• The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) participates in the Horizon 2020 FAIRshare project ( Farm Advisory Digital Innovation Tools Realized and Shared )
• The initiative, which ends next October, promotes the digitalization of the agricultural sector by strengthening the digital skills of advisors and producers.

Bridging the digital divide — which hinders the adoption and use of advanced digital technologies — in the agricultural sector is key, given that digitalization is already the lever of sustainability and innovation for the primary sector. In this field, the role of advisors in disseminating knowledge and existing digital solutions, accelerating their adoption and use by farmers and ranchers, is crucial.

They, the advisors, are the backbone of the Horizon 2020 FAIRshare project. ( Farm Advisory Digital Innovation Tools Realized and Shared ). Thanks to FAIRshare, an inventory of digital advisory tools and services has been created, comprising more than 300 DATS ( Digital Advisory Tools and Services ). DATS are technologies that include applications and services for electronic devices (computers, mobile phones) that can run independently on individual devices or be connected via the web. They support decision-making, administrative tasks, and communication tasks.

The inventory also includes the MAPA Toolbox . This search engine compiles all technologies applicable to agriculture, food, livestock, rural development, and forestry. Some examples include variable dosage, automatic guidance, and robotic systems. Each technology is described, characterized, and classified in detail. A distinction is made between those currently in the research phase and those already available on the market and already have more than fifty users.

Project partners

MAPA participates in the Horizon 2020 FAIRshare project together with Cajamar and INTIA.

• The Cajamar Experimental Station (Almería) has a tool for estimating the nutritional requirements of greenhouse horticultural crops in fertigation. Juan José Magán, head of greenhouse technology at this center, explains: "Digitalization allows for a more precise and complete characterization of cultivation systems, with a predictive approach that facilitates decision-making for optimal management."
• For its part, INTIA (Navarre Institute of Agrifood Technologies and Infrastructures) has focused its participation in FAIRshare on a case study to prevent the loss of knowledge and experience gained in consulting work through the use of a digital tool. Its goal is to facilitate collaboration and communication among its employees, resulting in improved job satisfaction and productivity.

More information:

• FAIRshare Project: Fairshare Project (h2020fairshare.eu)
• European DATS Inventory: Inventory of DATS | Fairshare (fairshare-pnf.eu)
• Toolbox on good practices in digitalization (mapa.gob.es)
• News on RRN/PAC Network: https://www.redruralnacional.es/busqueda?search_title_body=fairshare