Tools for digital and sustainable agriculture – Smart AGri Expert Erasmus Project

Project Title

Tools for digital and sustainable agriculture – Smart AGri Expert

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Partnerships for Digital Education Readiness

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Agriculture, forestry and fisheries; Environment and climate change

Project Summary

CONTEXT
SAGRE purposes two issues on farming and specifically on the crop and horticulture cultivation
– to enhance the precise and sustainable usage of chemical fertilizers
– to promote a shift to Circular Economy and increased usage of bio-fertilizers
SAGRE trains the trainers.SAGRE builds on the excellence of the European agri-technology and directs its efforts on transferring knowledge and demonstrating feasible IT solutions to build capacity for the new profession of Smart Agri Expert.Smart Agri Experts will form a practice-oriented knowledge node between agri-tech forerunners,science community and agriculture stakeholders and farmers.
RATIONALE
Turkey is among the first ten agricultural producing countries in the world. However, Turkey’s agricultural lands shrunk by an alarming rate 7.3% between 2001-2017(TUIK). Although agricultural lands have shrunk,usage of artificial fertilizers has increased by 16% between 2007-2016.One of the most important reasons for this increase is the inefficiency of the soil as a result of incorrect fertilizer applications.
Transformation of traditional agriculture through digital advancements is realized differently by EU countries. Particularly, Turkey is facing several obstacles:low awareness of stakeholders, low IT literacy,insufficient infrastructure,lack of smart agri policies&insufficient localization.
Moreover,with Covid-19,new digitization measures need to be adapted to mitigate the negative effect of pandemic in agriculture.
OBJECTIVES:
SAGRE’s objective is to create a training methodology and a training strategy for developing SmartAgri Expert program and exploit the knowledge to broader audience(to farmers)by validating the methodology through training material and LTT.
1:Build a community of practice and the structures to exploit the results to the direction of sustainable smart agriculture
2:Develop the Smart Agri Expert learning material for working adults: the precision farming, the usage of chemical- and biofertilizers and sustainable agriculture
3:Build capacity for Smart Agri Experts
4:Pilot and validate Smart Agri Experts’ competence at interaction with farmers and other agri-stakeholders
TARGET GROUP:The primary target group is the adults who are working in the agriculture sector in crop or horticultural cultivation.Their current role is to advise and train farmers and cooperatives,and also to give expertise support for governance, legislation and policy makers.They have a basic knowledge of information technology but a practical knowledge and skills on digital emerging agro-tech solutions(e.g.sensoring,Internet of Things,precision agriculture,drones,robotics,cloud services,geospatial information,big data management)are limited or lacking.
MOST RELEVANT TANGIBLE RESULTS:
– Digital Innovation Hub with applications, data sets and e-learning features(DIH)
– 1 SAGRE methodology and training guidebook to build capacity and readiness for digital transformation
– 100+ innovative case-studies which reflect real-life environment
– 100+ Smart Agri Experts ready to support their colleagues and create value to farmers
– 300+ work-based learning beneficiaries aka farmers and agriculture stakeholders who have been coached by Smart Agri Experts in the piloting phase of the project
– Validated Learning Program
– 1 active community of practice which has more than 50 members
CONSORTIA
1.The coordinator:ATMD:Agricultural Technologies&Mechanization Department,Republic of Turkey Ministry of Agriculture&Forestry
2.TARNET:Tarnet Tarım Kredi Bilişim ve İletişim
3.CAUN:Cankaya Universitesi Vakfi
4.AFA: Adana Farmers Association
5.P4a:Plan4All
6.CZU:Ceska Zemedelska Univerzita V Praze
7.WRLS:Wirelessınfo
8.AGFT:Ag Futura Technologi Dooel Skopje
IMPACT:Participants share knowledge to each other, build capacity and complement competences in a multidisciplinary environment which aim is to enhance wise usage of chemical- and bio-fertilizers and at the same time to take into account the related disciplines e.g.IT technologies,Circular Economy,Sustainable agriculture & fertilizer legislation.
Agriculture engineers,trainers,coaches,advisers build capacity and complement competences in a multidisciplinary environment which aim to enhance the wise usage of chemical and biofertilizers and to take into account the related disciplines e.g IT technologies,Circular Economy, Sustainable agriculture and legislation.
Primary target group can coach farmers to pick up the right fertilizer on fields and by IT technology to use fertilizers the right amount-not to over-fertilize, nor under-fertilize.It can motivate farmers to change practices towards more sustainable&profitable ones.It can lead farmers to the digital era & take into use digital agri-technologies.It can n bring forward the farmers the opportunities of circular economy.Primary target group has a remarkable impact on farmers attitudes, behaviour and practices to aim for digital and sustainable agriculture.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 149426 Eur

Project Coordinator

Republic of Turkey Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry General Directorate of Agrarian Reform & Country: TR

Project Partners

• CANKAYA UNIVERSITESI VAKFI
• Tarnet Tarım Kredi Bilişim ve İletişim Hiz. San ve Tic. A.Ş
• WIRELESSINFO
• AG FUTURA TECHNOLOGII DOOEL SKOPJE
• Plan4All z.s.
• Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze
• Adana Ciftciler Birligi Dernegi