

The primary target of the call 'The Sustainable Transformation of Agriculture Through Digitalisation and Space' is the development of space-based services and applications for the sustainable transformation of agriculture using data and innovative technologies.


Even with the significant added value that digitization provided to the agri-food sector, especially with regard to its sustainable growth, very few European countries make the most of innovative technologies in this field, choosing instead to maintain traditional methods.


Therefore, the new ESA call aims to support the industry in developing services centered on optimizing agricultural practices that will minimize the adverse environmental impacts of soil degradation, water depletion and contamination, inefficient energy use, and biodiversity loss.


Agrifood and Space Economy: why apply for the ESA call?


In more detail, the call consists of two topics of relevance.


 The first topic, 'Agriculture of Data', targets the transition into sustainable agriculture in Europe and aims to strengthen monitoring and policy evaluation capacities through data and/or e-information collection, analysis, and sharing. Fundamentally, the definition may include all types of data: agricultural and agronomic, socio-economic, spatial, and IoT-based data collected by public authorities and agencies, private companies, and farmers.


Conversely, the second topic is devoted to 'Climate-smart agriculture (CSA)' and seeks to support transformative actions in agri-food systems towards green and climate-resilient practices. Within CSA, several pathways are possible: opting for drought-resistant crops; returning to native crops, which alleviate pressure on the environment (particularly on water resources); improving water use; and maximizing wastewater recycling.


Services supporting the sustainable transformation of agriculture will benefit significantly from the Space Economy through the combined use of satellite communications and positioning, together with imagery obtained from Earth Observation systems. In detail:




Satellite telecommunications (Satcom) enable connectivity for on-site data gathering in remote areas, providing supplementary information that, combined with data from Earth Observation (SatEO) satellites, can generate exploitable results. Satellite communications could deliver broadband connectivity to farms lacking terrestrial Internet access (limited or expensive) and the Satellite Internet of Things (S-IoT) for cost-effective and efficient data transfer and positional augmentation techniques to guide tractors and machines.


Satellite Earth Observation (SatEO): EO satellites are unparalleled for their ability to monitor and detect changes in fields, plants, soil, and the surrounding environment (such as moisture, temperature, and vegetation indices). The data derived from Earth Observation allow the provision of services associated with smart agriculture, such as crop yield prediction, crop disease monitoring, and soil moisture estimation. SatEO is also an effective tool for collecting data and assessing the positive impact of proposed services on the environment, as well as demonstrating regulatory compliance.


Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are essential for tracking the position of vehicles or any moving elements of the proposed service, such as drones. GNSS also enables the operation of autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs) and can help locate the position of sensors measuring physical parameters, such as fields.




Who is the ESA call aimed at, and how to participate


The call for proposals is open to companies based in the following Member States: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sweden. Norway-based, Switzerland-based and UK-based companies are eligible as well.


With this call, ESA aims to support so-called Demonstration Projects, where a team can test its product/service on the market during a pilot phase, submitting it to an audience of relevant users. By the end of this stage, the product/service should be operational.


As for other ESA-sponsored calls for proposals, the application process comprises two steps. The first entails the submission of the 'Outline Proposal' no later than December 13th, 2023. Subsequently, the ESA will evaluate the submitted proposals. Only those entities who get positive feedback can forward a 'Full Proposal' with a funding authorization letter from national delegations, via the 'esa-star' platform.


Further details regarding the call - such as the project co-funding percentage provided by ESA and any expected benefits for the beneficiaries - will be disclosed with the release of the initiative's official documents, in conjunction with the opening date of the call: October 13th.


<p><img style="margin: 2px 5px; float: right;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHcOruJot_zG_giy_t2Kc3Ds--L-9mDVcGCG1BAIaQeLWsCQ7uAqWPx5ifeHM8O86_h5Q2oipi03w-jeP-S8TaKkd5HODlUMUhcF8OJWG4fhI8TUHkqZ2vPry8iPqIxRS3yvCv5OnCQ15HnU6Tv_1MCF=w1326-h884-s-no?authuser=2" alt="ESA Call space and agriculture - Tom Fisk, Pexels" width="350" />On October 13th, the European Space Agency (ESA) will launch a new call for proposals aimed at fostering sustainable agriculture through digitization and space technologies.</p>


Space, ESA call launched for a sustainable transformation of agriculture

On October 13th, the European Space Agency (ESA) will launch a new call for proposals aimed at fostering sustainable agriculture through digitization and space technologies.