This blog post is based on the 22nd Practice Abstract from the second batch of Farmtopia Practice Abstracts.
For many small and medium-sized farms, agricultural machinery represents one of the largest production costs. Buying, maintaining and replacing equipment can require significant investment, while individual machines may remain underused for much of the year. The French CUMA model offers an alternative: farmers can jointly own and share agricultural machinery, improving equipment utilisation while spreading investment and operating costs across several users. Through Sustainable Innovation Pilot 9 (SIP9), Farmtopia explored how digital tools can strengthen this collaborative approach and make machinery sharing easier to manage.
Bringing machinery sharing into the digital age
Working with the CUMA Federation, Farmtopia enhanced MyCumaLink and developed a European equipment-sharing platform inspired by the CUMA model.
The aim was to bring information that is often spread across different systems into one more accessible environment. Machinery, financial and operational data can be combined to give cooperatives a clearer picture of their equipment and how it is being used.
The solutions developed through the pilot include:
- a machinery depreciation calculator to support equipment valuation and financial planning;
- a decision-support dashboard for analysing machinery fleets, costs, activities and future investment needs;
- improved visualisation of available machinery and digital services;
- tools that turn fragmented data into clear indicators to support cooperative decision-making.
Rather than replacing the collaborative model, the digital tools are designed to make it easier to understand, manage and plan.
From scattered data to better decisions
For machinery-sharing cooperatives, having access to the right information is essential when deciding whether to maintain, replace or purchase equipment.
The implementation and user validation of the SIP9 tools confirmed their practical relevance and usability for cooperative machinery management. By bringing operational and financial information together, the platform helps cooperatives assess:
- how machinery assets are being used;
- the costs associated with their equipment fleet;
- opportunities to improve machinery utilisation;
- the value and depreciation of existing assets;
- future replacement and investment needs.
This can give cooperatives a stronger basis for deciding where their resources are most needed, rather than relying on fragmented information or manual calculations.
What does this mean for farmers?
For an individual farmer, collaborative machinery sharing can reduce the need to purchase expensive equipment independently. Digital tools can then help the cooperative manage that shared equipment more effectively. For example, a cooperative can use information about its machinery fleet and associated costs to identify underused equipment, assess future investments or consider whether additional machinery would be beneficial.
The approach can also support greater transparency between members by making information about equipment, costs and use easier to organise and understand.
A model that can work beyond France
The CUMA experience demonstrates the potential of collaborative machinery ownership, while Farmtopia’s work explored how digital tools could help this approach reach a wider European audience. The SIP9 pilot shows that the combination of cooperation and digitalisation can help farmers make better use of existing resources without every farm needing to invest in its own complete machinery fleet.
For cooperatives and farmer groups considering similar models, the experience highlights the importance of bringing together machinery data, financial information and operational records in a format that is simple enough to support everyday decisions.
Supporting more efficient use of farm machinery
Machinery sharing is ultimately about making better use of resources. Digital tools such as MyCumaLink and the solutions developed through SIP9 can strengthen this model by helping cooperatives understand their assets, monitor costs and plan investments.
By turning dispersed data into practical information, the Farmtopia pilot demonstrates how digital solutions can support more efficient machinery use, better investment decisions and stronger cooperation among farmers.
Based on Farmtopia Practice Abstract 21
Official title: MyCumaLink: Enhancing Collaborative Equipment Sharing for Farmers with New Features (SIP9)
Publisher: Agricultural University of Athens & Ouest Cuma
Authors: Giannis Seremetis, Stephane Volant
Contact: i.seremetis@aua.gr; stephane.volant@cuma.fr
Further information:
The Practice Abstract provides links to the MyCumaLink platform, the CUMA Equipment Management Tool and CumaEstime, which were co-designed and developed through Farmtopia.