AIOTI WG Agriculture has prepared a paper on the Role of IoT in addressing the agroecological focus of the Green Deal.
The Green Deal presented in 2019 is one of the largest flagship initiatives launched by the European Commission in the recent decades, setting the vision of an efficient, competitive and low-carbon European economy. Agriculture and food systems are key elements to achieve the ambitious objectives of the Green Deal, as clearly reflected by the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies, both presented in 2020. The recent reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is also strongly aligned with the Green Deal targets. Overall, the trend is towards agriculture practices which are more sustainable and environmentally-friendly, pushing the concept of agroecology, yet ensuring fair economic return for the farmers.
ICT technologies, and IoT in particular, play a key role in supporting the transition towards this new model, leveraging on the use of data, analysis and monitoring tools. This paper delves into this relationship. First, the main contextual aspects of the Green Deal, the CAP, and their common objectives, are introduced along with the concept of agroecology. Then, the role of IoT and digital technologies in this new context is highlighted, and several case studies are described to show how practical implementations of IoT-based farming systems are contributing to support sustainable farming practices in line with the Green Deal.
Finally, the paper provides some recommendations to get the most of IoT-based smart farming. The focus is put on the need of quantifying/benchmarking the impact and full footprint of IoT and digital solutions in farming, as well as the need for reliable monitoring of target parameters and environmental indicators. Data issues (like compatibility and accessibility) and technology adoption are highlighted as transversal barriers that need to be overcome in order to unleash the full potential of digital solutions.
The paper can be downloaded here.