The Marketing team of ena Development Consultants—Christos Pitiakoudis, Sofia Argyriadou, and Maria Karyofilaki—in the context of creating the #32 Business Story, spoke with representatives of the 6 partners of #DigiAgriFood, the first European Digital Innovation Hub in the agri-food sector in Greece.
The partners of the hub responded to a series of questions regarding the importance of digital transformation in agri-food, the technologies being utilized, the significant activities of the hub, and their roles in the project. They highlighted their commitment and enthusiasm for the initiative, as well as their expectations for the growth and future of the agri-food sector in Greece.
The #DigiAgriFood hub aims to strengthen the digital and green transformation of the entire agri-food value chain, delivering direct benefits to citizens, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the public sector. It specializes in technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Digital Skills, High-Performance Computing, Digital Transformation, and Interoperability, directly contributing to the missions and objectives of the “Digital Europe Programme 2021–2027.”
The role of ena Development Consultants, as Partner, Innovation & Communication Mediator of #DigiAgriFood, is to connect the needs of the real economy and businesses with the innovation produced by the research institutions participating in the hub, while simultaneously developing comprehensive communication strategies for the hub’s goals, activities, and achievements.
Consortium, #DigiAgriFoodled by Democritus University of Thracealso includes the University of Thessaly, the Ινστιτούτο Βιο-Οικονομίας και Αγρο-Τεχνολογίας (iBO) του Εθνικού Κέντρου Έρευνας και Τεχνολογικής Ανάπτυξης (ΕΚΕΤΑ), το Perrotis College της Αμερικανικής Γεωργικής Σχολής και η Region of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace..
Ο Dionysis Bochtis, Director of the Institute of Bio-Economy & Agri-Technology (IBO), shared with us the importance of the digital transformation of businesses in the agri-food sector for enhancing their competitiveness, and his view that digital technologies will dominate in the future. τη σημασία του ψηφιακού μετασχηματισμού των επιχειρήσεων του αγροδιατροφικού τομέα για την ενίσχυση της ανταγωνιστικότητά τους και την εκτίμηση του για τις ψηφιακές τεχνολογίες θα κυριαρχήσουν στο μέλλον.
Here’s what he told us:
Dionysis Bochtis, Director of the Institute of Bio-Economy & Agri-Technology (IBO), emphasizes that digital technologies—such as IoT sensor networks, agri-robotics, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI)—are expected to play a dominant role in the future of the agri-food sector by improving crop monitoring, automation, and productivity.
The digital transformation is expected to significantly enhance the competitiveness of businesses in the agri-food sector. This will mainly be achieved through increased efficiency. By using technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and modern sensor systems, combined with the development of Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS) and decision support systems, producers are enabled to make optimal decisions based on real data and in real time. This results in improved sustainability, as digital technologies contribute to reducing inputs and optimizing applications.
At the same time, digitization promotes collaboration and communication among producers and all those involved in the agri-food chain, helping to address challenges such as food safety and climate change. Therefore, digital transformation is necessary for the modernization, development, and enhancement of the competitiveness of businesses in the agri-food sector.
There are digital technologies that are already popular and are expected to play a dominant role in the future of the agri-food sector. Starting with IoT sensor networks as well as a multitude of other remote sensing systems (satellites, unmanned aerial and ground systems, etc.) for real-time crop monitoring. At this point, the development of agri-robotics should also be emphasized, as it provides automation capabilities for various tasks, which is becoming increasingly urgent due to the difficulty in finding labor for seasonal agricultural work. Finally, the need created by the accumulation of large volumes of data makes the use of big data analytics methods and the development of information systems that provide real-time results and advice imperative. In this area, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to play a decisive role. At the same time, the combination of the aforementioned digital technologies with the use of Augmented Reality (AR) is expected to maximize productivity and work safety.
Read the full #32 Business Story of #DigiAgriFood here.
The proposal for participation in the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) program, under the acronym #DigiAgriFood and led by Democritus University of Thrace, with the involvement of ena Development Consultants, was selected by the European Commission within the framework of the “Digital Europe 2021-2027” program. Together with 135 other candidate hubs across Europe, #DigiAgriFood will form innovation ecosystems that generate added value for all citizens in sectors such as health, rural development, and digital governance.
Through the “Digital Europe 2021-2027” program, the European Commission supports the development of the above network of ecosystems, aiming to strengthen the European Union’s capabilities in the fields of High-Performance Computing (HPC), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, advanced Digital Skills development, and the digital transformation and interoperability of Public Administration.
