Internet of food & farm 2020 (IoF2020)
Exploring the potential of IoT-technologies for the European food and farming industry
DescriptionOverview of the initiative and its approach.
oF2020 was a research and innovation project exploring the potential contributions of IoT technologies to the European food and farming sector, aiming to make precision farming a reality and take a step towards a more sustainable food value chain. The project, which ran between 2018 and 2021, included seven work packages and 33 use cases organized around five sectors (arable, dairy, fruit, meat and vegetables), with the goal of developing, testing and demonstrating the use of IoT technologies in operational farm environments across Europe. The IoT solutions were developed following technical, business and ethical considerations, and were aimed to reach a commercial stage by the end of the project. Leveraging IoT technologies, the described field operations were carried out automatically by autonomous devices, and the measured data were automatically returned through the cloud, made accessible to research institutes and fed into computer models for further improvement. The information and researchers' contacts were made publicly available, along with examples of how digital technologies, especially IoT, could be leveraged to improve production.
TechnologyTechnology used by the initiative.
The IoF2020 discussed 33 use cases in which IoT technologies were used to handle field operations automatically. These included: 1) Big Wine Optimization – employing remote sensing technologies to monitor the viticulture value chain, using a LoRa (Low-power Long Range) network to ensure the communication of different sensors, such as weather stations, water metres, electricity metres, fixed and mobile camera sensors, insect trap sensors in the field, tractor-mounted camera systems guided by an onboard GPS, counting the number of healthy vine stems in the field to estimate the harvest, an LED system providing multispectral information about the plant and an alert system to warn of any inconsistencies detected by the sensors. 2) Intelligent Fruit Logistics – making use of technologies for the management of the fruit supply chain, using tagged radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips to create smart networks and collect information, and artificial intelligence and big data to determine bottlenecks, patterns or processes. 3) Soya Protein Management – using a sensor-based field management system in support of intensive agriculture (e.g. for soybean), including several weather/climate condition sensors as well as soil structure sensores making use of georeferenced data. 4) Multi-sensor Cow Monitoring – a sensor-based solution for monitoring the physiological status of cows, recording general movement and temperature data that were centralized and processed in the Mooncloud software/application.
TargetUsers, groups, or communities targeted by the initiative.
The main project beneficiaries were the large- and medium-sized farms and food businesses that made use of the digital technologies discussed in the project to boost their production and achieve better control over the entire supply chain. Academia and research institutions can benefit from the collected data to further improve their models; the public sector (public legislation and certification bodies) can use the collected data to check for compliance with legislation; and the private sector can benefit from the described solutions to identify investment opportunities in emerging technologies.
Business modelHow the initiative delivers and sustains its value.
The IoF2020, part of the EU-funded research “HORIZON-2020 Industrial Leadership” programme, was managed by the European Commission with a budget of EUR 30 million. More than 120 partners from 22 countries were involved, including large IoT suppliers, and end-users and their representative organizations. The project ended in March 2021 but its legacy is being maintained in the SmartAgrihubs portal https://www.smartagrihubs.eu/.
ImpactThe observed or intended effects of the initiative.
The goal of IoF2020 was the creation of a lasting innovation ecosystem supporting the uptake of IoT technologies in the agriculture and farming sectors. Over the course of the project, 33 use cases were implemented and monitored to demonstrate how digital technologies, particularly IoT, could enhance governance and productivity across the entire supply chain. The project supported the adoption of sensors and precision farming technologies, taking a step towards a more data-driven food value chain. The project envisioned improvements in yield and product quality through the use of IoT technologies, reductions in pesticide and fertilizer use, and enhanced food traceability, thereby improving food safety.
PartnersOrganizations and stakeholders involved in the initiative.
IoF2020 consortium of Partners
Four BettersThe FAO Four Betters supported by the initiative.
Better production
Better environment
