Digitalisation is playing an increasingly important role, especially in the agricultural and food sector. Some companies are already using digital applications to produce more sustainable, high-quality food and make work processes more sustainable. The “Sustainable-Production-of-Healthy-Food-(SPoHF)” project idea was developed to stimulate this change in the Euregio. The special feature of this project is that the focus is not only on economic aspects through efficiency gains and yield optimisation, but also on ecological aspects and product quality in favour of healthy nutrition.
SPoHF focusses on fruit and vegetable cultivation (greenhouse and open field) as food. In order to improve product quality aspects in a more targeted manner, individual plants are analysed and digital twins are developed for them. This means that the plant is no longer only monitored physically, but also on its digital image. With the help of this digital twin and artificial intelligence, current plant conditions and the effects of certain measures (e.g. irrigation or additional lighting) can be simulated in order to assess their impact. Finally, it is also possible to automatically suggest such measures and monitor their effectiveness.
Measures that are specifically investigated in this project are energy-saving measures for regulating humidity and lighting, pest control and the more precise consideration of weather data. To monitor product quality, product samples are analysed both in the laboratory and on site before and after application of the measures. By using a digital twin and artificial intelligence, cultivation can focus more on its core tasks: the sustainable cultivation of healthy agricultural products.
