Summary of the Conference on Sensors in Agriculture – H@rvest Alliance – May 30, 2024

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The first annual conference of the H@rvest Alliance, held on May 30, 2024, at AgroParisTech in Palaiseau, brought together a diverse audience of experts, academic researchers, companies, students, and around twenty speakers to discuss the challenges of data acquisition in agriculture. This event, moderated by Frédéric Denhez, highlighted sensor technologies and their impact on the agriculture of tomorrow.

Introduction of the Conference by Christian Huyghe (INRAe) – Photo by Bastien Crouts de Paille

Opening Remarks

The conference opened with a speech by Laurent Buisson, Director of AgroParisTech, who emphasized the growing importance of digital technology in the agricultural sector. Sophie Martin, Director of the H@rvest Alliance, presented the Alliance’s objectives, which aim to assess digital technologies to improve agricultural practices and farm management. Sensors have the potential to revolutionize resource management and enhance agricultural performance by providing precise, real-time data.

Drawing on the book An Immense World by Ed Yong, Antoine Cornuéjols, Scientific Director of the H@rvest Alliance, reminded the audience of the vast variety of natural sensors that enable living beings to perceive and act upon their world, their Umwelt. Each of these sensors serves a specific function for the organism that possesses them. Understanding the sensors used in the living world and drawing inspiration from them to expand our own Umwelt offers a new perspective to better preserve ecosystems and produce more sustainably.

Exposé “Les enjeux des capteurs pour l’agriculture”

Echoing Antoine’s introductory words, Christian Huyghe, Scientific Director of Agriculture at INRAe, emphasized that sensors must be deployed to fulfill a specific function. This requires a precise determination of the type of agriculture we envision for the future. Sensors can both support the current model, allowing for more precise execution of existing practices, and radically transform our methods. It is in these breakthrough innovations, which address new paradigms, that research and innovation efforts must focus, as illustrated by prophylaxis, virtual fences, and connected collars for cows.

The fundamental shift is to develop sensors driven by the need to meet a specific function.

Christian Huyghe, Scientific Director of Agriculture at INRAe

Roundtable: “Today’s and Tomorrow’s Sensors: What Advancements for Agriculture?”

During the roundtable “Today’s and Tomorrow’s Sensors: What Advancements for Agriculture?”, Jean-Christophe Bereau from the ALPHA-RLH competitiveness cluster, Vincent Attard, Commercial Director of Chouette, Nathanaël Kasriel, Deputy Director of Sun’Agri, and Emmanuel Leveugle, mixed organic farmer, discussed the challenges and innovations in the agricultural field. Jean-Christophe Bereau emphasized that, in terms of hardware, the technologies are ready, but the challenge lies in their scalability for wide dissemination. He stressed the importance of working closely with farmers to address their real needs. Vincent Attard presented precision viticulture, where sensors provide proactive coverage against diseases. His company has accumulated data for nine years using AI, with a positive return on investment.

Emmanuel Leveugle shared his practical experience integrating sensors into his farm. With 72 hectares of field crops, he uses the AtFarm platform to collect satellite data and discussed the high costs of agricultural equipment.

Nathanaël Kasriel presented Sun’Agri’s mobile solar panels that optimize photosynthesis, highlighting the importance of producing renewable energy for agriculture. Agrivoltaics can not only increase farmers’ incomes but also improve crop resilience in the face of extreme weather conditions.

In conclusion, Jean-Christophe Bereau reminded the audience that the effectiveness of devices and their practical application are key challenges for the future of agriculture.

Verbal Exchanges with Students

Students then engaged with experts regarding their respective projects. To begin, Mamadou Diarra from SCP and Mohammed El Aziz Hafsia, a student at Unilasalle, debated the effectiveness of traditional practices, such as conducting field surveys, versus digital innovations like remote sensing to collect data. Mohamed presented his internship, which involves conducting surveys with farmers on the resistance of grasses to herbicides in winter cereals. He explained that he faced some farmer fatigue when responding to surveys. Mamadou presented the SCP and the use of satellite remote sensing to measure irrigated plots and the water needs of crops. He explained how SCP uses sensors and water meters to collect data on water consumption. They were able to discuss the differences between qualitative studies and those driven by sensor data, as well as the limitations of each method.

