Europe’s agriculture could be transformed by the internet of things

Waterford’s TSSG is bidding to lead a €30m EU-wide pilot focused on how smart technologies and the internet of things could transform Europe’s agricultural landscape.

Waterford Institute of Technology’s TSSG, as part of the eDIGIREGION project, is leading and hosting a major Agriculture 4.0: The Internet of Things Boosting Regional Innovation workshop at ICT 2015 – Innovation, Connect, Transform in Lisbon in late October.

This is the biggest ICT event in the EU calendar and all the big names in the global ICT market will be present.

TSSG will also be making its pitch at the Lisbon event to lead a €30m EU-wide pilot on the internet of things (IoT) and its potential impact in agriculture.

The Irish contingent feels its track record in the sector gives it a distinct competitive advantage. TSSG plans to put together a consortium at the Lisbon event to make a strong case to lead the pilot.

The TSSG-led session will see key delegates discuss current, unsolved challenges and identify where ICT and the interlinked, data-sharing elements of the IoT have the greatest opportunity to stimulate innovation, capacity and growth within all the regions of Europe.

“Leveraging advances in ICT in traditional industries is a frequently untapped source of value added that has the potential to give those who grasp it first a real, global advantage,” said TSSG’s workshop host Brian Foley.

“Such a potential is clear today in agriculture, where ICT advances are enticing businesses to rethink their processes along the full value chain – from farm to fork – and consider a vast array of innovations.

“ICT also has the capability to boost food security and food safety, energy efficiency, overall efficiency and sustainability of resources. We are only at the beginning of realising the potential of ICT in agriculture. It is a hot topic internationally. New investment in agritech is passing out clean tech and fintech.

“Working together and working smarter we can make better use of limited resources, achieve higher standards, guarantee food chain traceability and achieve better outcomes for the farmer, the industry, the consumer and those regulating the industry,” Foley said.

Taken from Silicon Republic