Millions For Agro And Food Technology

Wageningen research into smart agricultural and horticultural robots will receive 12 to 17 million euros from the NXTGEN HIGHTECH programme. The contribution from the National Growth Fund of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate should give a significant boost to agri-food technology.

In the world, the Netherlands is the third largest exporter of machines in argi and food technology. In the future, too, Dutch companies and knowledge institutions want to continue to play a leading role in this. To make this possible, NXTGEN HIGHTECH was created. In total, more than 1 billion euros has been distributed within the high-tech sector, of which almost 200 million for hands-free agrifood. Robot technology for agriculture and horticulture is one of the six application areas within the fund, in addition to clean energy, laser communication, drug development, faster chips and light materials.

The contribution from the fund should make it possible to grow crops as autonomously as possible. “Agriculture still requires a lot of manual work and labor is becoming scarcer. That is one reason to further develop robotics in agriculture and horticulture," says Erik Pekkeriet, program manager of the Agro Food Robotics research at WUR.

Less costs, more nature
“On the other hand, you would like to encourage sustainability. For that we need tools with sensors that collect data and support decisions. The farmer can make much sharper choices and use chemicals, water, fertilizer and energy more economically. And it will also become easier to make decisions that ensure more biodiversity. At the same time, you can therefore better manage the quality of your product.” WUR will work on this together with dozens of partners, mainly from the business community.

Applications include open cultivation, from growth to harvest and processing. Sensors in the field will monitor growth, thereby providing an extra eye for the farmer. Cameras on windmills, for example, help to monitor nutrient deficiencies or excess water. For the harvest, there will be much improved harvesting robots. Pekkeriet: “Consider harvesting crops in strip cultivation, for example. Harvesters are not yet able to properly handle those crops, so that strip cultivation entails a lot of extra work.” With new machines, this will be a thing of the past, he hopes.

Working together in the yard
Robotization continues on the farm. To avoid collisions, robots must be able to 'communicate' with tractors in the yard. “One question is how to make it brand independent,” says Pekkeriet. “At the same time, the safety in a yard can be improved with such robots, so that children can play outside with peace of mind.” In addition to open cultivation, there are applications in glasshouse horticulture and the food industry.

Relieving the farmer
The projects that are about to start will build on existing systems. These have already been tested in a relevant environment in agriculture or in the food industry, but the business economic validation still needs to be improved. “A lot is already possible”, according to Pekkeriet, “but the individual systems do not yet communicate well with each other and they are not user-friendly. That causes concerns for the farmer, while technology should unburden itself.” That is why he wants to simplify the virtual environment for the farmer.

Pekkeriet, so to speak, wants to “bring the field to the farmer”. Does the farmer no longer have to leave the door? “That's right, because the farmer can get off the tractor and look at the field more often. I think he will then see and do other things. Sustainability is becoming much more important,” he expects.

Testing in practice
To achieve the goals, WUR is focusing on technical development and extensive testing and integration on a farm scale. Farms, greenhouses and factories of the future are emerging throughout the country, with each area of ​​application being given its own location. Most of the new systems from the project should be ready for use by 2029.