Imagine if farming software was like a community garden where everyone shares the tools and seeds for free. Instead of buying expensive, locked-down systems that only work with great internet, this project builds open-source tech that works even in the middle of nowhere. It's about giving small farmers the same high-tech advantages as giant industrial farms without the heavy price tag.
Digital farming tools are currently too expensive for small farmers, lack transparency, and fail in remote areas due to poor internet connectivity.
Open-source software services for edge/cloud computing, open hardware for farms, and a Decision Support Tool for selecting the right digital solutions.
If you are an AgTech startup dealing with high development costs and low farmer trust — this project developed open-source software and hardware that reduces prices and increases transparency. You can use these reusable services to build tools that work in remote areas with weak connectivity.
If you are a consultancy dealing with farmers who cannot afford expensive digital tools — this project developed a Decision Support Tool. This allows you to help farmers select the best cloud, edge, or mixed digital solutions based on their specific conditions.
If you are a manufacturer dealing with the limitation of cloud-only devices in rural zones — this project developed open hardware and edge computing solutions. This ensures high performance for livestock and crop management tools even where network signals are weak.
By using open-source software and open hardware, the project aims to lower the prices of digital solutions, making them accessible to small farmers who find current market options too expensive.
The project focuses on open-source (OS) software and open hardware, which typically allows for broader reuse and transparency compared to proprietary systems.
The project is testing these solutions across 14 Sustainable Innovation Pilots in at least 10 countries, indicating a design intended for diverse regional and national scales.
It utilizes edge computing and mixed computing modes, allowing the software to process data locally on the farm rather than relying entirely on the cloud.
Based on available project data, the project period runs from 2024-01-01 to 2026-12-31, suggesting deliverables will be finalized by the end of 2026.
The consortium is diverse with 18 partners across 7 countries. While led by a university, it has a significant practical orientation with 6 SMEs and 3 larger industry players (17% industry ratio), alongside 8 other organizations, ensuring that the open-source tools are grounded in actual market needs.
Contact Universiteit Maastricht regarding the OpenAgri project deliverables.
Contact us to find a partner among the 14 Sustainable Innovation Pilots.
