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Bruno Lenardon with the weather station installed on his farm

IoT in Agriculture: Preserving Tradition While Adapting To Change

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*This is the sixth and final post in a series of blog entries published as part of the author’s ongoing research.

Cevdet Bulut | PhD Candidate | School of Business Management, Royal Holloway, University of London

Situated in the scenic hills of Muggia, a charming Italian town near the Slovenian border, the Lenardon family farm has been dedicated to traditional wine and olive oil production for over a century. During my recent field trip, I had the pleasure of meeting Bruno Lenardon, one of the customers of Primo Principio (See my previous blog on the company), who kindly accepted to take part in my multiple case study research, exploring how the diffusion of IoT innovations unfolds within diverse geographical and socio-economic contexts. I was accompanied by Nicole Salvatori from Primo Principio who assisted with interpretation.

The Lenardon farm‘s origins date back to the early 1900s, when Bruno’s grandfather first cultivated the land. Today, Bruno continues this legacy on two hectares of vineyards and one hectare of olive groves. Despite losing a portion of their land to Yugoslavia during border changes in 1954, the Lenardon family has remained dedicated to their craft.

Sign on the wall of Bruno's house marking the dividing line between Yugoslavia and Italy.
Sign on the wall of Bruno’s house marking the dividing line between Yugoslavia and Italy.

“My father had much more land, but after the border moved, we lost a few hectares,” Bruno recounted. His father was a pioneer, bottling wine at a time when few others did, selling to local restaurants and shops. This innovative spirit has clearly been passed down to Bruno, who now runs the operation almost single-handedly, with occasional help from his sons and seasonal workers.

Running a farm is not without its challenges. Bruno shared that the business is no longer as profitable as it once was, particularly compared to his father’s time. Nevertheless, his passion remains undiminished. Today, he produces around 8,000-9,000 bottles of wine and 1,000-1,300 bottles of olive oil each year, mostly for local restaurants, shops, and a high-end Italian food retailer, Eataly.

Despite the demanding nature of his work, Bruno does not shy away from the labour-intensive tasks that keep his farm thriving. From early morning starts to long days in the fields, he is deeply involved in every aspect of production. “Most of the time, I’m in the farm,” he said, noting that while the olive trees require less attention, the farm demand constant care.

While Bruno honours the traditional methods of winemaking, he is also open to integrating modern technology to improve efficiency and product quality. As environmental factors became more unpredictable, Bruno knew he needed to adapt—but he also knew he couldn’t do it alone.

“I was sceptical at first,” Bruno admitted, referring to WiForAgri by Primo Principio introduced first by Federico Longobardi, an engineer and co-founder of the company who recognized the farm’s potential for innovation. Despite initial doubts, Bruno now relies on this technology to make informed decisions, particularly during the rainy season when disease risk is high. “The technology has done a lot of improvements, so why not use them?”

Interviewing Bruno with Nicole Salvatori from Primo Principio as an interpreter.
Interviewing Bruno with Nicole Salvatori from Primo Principio as an interpreter.

Founded ten years ago, Primo Principio is a pioneer in applying IoT technology to farming in Italy. The company was established in Alghero, Sardinia, and later expanded to Trieste, near the Slovenian border. The core of their technology is providing decision support systems for farmers, using IoT to gather data from the fields and transform it into actionable insights. The company designs and oversees the production of specialised weather stations equipped with sensors, which are then installed and maintained on-site. These devices monitor everything from soil moisture to weather conditions, feeding data into complex analytics models. However, as Andrea Galante, co-founder and Head of Business Development at Primo Principio, points out, the real challenge lies not in the technology itself but in making it reliable and understandable for farmers.

The WiForAgri mobile interface displays the number of primary infections and ascospores over time, with the incubation period shown as well.
The WiForAgri mobile interface displays the number of primary infections and ascospores over time, with the incubation period shown as well.

