IT for interconnection of social, economic and environmental aspects in agribusiness

Digital technologies and artificial intelligence are used in plant and animal production on farms, in horticulture, in forestry, and in complex maintenance of the agricultural landscape. Information and study modules were developed to serve not only the farmers but also all working persons in small rural businesses, public administration, self-government, and businesses that deal with the implementation of digitalization in regions and agglomerations. According to the European Committee, the implementation of digital technologies is the only option to guarantee the permanent and harmonious development of natural resources in the common European space ('Digital Twin transfer 2030'), how to ensure the food for a growing population, raw materials and commodities, preserve the quality of the urban and rural environment for a dignified and full-fledged the life of the inhabitants while preserving the natural environment and the cultural wealth of European society. The implementation of precision technology procedures is declared in several EU documents, e.g. 'Path to the Digital Decade Policy Programme' (2021), 'Women in Digital Declaration' (2019), and 'Territorial Agenda 2030'.

Study materials, learning, discussions and the establishment of new contacts will familiarize workers and entrepreneurs in agricultural production and small businesses with the advantages and benefits that the application of digitalization in the forms of precise technologies will bring to their business, eliminating heavy, arduous work and routine activities thanks to robotic devices, autonomous machines and artificial intelligence, leading to better deadlines, reduced chemical consumption and a better environment. New job opportunities for manual workers in technical, technological, and managerial positions. Their manual operations are taken over by autonomous and robotic smart technical devices. Unique opportunities for women to take up jobs and positions that have been the domain of men. Higher added value of production and better quality of services. New business opportunities in the areas of selling own products, tourism, and small businesses. Significant changes in areas of digitalization are expected to occur over the next 10-15 years. Companies and municipalities that do not adapt to this trend will gradually lose competitiveness. Current scientific knowledge does not offer any other or similar alternative.

A team of collaborators was selected to complete all the planned tasks with the desired quality. Partners from 7 European countries were selected (based on strict criteria) for the project consortium: three universities CZU Prague, AGRAREN UNIVERSITET PLOVDIV, Bulgaria, UNIVERSITE DE LIEGE Belgium and four NGO organisations IDEC Greece, CESIE Italy, MEATH Ireland, TREBAG Hungary. Even before the start of the project, the partners in their countries conducted a local investigation into the implementation of precise agriculture based on digitisation in agricultural production and commodity processing. The results of this preliminary survey were used to construct and organise a questionnaire survey in the form of qualitative and quantitative research. The survey provided important information about the specific situation in each partner country and helped organise the questionnaire survey. The questionnaire survey provided the essential information and materials for the subsequent phases of the project solution. Based on its results, the methodology of content and forms of educational and supporting study materials was elaborated. The results of the questionnaire survey were processed and published in English: 1) In 7 national reports on the situation in the application of precision technologies in the partner country. 2) In a comprehensive report that gives a concrete picture of the use of precision technologies in partner countries, compares the application levels, describes each country's specifics, and the level of digitisation in agricultural areas. This report also mentions the situation in some neighbouring European countries. The reports were published on the project's website, and the publication was announced in the Newsletter. In-person reports were also passed along the lines of contact between the cooperating institutions of each partner. During the questionnaire survey, some citizens (farmers, teachers, students, officials, and citizens) were invited to participate in the quality assurance process in the piloting process. The results of the survey revealed that the awareness of small and medium-sized farmers about the implementation of precision technologies is shallow; farmers do not know the basic concepts related to digitisation, or they misunderstand them without deeper context. It was also confirmed that they did not know or had not yet encountered a fully functional application. Based on the information found, the initially proposed plan and the methodology for creating educational materials were modified: a) Increasing the number of learning units by additional items: mainly from the areas of basic information in the field of digitisation (which we believed to be known in the population). This measure eventually led to the creation of twice the number of study units and an increase in Case Studies. b) Regardless of the increased number of study units, maintain the scope and structure of each unit in the initially planned state: 3-5 pages of text, three levels of difficulty (info, basic, master), testing and diagnosis of knowledge. c) To supplement the number of instructional videos with additional units in order to arouse more interest in the study. All study materials in the form of study modules were prepared in English, and they were also revised: a) from the point of view of expertise (by professional staff from the university), b) in the form of master English (by a partner from Ireland). This was followed by a pilot verification of educational materials in target groups created during the questionnaire survey. Dissemination activities were targeted from the beginning of the project to its end and continue to this day. In the first months of the project solution, dissemination focused on providing information about the project's meaning, goals and significance from the point of view of the long-term strategy for developing European society. Challenges such as 'Digital Twin Transfer 2030', 'Path to the Digital Decade Policy Program' (2021), and 'Women in Digital Declaration' (2019) were presented. 'Territorial Agenda 2030', 'Path to the Digital Decade Policy Programme' (2021), 'Ghent Manifesto' (EU work plan for digital transformation 2023 – 2026). The partners tried to explain their meaning and significance for the future of Europe: the application of digital technologies in all areas of social life, the only possibility to guarantee the permanent and harmonious development of natural resources in the common European space, to ensure the need for food, raw materials and commodities for a growing population, to preserve the quality of life the urban and rural environment for a dignified and full-fledged life of the inhabitants while preserving the natural environment and cultural wealth of European society. The second dissemination phase started after creating and tuning a substantial part of the study materials: they were already available on the English version of the website. It was available there for the first interested parties - mainly teachers at vocational schools, students and employees of municipalities - primarily people who came to the taste of the project as a result of a questionnaire survey. The third phase of dissemination began with the organisation of educational seminars. These were organised in each partner country: complete study materials were presented, farmers were discussed, video recordings were shown, and distributors and sellers of the corresponding agricultural equipment spoke at some seminars. The project ended successfully. All planned activities were completed. Educational materials are available in English and each of the partners' national languages (Czech Republic, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary) and are fully available to those interested in studying. All texts are freely accessible. Thanks to English, they are also available to all other interested parties from any country in the world. All texts can be downloaded and translated into any language using a translator (e.g. Google or OpenAI).

