Smart Farming Tech Offers Sprout Of Hope In Greece

Farmer Sotiris Mornos glances at his cell phone, analyzing the latest microclimate and humidity data from the Imathia plain in northern Greece.

His high-tech farming methods are slow to make headway in Greece's traditional and unsustainable agricultural sector, but farmers like him see it as the key to their future.

Mornos, 25, uses a Greek smart farming app to boost his family's cotton fields and fruit trees.

Using real-time data recorded by a weather station, he can analyze and compare the effects of weather conditions on his 10-hectare cotton farm.

"We've been able to reduce fertilizer use and irrigation... (and thereby) increase economic yields," said farmer Murnos, who dropped out of university to study computer science and work on the family farm. record city.

Measuring soil moisture or nitrogen levels helps reduce overuse of fertilizers and conserve water.

As in many other southern European countries, the agricultural sector in Greece suffers from chronic water shortages and smart farming can help solve this problem.

increase productivity

In recent decades, the sector has also lost much of its available labor force as young people have left farm work in favor of higher-paying services such as tourism.

Agriculture currently accounts for just five percent of Greece's GDP, half of what it was 20 years ago.

The government has allocated 230 million euros ($231 million) over the next three years to revitalize the country's agribusiness.

Most of the money comes from the Innovation Fund of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy.

"Most of the young people in my village prefer other jobs and have stopped working in the fields," Mornos told AFP.

But farming has been working for a number of years with the goal of working smarter with the use of farming.

That means he uses 40 percent less fertilizer in his cotton field and eliminates two sprays of pesticides, for a total savings of €9,000 (about $9,000) without sacrificing productivity.

Analysts say farming is not widespread in Greece, although interest in it has gradually increased.

But convincing farmers, who may be less familiar with the technology than Morneau, to adopt it comes with many challenges.

The main obstacle is the small size of Greek farms, on average less than 10 hectares, and the country's mountainous terrain.

Greek farms were often family businesses or comprised leased fields, and investments in tools and technology were not attractive.

convince the villagers

At the same time, a "widespread" lack of cooperation among farmers is hampering cost-sharing, says Ekaterini Kasmati, an agronomist at the Agricultural University of Athens.

As a result, Greece is lagging behind other European countries in adopting smart farming, says Vassilis Protonotarios, head of marketing at digital farming company Neuropublic.

He says farmers can take advantage of new technology without investing in expensive equipment or having "specialized digital skills."

In addition, it is difficult to convince farmers to try something new.

Organic farmer Todoris Arvanitis says his colleagues are not interested because they don't know enough about new technologies and prefer traditional methods that have been used for a long time.

"Farmers don't go into technology if they don't have enough money for fuel," he added from his farm in the small town of Korka, about 30 kilometers north of Athens.

Things may change over time as climate change puts additional pressure on farming costs, says Machi Simeonedo, founder of agronomist and farming IT startup Agroapps.

Agronomist Kasmati explains that the war in Ukraine and its impact on the global food supply also indicate that more and more food needs to be produced locally.

"We see the continuous deterioration of the fields, the decline in yields," he said, adding that the price of water has also gone up.

"But as the technology becomes simpler and cheaper, these tools will find more and more applications," he added.

Quote : Smart agricultural technology brings a glimmer of hope to Greece (08.11.2022). Retrieved November 8, 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-11-smart-farming-tech-greece.html.

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