Bruno’s reliance on the weather station has grown over the years. He first piloted the product with support from a local agricultural association, which later reimbursed him some of the costs. Impressed by its reliability, Bruno has now committed to a five-year contract. He uses the weather station to monitor conditions critical to crop’s health, such as rainfall, humidity, temperature, and potential In a region where many have abandoned traditional farming for industrial jobs, Bruno remains one of the few dedicated farmers. His commitment to both preserving and modernizing his family’s legacy is evident in his approach. While some of his neighbours continue to make wine using centuries-old methods, Bruno believes in the importance of understanding and controlling the winemaking process scientifically.

“The technology has allowed us to understand processes that we didn’t know about even 25 years” Bruno’s commitment to innovation is not shared by all his neighbours. Many local winemakers still adhere to traditional methods, avoiding modern technology in favour of practices that have been passed down for centuries. This hesitation reflects findings from my earlier review paper on barriers to technology adoption in agriculture. Bruno believes that this reluctance stems from a deep respect for tradition and a belief that winemaking should remain unchanged. However, he is convinced that embracing scientific advancements can enhance the quality of the wine without compromising its authenticity.

When asked how to convince others to adopt new technologies, Bruno suggests direct communication and demonstrations. He acknowledges that discussing the benefits with other farmers could seem self-serving, but he emphasizes the importance of understanding the science behind winemaking. For Bruno, making wine is a complex process that requires careful monitoring and control, something that modern technology can significantly aid.

My visit to Bruno Lenardon’s farm was more than just a field trip; it was an exploration of how tradition and innovation coexist. Bruno’s approach highlights the resilience of small-scale farmers who nurture the land with passion and expertise, blending respect for history with a forward-looking mindset.

About

This is a series of blogs curated by PhD candidate Cevdet Bulut, who is investigating the adoption of IoT in agriculture. In this series, the author shares a limited version of his field notes and highlights from multiple case studies in a news story format as part of his current research study. The scope of the case studies is to uncover what factors (socio-economic, cultural, technical, etc.) affect the adoption of IoT and to gain experience from the field that can guide the design of viable IoT-based business models for the sector. A new blog will be published on each case study with the participant’s permission.

Blogs in this series:

Porto Conte Regional Natural Park – Home to Primo Principio

IoT in Agriculture: Building the Chain of Trust

5 Comments

*This is the fifth in a series of blog posts published as part of the author’s ongoing research.

Cevdet Bulut | PhD Candidate | School of Business Management, Royal Holloway, University of London

A remote corner of Sardinia, far from the typical tech hubs, lies an unexpected setting for a tech company. Surrounded by quiet farms and coastal breezes, Primo Principio was founded not to chase markets, but to fulfil a vision.

Federico Longobardi, co-founder and CTO of Primo Principio, reflects on their beginnings with a sense of nostalgia and humility. “We didn’t choose this place because of its strategic location,” he admits. “We chose it because it was quiet, far from the hustle, surrounded by farmers who mirrored our simple but ambitious ideals.” Federico, originally from Torino, was part of a group of engineers and friends who first came together under the banner of “Engineering Without Borders”.

Their journey began over a decade ago, under the name Secondo Principio, a cooperative that later evolved into Primo Principio. Initially, they weren’t an IoT company—they weren’t even a typical IT company. They were a group of researchers and dreamers, eager to develop solutions for agriculture. “At that time, we had no idea about DSS, prediction models, or AI,” Federico recalls. “We were just focused on our engineering competencies in telecommunications, trying to create something meaningful.”

Co-founders: Andrea Galante and Federico Longobardi
Co-founders: Andrea Galante and Federico Longobardi

Despite the odds, Primo Principio has achieved its mission, creating jobs in the agri-tech sector and allowing its team to grow and pursue their passions. Today, the company remains small, with a turnover of less than one million euros and a team of just eight people. They cover the entire product development process in-house, from hardware production to software development.

Based in Alghero, Sardinia, with additional offices in Trieste and Torino, the company offers IoT-based solutions predominantly tailored to small and medium-sized farms, providing services ranging from irrigation management to disease and pest detection.

The company’s true strength, however, lies in its in-house development of highly specialised models designed for specific crops, with a particular focus on combating diseases such as powdery mildew and downy mildew. This capability is the result of extensive, multi-year research projects that have enabled the company to refine its models with exceptional precision. Their commitment to continuous research and development underscores their dedication to staying at the forefront of model innovation, making their models not just a product, but a core component of their business and a key differentiator in the market.

