The report titled "Boosting the Twin Transition in Agriculture and a Resilient Innovation Ecosystem: Standards and Platformisation in the Spotlight", examines the role of technology standards and digital platforms in transforming the agricultural sector in the context of the EU Twin Transition, based upon expert feedback gathered through an online survey.
The EU Twin Transition (Digital and Green Transition) refers to the EU's commitment to simultaneously progress digital transformation and sustainability. In the context of the AgriTech sector this means that innovations must not only be digitally advanced but also contribute to environmental sustainability. It is critical to align standardisation efforts with broader EU strategic goals such as the Green Deal and the Digital Single Market.
A total of 124 respondents from 23 countries (the majority from Ireland) including a broad variety of AgriTech stakeholders including SMEs, researchers, large industry and public bodies, business associations, European Digital Innovation Hubs, farmers’ associations, agriculture chambers, and clusters took part in this comprehensive survey providing insights into the development, adoption, and impact of standards, quasi-standards, and digital platforms in the sector.
Through Walton Institute’s existing engagement in national standardisation activities (e.g. through the NSAI IoT and Digital Twin group), and EU projects such as DEMETER (H2020) (in which a new agricultural information model was proposed), DIVINE (Horizon Europe) and SmartAgriHubs (H2020), as well as national projects such as AgriDiscrete, the Institute has developed a strong overview of the current state of play, challenges and objectives related to digitalisation of agriculture. Accordingly, the survey examined the current landscape of standards development in digital agriculture; challenges related to digital applications, data management, and analysis; and opportunities for enhancing standardisation processes.
Kevin Doolin, Executive Director of Walton Institute and author of the report, discusses the relevance of this survey to the Irish and European agritech sector. “This work serves to highlight the key challenges, barriers and of course opportunities faced by industry across Europe in terms of development and adoption of standards, quasi-standards, and digital platforms. It presents multiple policy and regulatory recommendations which, if addressed, can serve to improve the status of digital interoperability across the AgriTech supply chain in Europe.”
Several challenges are identified such as the fragmentation of standards with many calling for an emphasis on education, engagement, and simple and practical standards to encourage wider adoption. The role of digital platforms is recognised as central to facilitating data exchange and collaboration in the value chain, however seamless integration and interoperability continues to be a barrier.
The report outlines 9 key recommendations associated with policies and regulations, related to digital platforms and standardisation, to drive innovation and sustainability in the sector. Central to these recommendations are the farmers and SMEs who need support on the ground to overcome policy and standardisation obstacles to adopt digital platforms and technologies. The report also emphasizes the importance of scaling innovation through policies that encourage digital transformation and environmental sustainability.
Key Recommendations
- Enhance interoperability across the sector
- Leverage digital platforms for standardisation
- Support SMEs and stakeholder inclusivity
- Align standardisation with sustainability goals
- Promote broader awareness and stakeholder engagement
- Strengthen collaboration and coordination among stakeholders
- Regulatory and policy alignment
- Strategic funding and resource allocation
- Continuous monitoring and adaptation
