This project aims to extract data from the plant and fruits in vivo (in the greenhouse), and to make use of these data to develop tools to make greenhouse cropping more efficient. This information of a digitised nature will tell us about the physiological state of the plant at the ‘t’ instant.
It is only by identifying weak points and optimising workflows that the scarce and expensive resource of labour can be used in the best possible way. Detailed knowledge of the working-time requirement of agricultural activities provides the basis for this. The aim is for new technologies to make workflows even more productive, and help improve the competitiveness of Swiss farms.
How do we improve animal welfare and make workflows more efficient? Agroscope is developing basic principles for digitisation in milk production. This contributes to a more efficient, more animal-friendly agricultural sector. Optimised pasture management and smart systems for health monitoring offer a major potential for improvements in animal husbandry, for the benefit of both humans and animals.
In addition to profitability and quality assurance, mechanised milk production must also take animal welfare into account. This can only be ensured by optimal interaction between the animal and technology. Agroscope research is geared to animal-friendly milking technology.
The Swiss agricultural sector is on the brink of a digital revolution, and Smart Farming is on its way. Agroscope is therefore currently developing a number of modules with a view to refining and implementing various Smart Farming applications. In addition to a farm-management information system, a robot for controlling broad-leaved dock, and site-specific overseeding of meadows, web-based systems such as irrigation are being developed.