One of the key challenges Primo Principio faces is the slow adoption rate of IoT technologies among farmers. According to Andrea Galante, co-founder and Head of Business Development at Primo Principio, many farmers are still reluctant to fully trust these technologies, partly due to the complexity of agriculture and the variability of conditions such as soil type, microclimates, and plant genetics. Moreover, the added value of IoT is not always immediately evident to farmers, especially when it requires them to change long-standing practices.

The company’s business model is tailored to the average Italian farmer, who, as Federico describes, “does not have a degree, and typically owns about three hectares of land. You have to imagine an older person with an old tractor, not using any kind of technology.” This underlines the unique challenges of Italian agriculture, where farms are often small, fragmented, and managed by ageing farmers.

Their go-to-market strategy is clever. Primo Principio relies heavily on a network of agronomists across Italy, whom they train to be completely independent in using their technology. These agronomists then recommend the solutions to their clients, leveraging the trust they’ve already built. “Farmers trust consortia, their neighbours, and the agronomist. The idea is to reach the agronomist,” says Nicole Salvatori, Head of R&D at Primo Principio, describing their primary marketing channel. “I believe the chain of trust is more important, because without that you cannot build a chain of value. It is foundational,” says Nicole, emphasising that the chain of trust is crucial for the successful adoption of IoT in agriculture. Without trust, the chain of value cannot be established. Building relationships with farmers, addressing their concerns, and providing reliable data are essential for fostering this trust.

Interviewing Nicole Salvatori, Head of R&D
Interviewing Nicole Salvatori, Head of R&D

The company’s growth, while steady, has been slower than that of larger competitors, partly because they choose to focus on close customer relationships rather than rapid scaling. This strategy is reflected in their diverse customer base, which includes individual farmers, agronomists, and even universities, all benefiting from the partnerships with Primo Principio.

Despite these challenges, Primo Principio is optimistic about the future. The company is entering a new phase of growth, driven by increasing market awareness and supportive government policies. The European Union has been a significant catalyst for the adoption of IoT technologies, offering financial incentives that make it easier for farmers to invest in these systems. Federico notes, “Without these incentives, the market for Smart Agriculture in Italy would be much smaller.” However, he criticizes the current approach as “completely random,” highlighting the need for more coordinated efforts.

When discussing the potential of complementary technologies such as blockchain and satellite technologies, Federico is sceptical. He dismisses much of the hype around these technologies as “rumours,” arguing that many of these solutions are either not yet practical or are unsustainable in their current form. He also casts doubt on the effectiveness of farm-to-fork initiatives, labelling them as mere “greenwashing” efforts. Federico believes that genuine transparency in the food supply chain is hampered by deep-rooted issues, such as unethical labour practices, that technology alone cannot solve. “It’s not the technology solution that is missing for the transparency,” he says.  

The future of IoT in agriculture is promising, but Nicole concludes with a cautionary note: there is a potential risk of widening the digital divide and fostering more monopolies, risks that could be accelerated by the use of IoT in agriculture. She points to broader societal challenges that must be addressed alongside technological advancements.

About

This is a series of blogs curated by PhD candidate Cevdet Bulut, who is investigating the adoption of IoT in agriculture. In this series, the author shares a limited version of his field notes and highlights from multiple case studies in a news story format as part of his current research study. The scope of the case studies is to uncover what factors (socio-economic, cultural, technical, etc.) affect the adoption of IoT and to gain experience from the field that can guide the design of viable IoT-based business models for the sector. A new blog will be published on each case study with the participant’s permission.

Blogs in this series:

Engineer working at the R&D studio at Future Intelligence HQ in Athens

IoT in Agriculture: Why It Is Different This Time

5 Comments

*This is the fourth in a series of blog posts published as part of the author’s ongoing research.

