Farmtopia’s Workshop: Engaging Introduction and Feedback to Farmtopia Services

On July 3rd, Farmtopia’s consortium members convened for an internal workshop “Introduction to Farmtopia Services and Feedback Session,” aimed to provide an overview of the pre-final Farmtopia services’ functionalities and gather valuable feedback from agricultural experts.

The workshop’s agenda was with an introductory session by the leader of the Work package dedicated to Digital Solutions, and the project’s technical leader, Nikos Kalatzi from the project’s coordinating organization NEUROPUBLIC. He provided an overview of the agenda and emphasized the workshop’s dual purpose: introducing attendees to the services under development in the Work Package, and soliciting feedback from experts in the field, as well as leaders of the project’s Sustainable Innovation Pilots (SIPs). He highlighted the objective of releasing the first set of services by September, ensuring their usability and practicality for end-users.

The workshop featured three key presentations, each focusing on a distinct service planned by the project, as planned in its initial proposal:

• Digital Field Book Service: Miran Bunderla from the project’s partner organisation ITC introduced the Farmtopia Digital FieldBook, a software service designed as a modular solution for small farms. This service enables the recording and management of farm properties, coordination, assets, fertilisers, chemicals, and agricultural practices such as planting and observations. By standardising these recordings, the Digital FieldBook facilitates the creation of comprehensive reports and data sharing. Currently, the service is undergoing testing by farmers and advisors, who are actively contributing to its development through a multi-actor approach.
• The Farmtopia Data Integration Service: Markos Fragkopoulos, from another Farmtopia partner organisation GreenSupplyChain Digital Innovation Hub, presented the Farmtopia Semantic Model, an integration service. Building upon the Ploutos Common Semantic Model, this service addresses the need for affordable data acquisition from numerous sources. A significant feature of this service is its integration with the Open Weather API, which provides essential weather-related data such as ambient temperature, humidity, wind speed, direction, and precipitation. This integration supports current weather measurements and forecasting, crucial for informed agricultural decision-making.
• Data Exchange Service: Word Package leader Nikos Kalatzis introduced the Farmtopia Data Exchange Module, which facilitates collaboration and knowledge sharing among various entities, including smart farming services and farmers. This module features a datasource listing, a search engine for registered data sources, and a heartbeat function that monitors the availability of each datasource, notifying owners if a source becomes unavailable. Thanasis Manos from NEUROPUBLIC further elaborated on the module’s procedures, demonstrating how consumer applications can utilise these services effectively.

Following the presentations, the workshop transitioned into an interactive feedback session. Participants, consisting of SIP leaders and technical staff, were invited to provide feedback, ask questions, and engage in discussions, contributing to a dynamic and insightful exchange of ideas. This session was particularly valuable, as it allowed the consortium to gauge the practical implications and usability of the proposed services. The workshop concluded with closing remarks and a discussion on the next steps for the co-development of Agricultural Digital Solutions (ADSs).

In summary, Farmtopia’s workshop set the stage for the development of innovative agricultural solutions aimed at supporting small farms.