Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GUARDIANS (Smart solutions to empower small- and medium-sized farms as guardians of the territory)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-06-01 bis 2025-05-31
The general objective of GUARDIANS is the empowerment of small- and medium-sized farms through smart solutions. A multi-actor co-creation methodological framework supported by a farmer engagement and acceptance package will leverage the acceptance and uptake rates of innovative digital technologies by farmers. A set of nine digital innovative solutions will be tested in four testbeds and piloted in at least 21 small- and medium-sized farms (including different types of crops, grassland, and livestock in Spain, Italy, Sweden, and Czechia), reaching a total of 89 farmers through the rollout and replication phase.
The aforementioned general objective will be addressed by the following six specific objectives:
O1. Provision of a tailored set of digital innovative solutions.
Develop a wide set of tailor-made digital innovative solutions, from existing ones, that are feasible for small- and medium-sized farms and farm structures, arable and woody crops and livestock production across Europe. Following a co-creation process, the project will contribute to digitalisation in this kind of farms.
O2. Demonstration of a multi-actor co-creation methodological framework to increase the acceptance rates of digital technologies and digital maturity of farmers.
This objective aims to tackle the increasing digital disparity among small and large farms. GUARDIANS will centre its efforts in developing strategies for an initial digitalisation of small farms.
O3. Definition of clear pathways towards more sustainable, productive and resilient agricultural business and governance models targeting the adoption of environmentally friendly farming approaches to leverage the use of innovative digital technologies by farmers.
The activities within GUARDIANS will lead towards developing replicable and innovative farming models, attractive to be adopted by other farmers, farming cooperatives, communities or associations.
O4. Implementation of the concept of one-stop-shop under the umbrella of existing farming cooperatives, communities, or associations to foster technological innovation for small- and medium-sized farms.
A one-stop-shop is an innovation centre that binds together knowledge on existing technologies, best practices on business models and agroecological farming approaches, or financial schemes; all of this, as a local contact point for farmers’ support.
O5. Valorise the environmental and social impact of new farming approaches by certificates (blockchain technologies) of sustainable actions increasing the positive environmental impact of the small- and medium-sized farms.
Small- and medium-sized farms will increase their efforts to valorise the positive environmental impact of their activities and, also, to foster their social recognition as guardians of natural heritage, landscapes, and rural areas.
O6. Foster a cascading grants mechanism.
A cascade funding mechanism will be used to spread the provision of new digital technologies and validation use cases, both developed and engaged within the project
The aforementioned general objective will be addressed by the following six specific objectives:
O1. Provision of a tailored set of digital innovative solutions.
Develop a wide set of tailor-made digital innovative solutions, from existing ones, that are feasible for small- and medium-sized farms and farm structures, arable and woody crops and livestock production across Europe. Following a co-creation process, the project will contribute to digitalisation in this kind of farms.
O2. Demonstration of a multi-actor co-creation methodological framework to increase the acceptance rates of digital technologies and digital maturity of farmers.
This objective aims to tackle the increasing digital disparity among small and large farms. GUARDIANS will centre its efforts in developing strategies for an initial digitalisation of small farms.
O3. Definition of clear pathways towards more sustainable, productive and resilient agricultural business and governance models targeting the adoption of environmentally friendly farming approaches to leverage the use of innovative digital technologies by farmers.
The activities within GUARDIANS will lead towards developing replicable and innovative farming models, attractive to be adopted by other farmers, farming cooperatives, communities or associations.
O4. Implementation of the concept of one-stop-shop under the umbrella of existing farming cooperatives, communities, or associations to foster technological innovation for small- and medium-sized farms.
A one-stop-shop is an innovation centre that binds together knowledge on existing technologies, best practices on business models and agroecological farming approaches, or financial schemes; all of this, as a local contact point for farmers’ support.
O5. Valorise the environmental and social impact of new farming approaches by certificates (blockchain technologies) of sustainable actions increasing the positive environmental impact of the small- and medium-sized farms.
Small- and medium-sized farms will increase their efforts to valorise the positive environmental impact of their activities and, also, to foster their social recognition as guardians of natural heritage, landscapes, and rural areas.
O6. Foster a cascading grants mechanism.
A cascade funding mechanism will be used to spread the provision of new digital technologies and validation use cases, both developed and engaged within the project
During its first year of execution, GUARDIANS progressed well, meeting most deadlines and maintaining high quality in its outputs.
The main technical progresses are the following:
In WP2 (Farmer Engagement and Acceptance of Technology Enabled by Social Innovation) the main activities developed are the following:
- Organisation of three social innovation workshops: internal innovation brainstorming session to gather feedback on the challenges, needs, and barriers; second and third social innovation sessions, including external stakeholders, with the aim of designing pathways for implementation, mock-ups presentation and evaluation.
- Organisation of a set of local sessions/workshops for various stakeholder clusters in order to facilitate the co-design of the farmer engagement and acceptance package.