Cevdet Bulut | PhD Candidate | School of Business Management, Royal Holloway, University of London

On one of the hottest days of June, with temperatures soaring to an unprecedented 39°C, Athens faced a heatwave that led to the temporary closure of the iconic Acropolis due to health concerns. Despite the extreme weather, I made my way to Demokritos, Greece’s largest research centre, which houses several tech companies, including Tesla’s R&D facility. Among them is Future Intelligence, a pioneering Greek company at the forefront of agricultural innovation in the country.

“Farmers cannot be the same as they were 50 years ago; they must keep pace with technology,” says Athanasia, a research engineer and project manager at Future Intelligence. She emphasises that climate change is reshaping agriculture, making it imperative for farmers to adapt. “The changes in climate and microclimates present significant challenges, but they also offer us a unique opportunity to develop more optimised solutions,” adds Nikos Triantafillidis, who oversees the company’s IoT operations.

Future Intelligence’s flagship product, Quhoma, is central to these efforts. Quhoma, a user-friendly application designed for farmers, integrates data collected from weather monitoring stations deployed in fields. “Imagine you’re a farmer with a large field that you can’t monitor closely,” Athanasia explains. “Quhoma allows you to track environmental data like moisture levels and weather conditions in real-time. It also provides tools like farm diaries for recording key activities such as irrigation and harvest days.”

Athanasia Karagianni (Research Engineer and Project Manager), Nikos Triantafillidis (IoT Operations), Panagiotis Katses (Head of Sales)
Athanasia Karagianni (Research Engineer and Project Manager), Nikos Triantafillidis (IoT Operations), Panagiotis Katses (Head of Sales)

“Our customers are not just buying a gadget; they’re investing in a technology that genuinely improves their farming practices. For instance, one farmer discovered through our sensors that his fields drained differently—a detail he hadn’t noticed in 20 years. This kind of insight is invaluable,” says Harris, a business development manager at Future Intelligence.

Quhoma’s simplicity is one of its most praised features, especially among farmers who may not be technologically savvy. “The interface is plain, simple to use, and offers full functionality,” says Panagiotis, head of the sales department at Future Intelligence. “Farmers appreciate its straightforwardness, as it makes technology accessible to those who may not have a deep understanding of it.”

The success of Quhoma wasn’t just about the technology itself, but also about how it was integrated into the farmers’ daily routines. Farmers can compare metrics between different fields, receive alerts, and track the traceability of their crops. Panagiotis notes, “By comparing moisture levels between two fields, farmers can make informed decisions about irrigation, saving both water and money. In one case, farmers in Sparta saved 1,000 euros in just the first month of using Quhoma, thanks to a reduction in water usage. Similarly, a farmer in Agrinio saved 1,800 euros on fertilizer costs.”

Originally founded in 2009 as a telecommunications company, Future Intelligence pivoted to IoT solutions as the technology became more widely recognised and integral to various industries. Headquartered in Athens with additional entities in the UK and Cyprus, the company employs between 24 and 30 people, with a dedicated team of six working specifically in the agricultural domain. “When we started back in 2009, we were focused on two main areas: short-range and large-scale communication. But by 2015, the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) led us naturally into the smart farming sector,” says Harris, underlining the agriculture as a key sector, crucial not only to the Greek economy but also carrying significant social implications.

Starting from scratch is never easy, and this was especially true for Future Intelligence. When Panagiotis first joined the company, there were some existing clients and limited marketing material to work with. “We had to start from the ground up,” he explained. The team took the risk on even performing door-to-door visits to connect with potential customers, a non business-as-usual process for a smart agriculture provider. Despite these challenges, their persistence paid off, and today, the company serves a wide range of clients, including those growing tomatoes, olives, vineyards, kiwis, and even medical cannabis.

Interviewing Harris Moysiadis, Business Development Manager
Interviewing Harris Moysiadis, Business Development Manager

Future Intelligence is not just a software company; it also develops its own hardware, a strategic choice that Harris believes gives them a competitive advantage. Although hardware development comes with challenges, it also allows the company to be more flexible and innovative, particularly in their R&D efforts.

When asked about the company’s business model, Harris candidly shared the challenges and strategies they employ. “Our approach has been a mix of B2B and B2C, but we’ve had to adapt to the market’s needs. While we initially focused on B2B, we realised that to build a sustainable business, we needed to offer end-to-end solutions directly to farmers.”

