and SMEs.
Cascade funding and connections to specific stakeholders (agricultural cooperatives, agrifood hubs, DIHs, OGs) will be used as multipliers to allow GUARDIANS to roll up its impact throughout Europe. It is expected to roll-out and replicate GUARDIANS results up to 95 farms around Europe during the project duration.
Fields of science
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftware
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringroboticsautonomous robotsdrones
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculture
- agricultural sciencesanimal and dairy sciencedomestic animalsanimal husbandry
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation ActionsCoordinator
33203 Gijon
Spain
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Participants (21)
89167 Mazeikiai
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
9291 Tromso
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47071 Valladolid
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16129 Genova
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33300 VILLAVICIOSA ASTURIAS
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33792 Valdes
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
174 60 Stockholm
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
3030-163 Coimbra
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
26900 Lodi
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10138 Torino
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572 01 POLICKA
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
165 00 Praha
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100 31 Stockholm
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30121 Venezia Ve
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34450 Astudillo
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289 94 Glimåkra
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33518 Siero
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33119 SIERO
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12100 Cuneo
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A94 D2Y7 DUBLIN
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
036 01 Martin
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.