All results are available on the project OPEN PLATFORM (https://itfarm.trebag.hu/). On Moodle (https://projekty.czu.cz/course/index.php?categoryid=173&lang=en), you can take the complete 1/2-day, 2-day, or 4-day version of the course. A user can register via email or enter the platform as a guest. There are 11 videos on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@ITFARMERASMUSPLUS). Information about the project can also be accessed through channels such as YouTube and Facebook or from web search engines using keywords. Description of the results in more detail: The project offers study modules covering a diverse range of topics to equip farmers with the knowledge and skills essential for digital implementation, modernization and developments in farming practices, providing learners with an understanding of the latest innovations in farming and technology. Participants can use 34 modules in 3 different levels of courses (1/2 day, 2 days, 4 days). Each level includes study materials, case studies, self-tests, quizzes and videos that may be practically applied. All courses conclude with a test, and a certificate will be issued upon request. Courses are available in 3 levels of difficulty: Informative level: an overview of the project’s goals and methods and an exploration of all modules. Basic Level: Besides the content covered in the Informative level, the basic makes it possible to select specific topics from each module in a more detailed explanation and with discussion. The Master level comprehensively covers all module topics and provides elaborate practical examples. Participants engage in deeper discussions. Overview of the modules: B1.1 Precision agriculture definition B1.2 Smart connected machines B1.3 Big data B1.4 GIS and GPS – overview of disponible equipment B1.5 Spectral monitoring and indices B1.6 Smart phones and tablets B1.7 Hyperspectral sensing systems B1.8 Drones B1.9 Decision making based on IoT B1.10 Autonomous machines in agriculture T1.1 Sampling T1.2 Soil sampling T1.3 Grid sampling T1.4 Zone sampling T1.5 Mapping T1.6 Soil modelling T1.7 Pasture sampling techniques T1.8 Precision Agronomics T1.9 PA Machinery and Equipment T1.10 Yield mapping T1.11 Agrotechnical operations T1.12 Soil Processing T1.13 Harvesting T1.14 Sowing T1.15 Spraying T1.16 Fertilization T1.17 Irrigation D1.1 Data collection – senzors D1.2 Soil sensors used for general crop management D1.3 Senzors plant health D1.4 Irrigation sensors D1.5 Plant nutrition sensors D1.6 Plant protection sensors D1.7 Weather data and forecasts Overview of the casestudies: Automated feeding system for sows Connected collar in dairy cows Meteo station Application of smart technologies in Avesta Ltd. Application of smart technologies in Sakar Angus Ltd. Application of fermentation technology in winery Application of slurry management in a cattle farm Application of vertical crop production in a charity farm Application of Robotic Milking System Application of Automated dairy and cheese factory Application of precision farming The use of precision agriculture Application of combination of smart technologies in nutshell Application of drones in horticultural and cereals Application of telemetric stations in oil tree cultivation Application of Automatic Calf Feeders Application of laser technology in silos Application of Robotics In Dairy Farming Case study Agromini Case study Bonne Valleé Case study Tre Virtù Overview of the videos: Milkcom Ltd (Bulgaria) Farm Divisovi (Czech Republic) Anaerobic Digestion – Teagasc (Ireland) Agrovoltaic (Czech Republic) Precicion Agricultura Városföldi Ltd. (Hungary) Petöcz Winery -Smart Cooling System (Hungary) Agrominy Coollesano (Italy) Farm Morina (Czech Republic) Farm Nelepec (Czech Republic) Wellnuts farm (Greece) Enee Farm – Gembloux (Belgium) All tests of study materials are simple, adapted to the goals of the project, accessible to workers with basic education. Complete with many pictures and examples. ITFARM speaks the language of farmers, SMEs and is user-friendly for them.