Small farms dominate the European landscape, yet only 11.9% of EU farm managers are under the age of 40. As fewer young people choose farming, there’s a growing disconnect between the acquired knowledge older farmers have and the digital mindset of the younger generation.
Add to that climate change, rising costs, and stricter sustainability goals, and it’s clear agriculture needs a helping hand. With aims of making these issues a thing of the past, the two EU funded projects AgRimate and AgRibot are stepping in.
AgRimate’s Smarter Pruning with Human-Centric Innovation
AgRimate focuses on one of the most vital, skill-intensive tasks in farming; pruning. For crops like olives and grapes, pruning is an art form that affects yields, quality, and crop longevity. But it’s also laborious, expensive, and dependent on farmers’ expertise. The project blends artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), and robotics in a way that supports farmers—not sidelines them. Using drones and field sensors, it gathers environmental and movement data. AI then analyses this information and draws on expert knowledge to identify ideal pruning strategies for specific conditions. These insights are delivered directly to farmers in the field through real-time AR guidance. Resulting in a smarter, more precise approach to pruning that still keeps human experience at the centre.
To reduce the physical strain of the job, AgRimate also introduces exoskeleton-assisted robotics. And for tasks that can be automated, it provides autonomous robotic support—all designed with small-scale farmers in mind.
Different Tools, One Common Goal
While AgRimate hones in on pruning, AgRibot casts a wider net across the agricultural landscape, automating repetitive tasks like spraying and harvesting in open-field crops. We are on a path to provide farmers with autonomous robots and intelligent tools, helping farmers save time, reduce resource waste, and ease the burden of labour shortages.
Through our shared goal with AgRimate, we aim to empower small and medium-sized farms with the benefits of digital transformation. By placing the farmer at the centre of innovation, we will demonstrate that tradition and technology can thrive side by side.
Farming doesn’t have to lose its roots to embrace the future. With the right tools, it can grow stronger from them. AgRimate and AgRibot will set an example that when innovation is done thoughtfully, it doesn’t just change how we farm—it changes who farming is for.
Learn more about AgRimate at agrimate-project.eu