The IoT ecosystem in Greece is still maturing, with several small companies competing in a market that, while growing, remains relatively small. Harris pointed out that while there is no clear leader in the ecosystem, various stakeholders, including technical consultants, farmers, and the government, are working towards the digital transformation of agriculture. The government, in particular, plays a role by promoting digital adoption through funding and tenders, although these initiatives have met with mixed success.

The discussion around government subsidies in Greece reveals a unique challenge in the market. Unlike other countries studied, where subsidies might accelerate sales, Harris points out that in Greece, these subsidies can actually have the opposite effect. “Farmers are keen on our solutions, but when they know a government program might fund their purchase, they delay their decision. This makes the sales cycle much longer. Despite this, we’ve managed to build a customer base of real paying clients from day one, especially among larger agricultural businesses like wineries and olive oil producers.” This reliance on subsidies creates a barrier to market penetration, despite the clear cost savings and efficiency gains their products offer.

Other significant challenges the company faces is convincing traditional farmers to adopt new technology. Panagiotis shared that initial reactions were often sceptical, particularly among older farmers. “They’ve always relied on their own experience, so trusting a new technology was difficult at first,” he said. However, over time, as farmers began to see the tangible benefits of using Quhoma, their trust in the technology grew.

Nikos also recognised the challenges that come with growth. “As the market for smart farming solutions expands, so does the number of low-quality, do-it-yourself products that undermine the industry. We’ve had to work hard to differentiate ourselves from these lower-end solutions. It’s frustrating when a farmer tries a cheap gadget that doesn’t work and then hesitates to invest in our more robust system. But we’re committed to providing serious, reliable solutions that deliver real value.”

Looking ahead, Future Intelligence is keen to expand Quhoma’s capabilities. The company plans to develop new features from constructive feedback of its customers along with technology-driven innovative functionalities. In addition, they aim to scale their operations by partnering with larger agricultural entities that can leverage their established market channels to distribute these solutions more broadly. This strategy could help overcome some of the distribution and market penetration challenges they currently face. Moreover, their commitment to using open-source technology and focusing solely on the technology aspect of the value chain, rather than venturing into agronomy, positions them as a specialised player in the market.

About

This is a series of blogs curated by PhD candidate Cevdet Bulut, who is investigating the adoption of IoT in agriculture. In this series, the author shares a limited version of his field notes and highlights from multiple case studies in a news story format as part of his current research study. The scope of the case studies is to uncover what factors (socio-economic, cultural, technical, etc.) affect the adoption of IoT and to gain experience from the field that can guide the design of viable IoT-based business models for the sector. A new blog will be published on each case study with the participant’s permission.

Blogs in this series:

IoT in Agriculture: Trust Matters

5 Comments

*This is the second in a series of blog posts published as part of the author’s ongoing research.

Cevdet Bulut | PhD Candidate | School of Business Management, Royal Holloway, University of London

The captain’s announcement comes shortly before the take-off of the flight. Etna – Europe’s most active volcano – erupts for 147th time on this afternoon of 21st May 2023, causing a major disruption to air traffic as dozens of flights to Catania airport are affected. “This isn’t a great start to my field trip,” I am thinking to myself as my flight is now being diverted from Catania to Palermo airport.

After having spent most of the night at the Palermo airport, I finally manage to arrive in Niscemi where the case company is based. I am received by Giusielisa Lo Presti, a project manager at Smartisland, who works with local farmers in Sicily to understand their needs and assist in implementation of Daiki, company’s flagship product for smart agriculture. “The volcano is not a curse but a blessing for us,” says Giusielisa, smiling. “Volcanic ash is a kind of fertiliser that is rich in minerals and provides unique conditions for growing orchard and vegetables with a special taste and [purple] colour,” she explains, pulling up some images of purple cauliflower as an example of the vegetables grown by farmers on the slopes of Etna.