- Definition of a Co-creation methodology for GUARDIANS.
- Definition of a methodology for stakeholder identification.
- Definition of materials to support co-design.
- Definition of materials for mentoring and guiding farmers.
In WP3 (Technical design, development and validation of digital tools and testbed
trialling) the work is progressing as expected:
- Definition of the technical design of digital tools after co-design stage with farmers. This includes a roadmap, which is designed to guide the technical design of the tools and a Validation Framework.
- The different technological tools are being developed as expected.
The work in WP5 (Replication and exploitation of project’s results) has contributed to many achievements:
- Identification of the Key Environmental, Economic, and Social indicators (KEESIs).
- Definition of the Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) of the technologies.
- Definition of the initial approach to the pathways towards more sustainable, productive, and resilient farming systems.
The main technical progresses are the following:
In WP2 (Farmer Engagement and Acceptance of Technology Enabled by Social Innovation) the main activities developed are the following:
- Organisation of three social innovation workshops: internal innovation brainstorming session to gather feedback on the challenges, needs, and barriers; second and third social innovation sessions, including external stakeholders, with the aim of designing pathways for implementation, mock-ups presentation and evaluation.
- Organisation of a set of local sessions/workshops for various stakeholder clusters in order to facilitate the co-design of the farmer engagement and acceptance package.
- Definition of a Co-creation methodology for GUARDIANS.
- Definition of a methodology for stakeholder identification.
- Definition of materials to support co-design.
- Definition of materials for mentoring and guiding farmers.
In WP3 (Technical design, development and validation of digital tools and testbed
trialling) the work is progressing as expected:
- Definition of the technical design of digital tools after co-design stage with farmers. This includes a roadmap, which is designed to guide the technical design of the tools and a Validation Framework.
- The different technological tools are being developed as expected.
The work in WP5 (Replication and exploitation of project’s results) has contributed to many achievements:
- Identification of the Key Environmental, Economic, and Social indicators (KEESIs).
- Definition of the Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) of the technologies.
- Definition of the initial approach to the pathways towards more sustainable, productive, and resilient farming systems.
GUARDIANS develops nine digital technologies tailor-made to fit the needs of small- and medium-sized farms. A brief description of each of them can be found below:
Tech. #1. CAP-support tool for crop management [SATIVUM]
SATIVUM is a technology-based decision-support tool that helps farmers to manage information on agricultural plots.
Tech. #2. Environmental progress, profitability & provenance tool
The tool is designed to recognise some agricultural and livestock management practices that bring benefits to the environment and society.
Tech. #3. Drones for grassland care [GrassGuard]
GrassGuard is a drone designed tool to offer ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and low operating costs.
Tech. #4. Climate & weather monitoring platform
This platform features AI-based crop monitoring models and can be used as a decision-support system to help with farm management.
Tech. #5. Beehive protection and monitoring system
This system is designed to support small-scale beekeeping, combining multi-sensor Internet of Things technologies and AI–based analytics.
Tech. #6. Drones for field protection & wildlife management
Tool that uses drones to prevent crop damage from wild animals, scaring them away before they can cause any harm, fostering sustainable land use.
Tech. #7. GHG monitoring platform for stables
This platform uses sensors to monitor greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in stables and other livestock structures.
Tech. #8. Biodiversity assessment service
This service determines soil biodiversity, one of the most important factors for determining soil health.
Tech. #9. Blockchain-based environmental valorisation system
Reliable tool to certify the environmental impact of small and medium-sized farms, rewarding the sustainable management of the natural resources.
Tech. #1. CAP-support tool for crop management [SATIVUM]
SATIVUM is a technology-based decision-support tool that helps farmers to manage information on agricultural plots.
Tech. #2. Environmental progress, profitability & provenance tool
The tool is designed to recognise some agricultural and livestock management practices that bring benefits to the environment and society.
Tech. #3. Drones for grassland care [GrassGuard]
GrassGuard is a drone designed tool to offer ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and low operating costs.
Tech. #4. Climate & weather monitoring platform
This platform features AI-based crop monitoring models and can be used as a decision-support system to help with farm management.
Tech. #5. Beehive protection and monitoring system
This system is designed to support small-scale beekeeping, combining multi-sensor Internet of Things technologies and AI–based analytics.
Tech. #6. Drones for field protection & wildlife management
Tool that uses drones to prevent crop damage from wild animals, scaring them away before they can cause any harm, fostering sustainable land use.
Tech. #7. GHG monitoring platform for stables
This platform uses sensors to monitor greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in stables and other livestock structures.
Tech. #8. Biodiversity assessment service
This service determines soil biodiversity, one of the most important factors for determining soil health.
Tech. #9. Blockchain-based environmental valorisation system
Reliable tool to certify the environmental impact of small and medium-sized farms, rewarding the sustainable management of the natural resources.