This blog post is based on the 31st Practice Abstract from the second batch of Farmtopia Practice Abstracts.
For small and medium-sized kiwi farms, keeping track of irrigation needs and pest risks can be challenging. Farmers often rely on experience, manual field observations and information that may only become available after a delay. At the same time, many commercial precision agriculture platforms can be too expensive or complex for smaller farms.
FARM5.0, developed within the Farmtopia project, offers a different approach: a low-cost digital assistant and lightweight digital twin designed to give kiwi growers a clearer, near-real-time view of their orchard and support everyday decisions.
The challenge: making timely decisions in the orchard
Kiwi production can be sensitive to changes in temperature, soil moisture and humidity, particularly during important stages of crop development. Water stress, low-temperature events and pest pressure can affect fruit quality and production. Yet farmers cannot always be physically present in the orchard to monitor changing conditions. For many small farms, the alternative is manual observation and experience-based decision-making. This can mean that information about a problem takes days to be identified or communicated.
FARM5.0 was designed to provide a more continuous picture of orchard conditions without requiring a large or expensive precision-farming installation.
A digital twin built around affordable sensors
FARM5.0 was developed by YTHION and piloted at MORAITI FARM, a kiwi orchard in Arta, Greece.
The system combines several components:
- ESP32-based sensor nodes measuring soil moisture, air temperature and humidity;
- LoRaWAN connectivity for transmitting field data;
- a web-based farm dashboard;
- irrigation and pest-risk analytics;
- automated alerts;
- and a customised LLM-based digital assistant.
The assistant can respond to farmer questions in Greek and English, using available farm data to provide decision-support information. The platform can also be deployed in cloud, edge or hybrid configurations. This gives farms some flexibility where connectivity is limited and allows core monitoring and advisory services to continue operating in different farm environments. Through integration with Farmtopia components, local sensor data can also be enriched with farm records and weather-related information.
From raw measurements to useful information
The purpose of FARM5.0 is not simply to collect more data. It is to make that information easier for farmers to use.
The platform provides visibility of orchard conditions and can generate alerts when relevant conditions require attention. Farmers can also interact with the digital assistant rather than having to interpret every individual sensor reading themselves.
During the pilot, the system demonstrated:
- 97.2% sensor uptime;
- automated alert generation in approximately 188 milliseconds;
- assistant responses in under 10 seconds;
- and approximately 90% response accuracy.
These technical results indicate the potential for near-real-time monitoring and decision support compared with previous manual observation-based practices.
Potential benefits for irrigation and pest management
The full-cycle impact figures presented in the Practice Abstract are projected, rather than measured over a complete production cycle.
The projected figures indicate potential annual water-use reduction from 15,000 m³ to approximately 12,500 m³, while pesticide use could decrease from 6 kg to approximately 5 kg per season. Yield is projected to increase from 40 tonnes to approximately 43 tonnes. The cost-effectiveness assessment estimates an additional gross profit of approximately €1,300 per hectare per year, compared with an indicative annual solution cost of around €500 per hectare. Structured feedback from farmers also showed satisfaction above 90%.
These figures demonstrate the expected potential of the solution, but should not be interpreted as confirmed impacts across multiple full production cycles.
Start small rather than digitising everything
One of the practical strengths of FARM5.0 is that farmers do not need to install sensors throughout the entire orchard from the beginning.
The recommendation is to start with a minimal sensing kit, such as:
- two sensor nodes;
- and one gateway.
Once the farmer has confirmed that the system provides useful information, the deployment can be expanded. The pilot also found that a four-hour data capture interval provides a reasonable balance between field visibility and battery autonomy. Under the tested configuration, battery life was estimated at approximately two months. This step-by-step approach can make digital monitoring more manageable for smaller farms and help farmers invest according to the value they see in practice.
Keep the farmer in control
FARM5.0 is designed as a decision-support system, not an automatic farming system.
The platform can provide information and alerts about orchard conditions, but the farmer remains responsible for deciding whether to irrigate, change pest-management practices or take another action. This is particularly important because sensor readings and digital recommendations need to be interpreted alongside practical knowledge of the orchard, weather conditions and the crop’s development.
The technology therefore works best as an additional source of information that supports, rather than replaces, farmer experience.
Practical recommendations for kiwi growers
Farmers interested in introducing a similar system should:
- Start with a small sensing setup, such as two sensor nodes and one gateway.
- Place sensors in representative locations where they can provide useful information about orchard conditions.
- Use a data capture interval that balances monitoring needs with battery life.
- Combine sensor information with weather and farm records.
- Treat alerts and AI-generated responses as decision-support information, not automatic instructions.
- Keep the farmer or agronomist involved in irrigation and pest-management decisions.
- Expand the sensor network gradually once the practical value of the system has been demonstrated.
Making digital orchard management more accessible
FARM5.0 demonstrates that digital decision support does not necessarily require a large-scale precision agriculture investment.
By combining affordable sensors, wireless connectivity, a farm dashboard and an AI-powered assistant, the solution provides small and medium-sized kiwi farms with a way to monitor conditions more continuously and respond to potential problems earlier.
The pilot at MORAITI FARM shows how a step-by-step, low-cost approach can bring digital monitoring and advisory capabilities closer to the needs of smaller producers.
For farmers, the starting point does not have to be a fully connected orchard. A few well-placed sensors, useful data and practical decision support can be enough to take the first step.
About this Practice Abstract
Official title: A Low-Cost Digital Assistant and Digital Twin for Irrigation and Pest Management in Kiwi Orchards (FARM5.0 OC SIP)
Publisher: YTHION
Author: Alessio Costa
Contact: projects@ythion.eu