Interviewing Maria Luisa Cinquerrui, Founder and CEO

Named after a Japanese word meaning “Light”, Daiki is entirely designed by Maria Luisa Cinquerrui, an engineering graduate and founder of the company. “The idea that I had while I studied at university. I had previously worked on the family farm and I was aware of the problems my father faced with cultivation. Initially, I wanted to help my father, but then I realised that my product could help all farmers,” Maria Luisa reveals how she came up with the idea to start an IoT business.

Founded in 2016, Smartisland provides solutions to local farmers to monitor and support growth of plants. “The business is still developing today, but we have already made a profit,” Maria says, pointing out the challenges of being successful in the male-dominated STEM world. “Prototyping, building the technology, and finding the right people to work with,” she says, were the most difficult aspects when she started the company.

Irrigation was the first use case implemented. “Water scarcity is a problem in Sicily, which is why Maria Luisa created Daiki; she thought that someone needed to do something for the future of this land. It’s an easy concept, but a strong idea that can change the world,” Giusielisa explains. Today, the product can be configured for use in both indoor and outdoor conditions for various use cases from irrigation to monitoring of diseases and pest detection for orchards, vegetables and crops like corn, wheat and maize.

The company’s primary target customers are small and medium-sized farms, most of which are family-run businesses. What about the skills of farmers? “Yeah, maybe the person who owns the farms, but the one who is investing and really managing everything is the son or daughter. So what’s in the reading it’s different from reality,” Gaetana Galesi replies, an international relations manager at Smartisland. They invite me to join the team for a visit to a production facility located in Vittoria, a neighbouring town.

Emilio, a customer of Smartisland explains how to access and manage Daiki

We are welcomed by Emilio, the owner of the facility consisting of eight greenhouses where tomatoes and peppers are produced year-round in a protected environment. He has been one of the first customers of Smartisland. “You can check your farm from a distance,” he says, who been using Daiki to automate irrigation, as well as to monitor and forecast the amount of water and fertiliser to apply. “They typically collect 35% or more yield. And, water saving of 40%. Even, the quality of tomatoes better,” Giovanni Chiolo, COO of Smartisland, explains the impact the Daiki brings.

Giovanni Chiolo explains the process of fertigation

Soon after, Emilio has to leave but we continue our visit without him. “If you noticed, the owner left us alone on his farm, this is because he trusts us. This is a kind of relationship that we have built with him and other customers. So, we are different from multinationals,” says Giusielisa, underlining the importance of trust for their customers.

The Daiki web interface is showing the captured environmental values of the site visited

The company follows a simple yet effective marketing strategy: word-of-mouth. “Farmers promote our product, Daiki, because they find it beneficial that it has helped them. Therefore, they talk to other farmers and promote it to them,” says Gaetana. So-called “Smart Labs” concept developed by the company plays an important role in this strategy. “These are small artificial farms, where you can test Daiki,” she explains. The company runs a number of these facilities, working with elementary and middle schools to spread the word and promote smart agriculture.

Farmers who are willing to start investing in smart agriculture in Italy are financially supported by the government with a voucher program. “The Italian government is an active participant in this ecosystem with many actors, and we are part of a network with a focus on agricultural development. They are helping us to find matching opportunities,” Giusielisa highlights the role of the government.

Leading a small team of seven from humble offices in Niscemi and a niche client base, Maria Luisa sees greater potential. “Revolution is big for agriculture, and the farmers are ready for it. In recent years, they have been more open to digitalisation.”

What is next for Smartisland? “Complete the supply chain,” she says indicating that she wants to tackle the farm-to-fork use case and open international markets for local farmers.

Smartisland team – Gaetana Galesi, Maria Luisa Cinquerrui and Giusielisa Lo Presti

About

This is a series of blogs curated by PhD candidate Cevdet Bulut, who is investigating the adoption of IoT in agriculture. In this series, the author shares a limited version of his field notes and highlights from multiple case studies in a news story format as part of his current research study. The scope of the case studies is to uncover what factors (socio-economic, cultural, technical, etc.) affect the adoption of IoT and to gain experience from the field that can guide the design of viable IoT-based business models for the sector. A new blog will be published on each case study with the participant’s permission.

