Over the past 5 years the Industry 4.0 revolution managed to rapidly transform all major industrial sectors, including the agricultural domain. At the pinnacle of this revolution the Internet of Things (IoT), providing a network of physical “smart” interconnected devices that exchange & process data without (or with minimal) human intervention. The availability & affordability of this new technology allowed the development of a range of services from new data fusion analytic tools to the development of advance networking systems. The masTERs course on smArt Agriculture TECHnologies (TERRATECH) project aims to develop an advanced interactive MSc course related to Agriculture IoT Engineering that will train individuals with the necessary skills & knowledge to work in the rising “Smart Agriculture” industry. The course is also formulated to stimulate transversal competences such as the increased sense of initiative & entrepreneurship. The course is designed to follow the European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System (ECTS) credit standards for certification recognition across the EU.The novel curriculum consists of interactive teaching methods & partnerships with expert academic & agricultural organizations in order to give to the students a solid background for starting a fruitful career in the industry.

Smart-AKIS was submitted to the 2014 call, remaining on the reserve list (12/15). For resubmission, all items in the ESR have been carefully addressed: i) more focused approach, addressing only Smart Farming Technology for crop production and using more concrete methodologies; ii) stronger involvement of the machinery industry, with specific support from national Associations and a dedicated working group within CEMA; iii) a Data Management Plan ensuring compliance with H2020 Open Access Policy and inclusion in different thematic aggregators. The project aims at setting up a self-sustainable Thematic Network on Smart Farming Technology designed for the effective exchange between research, industry, extension and the farming community in order to disseminate direct applicable research and commercial solutions and capture grassroots level needs and innovative ideas. Smart Farming Technology (SFT) encompasses Farm Management Information Systems, Precision Agriculture and Agriculture automation and robotics. Smart AKIS will collect existing knowledge related to SFT and will produce easily accessible end-user material under the EIP-Agri common format. The project will also integrate the socio-economic aspects involved in the innovation processes and will generate interactive and innovation-based collaborations among researchers, advisors and farmers through the use of open innovation in multi-actor workshops. Knowledge flow will be facilitated through the implementation of the Smart Farming Community Platform, which will be compatible with the EIP-SP in order to ensure long term accessibility of results. Smart-AKIS will build on results from five flagship EU projects (VALERIE, SOLINSA, PRO-AKIS, FRACTALS, AGRISPIN), through the participation in the project of their core partners. The project will establish direct communication with EIP-Agri to maximize impact of project activities and stakeholder mobilization.

The last decade has seen an explosion of interest and investment in the use of Agricultural Digital Technologies (ADSs). The use of ADSs is seen by many as an opportunity to increase the economic and environmental performance of the agricultural sector. In spite of considerable public and private investment, uptake and use of ADSs by EU farmers has been limited, especially among small and medium farms. These farms require cost-effective DATs that help them increase their environmental and economic performance and cross the digital divide. The overall objective of the Farmtopia project is to democratize digital farming by creating a paradigm shift in the way ADSs for small farms are created, deployed and paid for. This will be achieved by a) fostering co-creation of ADSs to ensure they will solve real problems and fit the needs of small farms; and b) lowering the cost for both farmers and ADSs providers, by creating a set of reusable software modules, a number of business and governance models, and identifying public provision of infrastructure that can enable scale-out of ADSs. Using a multi-actor approach, Farmtopia will engage farmers, ADSs providers, farm advisors, scientists, policy makers, AKIS actors and other relevant stakeholders in 18 Sustainable Innovation Pilots (SIPs) in at least 15 countries across Europe, and guide them in co-creating, deploying and piloting innovative ADSs while designing, adapting and validating appropriate business and governance models to support them (such as the French CUMA model, which is embraced by >225.000 farmers). The focus will be mainly on specific crops and livestock for which current ADS provision is inadequate as well as on crops that are of regional importance, strengthening resilience, sustainability and food security across Europe. 9 SIPs have been pre-selected and 9 more will be awarded through an Open Call, enabling a dynamic response to a changing policy and technology landscape.

AGRIFOOD4FUTURE is a world-class ERASMUS+ initiative aimed at building VET skills and educational programs addressing the needs of the “agriculture of the future”. By bringing together European leading actors from VET-academia-research-business across regions with tradition in the agri-food (yet lagging in new practices adoption), we aim at building centers of vocational excellence able to respond to existing and emerging needs in the sector, while targeting the key priorities of the sector: digitalization, decarbonization and sustainability.Scientists, policymakers, and open visioned agrifood players have noted the transformative potential of new and emerging agriculture practices, such as climate-smart agriculture, smart farming, precision agriculture, regenerative and organic practices, NEXUS based approach to agri-food, etc., but found difficulties to implement it at large scales. Barriers such as the insufficient level of awareness, soft and technical skills, and limited entrepreneurial mindset of, usually, more conservative farming professionals have been inhibitors of change.Aligned with the need of writing new narratives for the “agriculture of the future” we aim to implement and develop vocational training and educational system from low-to-higher EQF levels, including lifelong learning tools for farmer advisors, SMEs, and agro-food players. AGRIFOOD4FUTURE will provide them with exemplary best practices and advances in the sector. It will equip them with technical, soft, and entrepreneurial skills towards new ventures and innovative mindset. It will foster perception change and acceptance of agro-food sector as a “bright” vocational career option, while preparing the sector for adoption of smart, advanced, and sustainable practices.