Introduction

In this cross-border Interreg project, we are working farmers, technology companies, knowledge institutions, field labs and network organisations from the Netherlands and Flanders, together on a demand-driven approach. Concrete challenges from practice form the starting point for the development of innovative and scalable solutions for the agro-food sector.

Innovation projects in four technology areas

Within SAFT- seven innovation and demonstration projects carried out within four areas of technology:

• Harvest robotics for more efficient and future-proof cultivation and harvesting processes
• Lighting and camera technology for quality control and disease detection,
• Weed identification and control with minimal use of chemical agents,
• Data-driven smart farming, focused on secure data sharing and utilisation

The solutions are developed and tested in real-life agricultural environments and progress from applied research towards practical application (TRL 4–8). Crucially, there is an explicit focus on technical feasibility, economic applicability, and scaling possibilities.

Cross-border impact

By pooling knowledge, facilities and experience across borders, SAFT-Solutions strengthens the cross-border agri-food innovation system. The project contributes to sustainable agriculture, reducing workload, more efficient resource use, and wider application of innovative technologies in the agro-food sector – now and in the future.

Project objectives

The project Smart AgriFoodTech Solutions (SAFT‑Solutions) aims to make a meaningful contribution to the necessary transition in the agricultural and agri-food sector in the Flemish-Dutch border region by demand-driven, technically and commercially promising innovative solutions to develop, test and demonstrate.

The objectives are:

• Strengthening the cross-border agrofood innovation system, through long-term collaboration between agricultural businesses, technology providers, research institutions, field labs and network organisations.
• Implementation of 7 innovation and demonstration projects across four technology areas (lighting and camera technology, weed recognition, data-driven smart farming and harvest robotics), carried out by cross-border consortia comprising stakeholders, technology companies and research institutions.
• Strengthening innovation and research capacity by developing generically applicable technologies at TRL levels 4–8, with a focus on scalability and broader applicability within the agri-food sector.
• Supporting SMEs in the development and validation of innovative product and process solutions that contribute to sustainable, efficient, and future-proof agriculture.
• Collecting, validating and sharing knowledge through demonstrations, workshops, technology fact sheets and practical knowledge-sharing in Flanders and the southern Netherlands.
• Developing business cases and market insights per technology area to enable upscaling, valorisation, and further market implementation.