Blogs in this series:

IoT in Agriculture: Why Technology Is Not Enough for Success

6 Comments

*This is the first in a series of blog posts published as part of the author’s ongoing research.

Cevdet Bulut | PhD Candidate | School of Business Management, Royal Holloway, University of London

In a hilly village of Banoštor, only about a half-hour drive away from Novi Sad, I stand on the top of the hill surrounded by a 70-hectare vineyard, overlooking the waters of the Danube River.

“Soon, in about 15 days, the grapevine will bloom. It is a very smart plant. It usually does not come to maturity because, for example, last week we had very cold weather,” says Nemanja Mišić, an agronomist and research assistant at DunavNET. “I work with end users in the field for hardware installation, but it’s my own wish to be there, because it’s easier for me to understand the whole process,” he says, highlighting the importance of being close to the end users.

On my second day of research trip with the company, I am offered to join Nemanja for a field trip to Fruškogorski Vinogradi, a vineyard situated on the slopes of the Fruška Gora Mountain, the only mountain in Vojvodina region. I was eager to observe the interaction with farmers and talk to them, as well as to see an IoT-enabled weather station in action.

The agroNet web interface is showing the stations visited during the field trip.

Fruškogorski Vinogradi is one of vineyards included in the pilot project funded by the Association of Producers of Grapevine and Wines in Fruška Gora. A total of 17+ weather stations have been installed by DunavNET to cover multiple vineyards, so that every member of the association would have access to agroNET for the shared data and insights.

We decide to leave the car and walk uphill on this beautiful April day. After a ten-minute walk, we arrive at one of two weather stations installed to cover the vineyard. This expensive piece of hardware, costing about 1000 euros, is used by the company to capture temperature, humidity, and precipitation in order to calculate the water deficit and air respiration. “This weather station has been here since the beginning of the project, which is now three and a half years, and has worked fine until today,” Nemanja says, reaffirming its stability and resistance to adverse weather conditions. When it comes to energy consumption, it doesn’t seem to be an issue thanks to the use of solar panels, according to him. “They usually say five to ten years, but it depends on the size of the solar panel attached to the weather station. The bigger panels can last longer because they charge better.”

Nemanja inspects the weather station

agroNET detects a malfunction with this station, which sends abnormal values for temperature measurements. After some inspection and discussion over the phone with colleagues at the office, Nemanja comes to the conclusion that the capacitor is the source of the issue. “It is not the first time that we have had this problem, and it is not the first time that we have been able to solve it with a capacitor. It is not a big job, but it does take time; I mean, you need to come here.” As an active observer, I assisted Nemanja in dismantling it and taking it to the office to be replaced and activated.

Soon after, we are joined by Ivan, the vineyard manager. “This is an old wine region. In this village [Banoštor] every house makes wine,” says Ivan, who lives in a nearby village and has been managing this vineyard for 13 years. At its peak during harvesting season, Ivan manages a team of over fifty employees in addition to other seasonal workers, spending most of his time managing and organising the daily operations.

Ivan uses agroNET to monitor and read reports on daily basis using his mobile. The app he finds “Very easy, with no problem,” and he likes to use it mostly to read information about the expected “amount of rain” for his decision making on when to spray. “In agriculture, it’s very important when you spray your pesticides. Because it’s important that rain doesn’t fall after washing the pesticides away from the leaves, and sometimes it’s very important to know how much rain actually has fallen,” Nemanja elaborates. However, spraying must be managed manually. Ivan touches upon the lack of automation for spraying but does not yet see the use of drones for spraying pesticides as a viable option. “Not enough amount of water drone can handle, because one hectare needs 600 to 1000 litres and the drone cannot carry that much water,” Ivan explains.

Interviewing Ivan, the vineyard manager

Ivan nods and expresses his appreciation of the service he receives but points out one issue due to the terrain conditions of the vineyard. “More complicated weather station necessary for these vineyards. Here, we may need more stations to cover all of this. There is a big difference. This vineyard is different from the down vineyard; the microclimate is different,” he says.