Next, Anna Ramfel, a student at Télécom Paris, shared her experiences with embedded sensors and tools, particularly in the context of the Smart Campus project in Taiwan. The project’s goal was to monitor climate evolution and the impact of measures like adding vegetation to reduce urban heat islands. Jérôme Dantan, a researcher at UniLaSalle, presented his urban agriculture projects, including phenotyping greenhouses and hydroponic growing chambers. They exchanged views on the importance of aligning the question being answered with the sensors being used, as well as the ethics of sensor usage. They emphasized the need to correctly size sensors to meet the desired responses and avoid creating new dependencies for farmers.

Finally, Paul Michel, a student at AgroParisTech and HEC, and co-founder of BeeLinked, presented a solution he developed—a combination of sensors to detect potential malfunctions in beehives. The idea came to him after unexplained mortality in a family hive, which he developed as part of an innovation competition. He discussed the tool’s usefulness for analyzing hive stress, preventing swarming, and monitoring egg-laying and swarm size. The business model of his company focuses on offering a service rather than selling equipment.

Roundtable: “Sensor Data vs. Traditional Knowledge?”

During the following roundtable, Véronique Bellon-Maurel, Director of the #DigitAg Institute, Baptiste Fainéant from Sofiprotéol, Vincent Rachet from Exxact Robotics, and Jean-Marc Philip from SCP emphasized the importance of traditional knowledge and professional expertise. For example, SCP relies on sensors to monitor water levels and adjust irrigation in real-time but still needs pedologists to manage the land and understand soil potential.

Véronique Bellon-Maurel discussed the integration of robots into agricultural tasks and the importance of training farmers in these new technologies. She highlighted that robots equipped with sensors can perform repetitive tasks with high precision, freeing up farmers for more complex work.

Technological transformations must be decided by those who experience them. To address field needs, OccitANum aims to bring together farmers and engineers to develop solutions that respond to specific demands from the agricultural sectors.

Véronique Bellon-Maurel, Director of the Convergences #DigitAg Institute

Baptiste Fainéant presented the oilseed and protein crop sector. To meet future regulatory constraints on water consumption, pesticide use, and the implementation of carbon credits, more precise data, such as soil carbon content, will be needed, which will involve the need for equipment.

Finally, Vincent Rachet discussed the economic model of data, emphasizing the need to differentiate between the cost of data and its financing.

Roundtable: “Exploiting the Potential of Agricultural Data: Opportunities and Challenges”

Dominique Tristant, Director of the Grignon Experimental Farm, Jean-Marc Gilliot, Researcher at AgroParisTech, Achille Thin, Data Scientist at Genesis, and Jérôme Dantan participated in the final roundtable of the day, discussing the evolution of sensors and their use in agriculture, as well as upcoming challenges such as reducing labor intensity and replacing unskilled labor with robotics.

Dominique Tristant explained that the AgroParisTech farm conducts field tests to improve sensors in close collaboration with technology suppliers. Achille Thin presented how soil health is assessed at Genesis, taking into account indicators such as carbon, water, and biodiversity, and linking them with existing agricultural practices. The roundtable also provided an opportunity to discuss the issue of standards and the importance of having a common language.

Conclusion

The conference concluded with remarks from Sophie Martin and Olivier Guize, President of the AgroParisTech Foundation. They thanked the participants and highlighted key takeaways from the day:

  • The numerous sensor and digital tool offerings based on new data sources
  • The demand from farmers for innovative solutions, which they sometimes help invent, to ensure the viability of their farms in the context of agroecological transition and climate change
  • Most importantly, the emphasis on key factors for a successful collaboration between this supply and demand: listening (co-construction), trust (certification), temperance (frugality), and robustness (maintenance, repairability).

This first conference marks the beginning of a long series of annual events, with the data processing chain as the central theme. We look forward to seeing you in 2025 to meet experts and exchange ideas on data processing and analysis, with a focus on modeling and AI in support of agriculture.


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