Effort for digitalisation in agriculture

According to the latest updates from the project, which brings together suppliers, researchers and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector from nine countries, the focus will be on implementing smart digital solutions for production directly in the fields. To make this a reality, more test facilities are planned to be built over the next four years. These facilities will serve as hubs for the development and testing of innovative technologies.

The EU has identified digitalisation as key to strengthening European agriculture, with the aim of increasing efficiency and profitability. For example, AI can be used to make decisions on optimal farming practices. Modern agricultural tools, including autonomous vehicles, are also expected to play a crucial role in increasing both efficiency and environmental sustainability in agriculture.

"This could involve utilising all hours of the day with self-driving vegetable pickers, or using AI systems that can distinguish between crops and weeds to make weed control more efficient," explains Victor Kardeby, a researcher in applied digitalisation at RISE. 

An exciting aspect of the project is therefore the possibility to develop and validate advanced algorithms. This is crucial for bringing new products to the market, which must happen within a five-year period. Achieving the market target requires a cross-functional working methodology that includes expertise in agriculture, AI, digitalisation, transport and cybersecurity. RISE, with its broad competence base and impartiality, is expected to play a central role in this context.

The TEF project also aims to facilitate SMEs to benefit from the digital innovations. During the build-up phase, participation will therefore be free of charge and targeted at this audience. Planned events, including an upcoming event on 15 May at the Ulltuna Digitalised Agriculture Testbed, will give businesses the opportunity to learn more about the project and its potential.

"Another concrete example of how AI can be utilised in agriculture is the AI assistant AGDA, which will act as a scientific and applied advisor for farmers. RISE's role in the development is to validate the chatbot's functionality and to test and provide feedback on its performance," says Petter Kyösti, Head of the Intelligent Systems unit at RISE. 

In summary, the AgrifoodTEF project aims to improve efficiency in the agricultural sector, where digitalisation and advanced technologies will play a crucial role in increasing both productivity and sustainability. With the support of the EU and the involvement of leading actors in the industry, the project is expected to contribute to a significant development of European agriculture, ultimately resulting in the production of food staying within Sweden and the EU. 

If you want to take advantage of AgrifoodTEF's offer, please contact us!

FACTS
TEF - test and experimental facilities, will support companies and organisations with the development, testing and evaluation of AI-based products and services as well as robotics solutions at several levels, i.e. from tests in the lab to systems tested and evaluated against a real agricultural environment. AgrifoodTEF is one of 4 European TEF initiatives: Agrifood, Smart Cities (CitCom.ai), Health and Manufacturing, of which RISE participates in the first three. 

Webbpage: AgrifoodTEF.eu