The FAIRshare project will have its outcomes discussed at its final conference in Greece on October, 2 and 3, 2023.
The project is aimed at enabling better uptake of digital technologies by European farmers.
In October, agricultural advisors, researchers, and other stakeholders will discuss the implications that the outcomes of the project will have for the digitalisation of agriculture in Europe.
Raquel Caetano Ferreira, manager of the FAIRshare project, said: “The project has made significant strides increasing the adoption of digital technologies among farmers’ advisors across Europe.”
“We’re excited to share the valuable results of this five-year project, providing opportunities for networking and knowledge exchange.”
Teagasc has been a part of the FAIRshare project since the initiative began as a result of funding from EU Horizon 2020.
Teagasc involvement
Teagasc was challenged to increase the frequency and value of farm visits or discussion groups by having real-time access to the toolbox of apps, digital decision support tools and the large amount of data and advisory material via hardware devices.
The aim of this challenge was to pilot the use of smart tablets and digital tools by advisors on farm to enhance efficiency and frequency of farm visits.
Richard O’ Brien, Teagasc regional advisory manager in Co. Waterford and Co. Kilkenny said: “20 advisors in the south east of the country were part of this project.
“They upgraded their laptop to a tablet to make using digital tools and advisory services (DATS) easier on farm and to reduce workload and paper as well.
“Bluetooth enabled accessories were also obtained to increase usage. This pilot project worked extremely well to engage farmers and we got better usage of Teagasc DATS.”
Projects in the EU
There were 42 different pilot projects that took place across 19 European countries. These included:
- Netherlands: To optimise soil health by implementing a farm soil and water plan;
- Serbia: To use DATS to improve awareness and management of mastitis in dairy cows in south east Europe;
- Belgium: To implement DATS to better manage feed and ration levels on Belgian dairy farms;
- Portugal: To gather different data sources with useful and timely information for decision making based on sustainable practices in the Alqueva region.