PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
To meet increasing demand for food, the agricultural sector has historically raised production through a high usage of fertilisers, pesticides, water and fossil fuels. This has led to negative environmental impacts, including soil degradation, freshwater shortages, pollution of soils, air and water, and climate change. Moreover, some resources, such as phosphorus, are non-renewable and current levels of consumption raise serious concerns for future food security. Given that the world’s population is predicted to reach 9 billion people by 2050, there is a vital need to develop farming systems that sustain or increase crop production while utilising all the necessary resources in the most efficient way.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE GAIA Sense project’s main objective was to demonstrate an innovative, adaptable and affordable smart farming system. The aim was to reduce the consumption of natural resources and agrochemicals, while maintaining or increasing crop yields. The project had the objective to install 18 demonstration systems on farms in Greece, Portugal and Spain, covering nine crops (olive, peach, cotton, pistachio, potato, table tomato, industrial tomato, almond and kiwi fruit), under different terrain and microclimatic conditions. LIFE GAIA Sense would assess the performance of the system, for example, on soil, water and air quality; savings on water and pesticide use; greenhouse gas and other air pollutant emissions; and farmers’ incomes. The results were expected to help the project team adapt the system for use by farmers in different regions. Although based on high-end technology, the system would be designed to be affordable for both agricultural cooperatives and individual farmers. The project team would promote the smart farming system to help ensure its adoption within the agricultural sector. By promoting more efficient resource use, the project would contribute to EU policy supporting sustainable farming practices and the development of a circular economy in agriculture.
RESULTS
The LIFE GAIA Sense project demonstrated an innovative ‘smart farming’ (SF) solution that lowers the consumption of resources (water, fertilisers, pesticides, fuel), thus protecting the environment and supporting the circular economy. It carried out 18 demonstrations in a range of climates and terrains in Greece, Spain and Portugal, covering nine crops: olives, peaches, cotton, pistachio, potatoes, tomatoes, walnut, grapes and kiwi.
The project team offered advice to farmers and agricultural cooperatives participating in the project, leading to marked reductions in the amount of resources used. The use of fertilisers was down by 33%, water by 18%, pesticides by 24% and fuel by 40%, with reductions in overall cost. The project solution was thus shown to be an attractive option, especially for small-scale farmers who do not need to invest in expensive equipment. The project also reached most of its set emission targets: PM10, NOx, and NMVOC emissions fell by 48.5%, CO2 and CH4 by 32%, NH3 by 20.5% and N2O by 20%. Finally, communication activities reached more than 150 000 farmers in the participating countries.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
