Following the first participation at the Synergy Days in the frame of SmartAgriHubs project, Farmtopia project team re-visited the European AgTech innovation ecosystem at the Synergy Days 2025 in Rotterdam. However, this time, Farmtopia did not only bring the vision and opportunities but the concrete achievements of Farmtopia’s work in the field of digital agriculture.
Synergy Days is an essential event for the European agri-food innovation ecosystem, gathering European projects, digital innovation hubs, researchers, policymakers, farmers, technology providers, and other stakeholders engaged in advancing the competitiveness, sustainability, and digitalization of agricultural production.
The 2025 edition of Synergy Days saw the Farmtopia team re-uniting with the European AgTech innovation ecosystem, sharing the insights on the digital innovations for agriculture, and engaging in the joint discussion on the synergies.
Showcasing Farmtopia's Progress
At the exhibition stand, the Farmtopia team presented the accomplishments of the project and provided the visitors with the information on the current state and further prospects of Sustainable Innovation Pilots, as well as the Farmtopia’s reusable digital components.
While last year the Farmtopia team mainly focused on introducing the project to the wide audience and promoting the Open Call, this year the visitors could learn more about the concrete outcomes of Farmtopia’s activities. The Farmtopia team highlighted the importance of the Sustainable Innovation Pilots in terms of testing and adopting the digital technologies for agricultural applications, as well as presented the project’s reusable digital components aimed at facilitating the adoption process of various stakeholders.
At the Synergy Days stand, the Farmtopia team facilitated the exchange of knowledge and experience with the stakeholders interested in the topic. Moreover, the Farmtopia representatives engaged in the discussion with the researchers, innovators, projects, policymakers, and other stakeholders in the field of digital agriculture. In particular, Farmtopia team members met with Hans Bakker from the PHITO project, with whom Farmtopia will further explore the synergies and opportunities for joint cooperation. In particular, such events as Synergy Days allow for establishing the communication between the projects working in similar fields.
Sharing Farmtopia's Journey
In addition to the presentation at the exhibition stand, Farmtopia’s journey was shared with the Synergy Days participants via a pitch by the Farmtopia Project Coordinator Dionysios Solomos.
During the pitch, the audience was introduced to the achievements and outcomes of Farmtopia, as well as the current focus areas that allow for advancing the project’s mission. In particular, during the 2025 pitch, the Farmtopia team shared the experience from the project’s first year, outlining the initial goals and objectives, as well as the steps taken to build an extensive network of collaborators and ecosystem partners.
It was also particularly interesting to compare the content of Farmtopia’s 2024 and 2025 pitches, as they highlight the journey of Farmtopia from initially launching the mission and engaging stakeholders to actually delivering the results on time.
Indeed, while at the 2024 edition of Synergy Days, the main goal of Farmtopia’s participation was to introduce the project to the global AgTech innovation ecosystem, this year, the Farmtopia team was able to demonstrate the results achieved since last year.
Putting Ethics at the Centre of Digital Agriculture
While technological advancement offers unprecedented opportunities for innovations in all fields, including agriculture, such opportunities should be considered and utilized carefully and responsibly.
In particular, the Farmtopia team organized, in cooperation with E-SPFdigit, the first workshop on Human Rights and Ethics Considerations for Tech Tools in Agriculture, the main goal of which was to facilitate the discussion on ethical implications introduced by the use of digital technologies in agriculture.
A representative from the Green Supply Chain led the discussion, during which the workshop participants were invited to share their ideas and thoughts on how to respect and incorporate human rights in the development and use of agricultural technologies.
Indeed, as the technologies continue to play an increasingly important role in agricultural production, a number of ethical issues may emerge concerning the data on agricultural activities, the accessibility of technologies for various stakeholders, and other factors.
Such topics as human rights and ethics in relation to technologies in agriculture are of particular interest to the Farmtopia team, as they incorporate the responsible usage of data, transparency, and a number of other aspects in the development of digital solutions for agriculture.
Open-Source Tools for Smallholder Farmers
The second workshop organized within the framework of Farmtopia’s participation at Synergy Days 2025 was related to the opportunities for smallholder farmers.
In cooperation with the OpenAgri project, the Farmtopia team, with the support of Christopher Brewster from Green Supply Chain, introduced the workshop participants to the open-source tools that could be beneficial for smallholder farmers.
In particular, Odysseas Sekkas from NEUROPUBLIC and Nikos Kalatzis from Green Supply Chain DIH presented several open-source solutions that OpenAgri has identified as potentially relevant for smallholder farmers in particular, as well as for agricultural production in general.Moreover, the workshop also provided the stakeholders with the opportunity to discuss the concerns related to the use of digital technologies in smallholder farming, in particular, regarding the opportunities and challenges they entail.
As the open-source tools and solutions are often more flexible and adaptive, they can serve as the basis for developing and adopting digital technologies for agricultural applications.
In particular, such technologies can be relevant for smallholder farmers, who, compared to large-scale producers, often lack the resources for digitalization.
Overall, the two workshops organized by the Farmtopia team at the Synergy Days 2025 highlight the importance of two key aspects of digital agriculture: the ethical considerations related to the use of technologies and the opportunities for smallholder farmers to adopt digital solutions.
Building Synergies Across the European AgTech Ecosystem
The wide range of collaboration and networking opportunities was another advantage of organizing the Synergy Days, as the Farmtopia team was able to engage in the discussions with a variety of stakeholders.
In particular, the Farmtopia team participated in the discussions on digital agriculture both at the exhibition stand and during the Synergy Days workshops, as well as during the other events held during the Synergy Days 2025.
During the Synergy Days, the Farmtopia team could also closely interact with the PHITO project, which, similar to Farmtopia, focuses on promoting and supporting the development of innovative technologies.
In addition, the Farmtopia team also maintained collaboration with a variety of other projects and organizations, including the OpenAgri and Green Supply Chain DIH initiatives.
Indeed, the European AgTech innovation ecosystem involves a diverse set of stakeholders with different, yet interconnected, interests. Such an approach allows for considering the various aspects of digital agriculture, ranging from technological advancements to ethical concerns.
Moreover, the collaboration between the projects allows for building extensive networks of stakeholders and promoting the joint solutions developed by the cooperations.
In particular, the engagement in the Synergy Days 2025 allowed for building multiple connections with other projects, stakeholders, and policymakers interested in digital agriculture.
Thus, the Synergy Days participation once again proved to be a great opportunity for Farmtopia to promote its mission, as well as to establish the long-standing collaboration with the stakeholders from the European AgTech innovation ecosystem
From Introducing Farmtopia to Demonstrating Its Relevance:
The two Synergy Days participation experiences demonstrate the importance of such events for promoting the mission of Farmtopia, as well as for interacting with a wide range of stakeholders.
Indeed, while introducing the project to the audience at the Synergy Days 2024 marked the beginning of Farmtopia’s journey, the experience of Synergy Days 2025 shows how much Farmtopia has achieved since the last year.
From the perspective of Farmtopia’s mission, such events as Synergy Days also allow for reflecting on the goals and opportunities for the further development of the project.
In particular, the discussion on the ethical implications of using digital technologies in agriculture highlights the Farmtopia’s interest in ensuring the responsible development and adoption of digital solutions for agriculture.
In addition, the workshops on the open-source tools allow for considering the needs of a variety of stakeholders, from large-scale producers to smallholder farmers.
This, in turn, allows for developing the solutions that respond to the specific needs of various stakeholders, as well as for promoting their further adoption and use in agricultural production.