Virtual platform connects experts in regenerative agriculture internationally
Regenerative agriculture focuses on improving soil health to achieve more sustainable agricultural production. However, practices vary significantly, making it challenging to identify the most suitable methods. A virtual platform aims to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experiences, helping to spread regenerative agriculture techniques.
Soil health is one of the most critical resources in agriculture. The goal of regenerative agriculture is to enhance soil fertility, water conservation, and the overall condition of agricultural ecosystems. It is also a key component of climate action in agriculture. However, production environments and socio-cultural factors vary across different countries and regions, leading to diverse farming methods. These variations create challenges in comparing farming results and disseminating effective practices.
As one solution to this challenge, the European Union’s “A Soil Deal for Europe” mission aims to establish 100 “living labs” by 2030 to guide the transition toward healthier soils. However, individual living labs and farmers are often geographically distant from each other, which hinders the adoption and dissemination of knowledge and best practices.
The CAgriLab project aims to enable real-time sharing of information, measurements, and data between living labs and farmers practicing regenerative agriculture. This is achieved using digital twins, data spaces, blockchain technology, and artificial intelligence (AI). The project will establish a virtual platform to integrate and manage digital twins of living labs and farms, facilitating knowledge exchange. Additionally, the project will develop cost-effective AI-based tools for measuring and analyzing soil health and biodiversity, supporting evidence-based regenerative agriculture.
The virtual platform serves as a collaborative space where stakeholders can share insights, accelerating the spread of regenerative agriculture techniques. It helps farmers adopt sustainable practices best suited to their specific conditions.
Nathanie Narra, project manager at HAMK
The project’s virtual platform will be tested by creating digital replicas of the Living Labs in Finland, Poland, and Ireland. A small group of farmers will also be invited to test the platform’s functionality.
CAgriLab – Consolidated virtual living lab platform for knowledge sharing and adaption in regenerative agriculture
The international CAgriLab project is coordinated by Technological University of the Shannon (Ireland). Project partners include Häme University of Applied Sciences HAMK (Finland), Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center (Poland), and CGFP Sp. z o.o. (Poland). HAMK’s role focuses particularly on developing AI-based tools.
Funding for the consortium has been requested through the ICT-AGRI-FOOD 2024 Joint Call. The Finnish part of the project is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland.
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