Project
Title
Soil Quality Analysis Tool: Implementing Smart Farming Applications using EO Data, Soil Sensors & Robotics
Acronym
SQAT
Start
01.02.2024
End
31.07.2026
Coordinating Institute
ASSOCIATION OF BALKAN ECO-INNOVATION
Contact
Partner
Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik und Bioökonomie e.V. (ATB)
Hahn-Schickard-Gesellschaft für angewandte Forschung e.V.
Officine Innovazione Srl Societa Benefit
AGRILAB LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
TERRA CONTROLLING TMD D.O.O
VAN DEN BORNE PROJECTEN BV
EXOBOTIC TECHNOLOGIES
EASTERN SWITZERLAND UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
ADF Farm Solutions
Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
AEROVISION BV
ASSOCIATION OF BALKAN ECO-INNOVATION
Allocated to research program
Summary
Digitalisation, robotics, and smart algorithms have brought the data economy to the farm. However, farms face large societal
pressures related to soil: cleaner water, healthier soils, improved carbon storage and increase in biodiversity. A better understanding
of the variability of soil properties and quality is needed, with current market solutions being too expensive and not well suited to
farmer needs.
SQATs smart soil mapping service is a multi-level, multi-technology and multi-purpose solution. With a keen eye on markets and
users, SQATs approach is designed to overcome todays practical, technical and financial challenges to generate high resolution soil
properties maps - and demand-driven products like application maps for soil improvement or crop management, or compliancy
proof for eco schemes. Our vision is that the integration of different technologies provides a flexible and agile service beating the
unbundled alternatives that are now in the market: our in-situ sampling and/or sensoring is wrapped in a Copernicus-based artificial
intelligence soil mapping product.
In the field, our autonomous robot-mounted sensor toolbox includes VIS-NIR sensors, automated sampler drill and penetrometer, and
a novel chamber for in situ wet chemical soil analysis (Lab in the Field). Overall, the system increases the productivity and reduces
laboratory/labour costs compared to current approaches. Using resulting maps, SQAT co-develops, tests and validates 5 smart
farming applications to deliver value to farmers: Variable rate liming/fertilisation/seeding, Variable depth tillage, & Carbon farming
MRV.
In SQAT 7 SMEs from across the SQAT data value chain are included to lead co-development in 7 use cases across Europe. The results will be
commercialised by project end courtesy of a pro-active market focus, that aims to engage and onboard users in the use case
locations, as well as other agri-service providers to develop their own SQAT-enabled smart farming applicatications.
Funding
Europäische Union (EU)
Funding agency
European Research Executive Agency
Grant agreement number
101129644
Funding framework
Call HORIZON-EUSPA-2022-SPACE; Topic HORIZON-EUSPA-2022-SPACE-02-54