IoF2020 (Internet of Food and Farm 2020)

The Internet of Food & Farm 2020 (IoF2020) project investigates and fosters a large-scale implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) in the European farming and food sector. With a €30 million budget co-funded by the European Union, the project has the potential to bring a paradigm shift in this domain, by drastically improving productivity and sustainability. It will demonstrate the added value of smart webs of connected objects, that are context-sensitive and can be identified, sensed and controlled remotely in the agri-food sector. The project started on January 1st 2017 and will run for four years.

IoT has the potential to be a real game-changer in agriculture. Recent initiatives showed the eagerness of the sector to seize the opportunities offered by ICT, network and data-oriented technologies. However, current available applications are still fragmentary and mainly used by a small group of early-adopters.

IoF2020 will provide solutions and facilitate the large-scale uptake of IoT, by addressing the organizational and technological challenges the European farming and food sector faces today. IoT can, for example, be used to optimise the quality of EU meat while minimising possibilities for fraud by enhancing its transparency and traceability. Another example: In total, the EU wine business has the highest share of EU agriculture revenues. To keep up with international competition, for both conventional and organic viticulture, IoT technologies can be used to obtain higher quality and environmental sustainability along with a decrease in production cost. Focusing on 19 use cases spread throughout Europe, the project provides solutions to 5 agri-food areas: arable farming, dairy, meat, vegetables and fruits and takes into account their own needs and obstacles.

IoF2020 involves all the stakeholders in the food chain: from farmers, cooperatives, equipment and logistic suppliers, food processing companies, to consumer organizations and it includes ICT developers as well.

You may find more information on the project, as well as the full list of IoF Partners, here.