DEMETER Newsletter – July 2022
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| Welcome to the July 2022 edition of our newsletter. We recently had our first face-to-face project meeting in two years to discuss our progress and outline the work ahead for the coming year. It was great to be back around the same table sharing ideas! In this edition of the newsletter, we give an update on some of our recent activities. We share the final report of the results from The Farmer’s Voice survey regarding the drivers and barriers to Smart Farming Technology adoption. We also include information on some recent events we’ve been part of such as the WFO General Assembly and FarmConnect Romania. We share details of the winners of our Open Call #2 DEPLOY and the pilots they are undertaking within DEMETER. As always, if you’ve any questions please get in touch at info@h2020-demeter.eu and follow us on social media for the latest project updates.  Project Coordinator |
The Farmer’s Voice – Final Report  DEMETER follows a Multi-Actor Approach (MAA) ensuring that newly developed technical solutions meet real-life needs. Farmers are a key stakeholder group within the DEMETER ecosystem. Understanding their needs, interests, and concerns regarding digital technologies is therefore central to a positive outcome for the project. With this in mind, DEMETER created an online survey to better understand the barriers and drivers to Smart Farming Technology adoption. Following the webinar sharing the results, which took place on 31st March, we have now produced a report with the findings. |
The Open Call #2 DEPLOY winners  The DEMETER Open Call #2 – DEPLOY aims to increase the outreach of the DEMETER value proposition by funding small consortia of 2-3 partners for the deployment of new, high-value pilots in the agri-food sector. These pilots focus on employing DEMETER methodologies and technologies, addressing clear farmer needs, with particular focus on EU geographic regions not currently represented within DEMETER pilots. This expands the technological and/or business coverage of the project, towards digitalising and boosting the European agro-business sector. As a result of the evaluation process, 5 pilots/proposals, among 60, were selected to join the DEMETER project. |
DEMETER Pilot farmers give their feedback The DEMETER Pilot User Satisfaction Survey was conducted at the end of April 2022 to assess pilot round 1 from the pilot farmers’ perspective. The survey was directed at the end-users of the products/solutions that are built in the course of each of DEMETER’s 20 pilot projects. In this way, response data from 86 pilot farmers was collected. The 20-min survey included various rating and open questions to evaluate the pilot solutions in terms of their usefulness, ease of use, perceived interoperability, barriers to their long-term adoption, practical application, user experience, and economic value. |
‘For Farmers’ Section of DEMETER website  We are delighted to launch our ‘For Farmers’ section of the DEMETER website. This contains information relevant to farmers. As part of our Multi-Actor Approach (MAA), we seek to engage farmers interested in digital technologies to further understand their needs, interests, and concerns. Typical MAA activities which farmers could participate in include interviews, online workshops, and user tests. |
 Our billboard campaign at Brussels Airport, following our .eu web award win, has now finished 🙁 Pictured are a selection of photos we’ve received during the campaign from people passing through the airport. Many thanks to EURid for the fantastic prize. |
DEMETER at the WFO General Assembly  DEMETER participated at the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) General Assembly in Budapest in June 2022. The project was presented at an exhibition booth and during the session “Innovative Solutions and Business Models to Enable a Farmer-driven Digital Transformation of Agriculture” where Srdjan Krčo, CEO of DunavNET explained the DEMETER project’s main goals, outcomes achieved so far, and lessons learnt. Also, he presented the important role of DEMETER in the digital transformation of Europe’s agri-food sector through the adoption of advanced IoT technologies, data science and smart farming thus ensuring its long-term viability and sustainability. |
DEMETER at FarmConnect Romania  The results of the DEMETER Farmer’s Voice survey were presented at the FarmConnect Fair in Romania in June 2022. FarmConnect Fair Romania originates from farmers’ necessity to step up in the public arena and present their work, explaining to consumers the particularities of an increasingly complex food chain. Also, this fair has a specific role in connecting the farmers with companies within the industry and facilitates the information, knowledge and experience exchange regarding good practices and the use of cutting-edge technologies in agriculture. The panel dedicated to the digital transformation of Romanian farming was held in two sessions, given the great interest of the audience, and in line with the importance attached to the topic by the European Commission for equipping farmers to produce more quality food with less resources. |
THRIVE Global Impact Challenge  The urgency of the climate crisis is more apparent than ever, and disruptive innovation is key to creating a more sustainable, prosperous, inclusive, healthy and equitable future. The THRIVE Global Impact Challenge is a global search for the most innovative startups who are advancing a more sustainable future for agriculture. |
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