We skip the second and go directly to the third station which is installed to monitor insects. This device, consisting of an insect trap and a camera, sends a picture every day. Ivan checks the agroNET app every morning to track the number of insects and decides when to apply pesticides. He says that it is helping, but only for one type of insect. In vineyards, they have two or three different types, depending on the year.

“Agriculture is really complex, and every year brings something new and different. With globalisation, there are new insects, new diseases, and other big problems…”

A total of three stations for weather and insect monitoring have been provided to Ivan to support him in making data-driven decisions. “This is just a tool to help farmers make decisions on time according to the data. This cannot solve all their problems, but it can help them to better manage,” Nemanja explains. Ivan certainly sees value in the product, but he underlines the associated cost as a barrier, saying, “In Serbia, the biggest problem is paying.”

“The financial part is a barrier, definitely,” says Spasenija Gajinov, a product manager at dunavNET. She expects the government to act and provide subsidies to farmers and thinks that would accelerate the adoption of IoT. But it’s not yet in their agenda, Nemanja says, “For tractors and machinery. Last year, I think it was solar panels or something similar. So, it is likely that it will come to the digital technologist.”

The agroNET web interface is showing an image of insects captured by the station

DunavNET, the case company, was started in 2005 as a software consultancy by Srdjan Krčo, the founder and CEO of the company. After spending several years working in Ireland, he decided to return to Serbia in 2012 to fully engage with his company and to start an IoT business.

Novi Sad, where the company is based today, is the biggest city in the Vojvodina region – the agricultural heart of Serbia. “This whole area here, if you notice from coming from Belgrade airport, very flat apart from that one mountain [Fruška Gora Mountain] that you kind of cross. The primary domain sector was, and today one top three sectors, is agriculture,“ says Srdjan, the grandchild of farmers who himself spent quite a few years in the field.

DunavNET provides IoT-based solutions for many business domains, including agriculture. Today, they offer a number of IoT solutions for many sub-sectors, including livestock, orchard, vegetables, and arable crops, for various use cases such as weather monitoring, irrigation, and pest detection, using one single platform. “From the very beginning, we tried to build a holistic platform, something that would allow farmers to collect all their data into one place, whether it’s a tractor or weather station, and then build modules on top of that, that would give them recommendations, insights on specific operations, so that they can manage everything in one place. That was the approach,” Srdjan says about the company’s product strategy.

Srdjan Krčo, Founder and CEO

Srdjan believes that the IoT and ML/AI have the capability today to generate at least the same, if not better, insights, wisdom, and knowledge in agriculture that his grandparents had.

“Eventually, that is something that’s already done. So, whether it is just IoT, or machine learning, there is now a blurred line between these technologies, but we have in our system today.. If you can record temperature, humidity, precipitation, when the vegetation started etc. then you can predict diseases. And, with the support of these digital technologies, you can do it in a more efficient automatic manner, supporting you in-house or external agronomists and making their decision taking process more efficient.”

IoT is core to the company’s products but complementary to the services provided by the company. Consultancy makes a major part of their daily business. Domain knowledge is the key to success, according to Srdjan. “The good thing about IoT is that it can be applied or is being applied in different sectors. The difficult part is the same, because if you want to create an IoT solution for agriculture, .. you have to know that domain. Having an IoT platform is not sufficient, you have to provide solutions that the end users can avail of straight out of the box.”

Partners play a crucial role in service delivery. The company maintains a network of partners, ranging from hardware providers, system integrators, and telecom operators to local consultants, who can provide “a connection between us and the farmers,” Srdjan says. “We offer complete turnkey solutions, and we wouldn’t be able to do that without partners. It’s much easier if you work with someone for a longer period of time,” he explains. “We created our ecosystem,” Spasenija adds. “agroNET has been created in collaboration with researchers from universities, agronomists, and other agricultural consultants who have been in the business for twenty years,” she says. “People who are part of agricultural production with their knowledge and expertise. We use and digitise their knowledge on our platform.”

What about the technology? “It’s maturing,” Srdjan says. “For many of the scenarios, the technology as it is today is already there and solves the needs of the farmers (e.g., weather stations, various sensors, etc.) Of course, as the technology evolves, the requirements evolve as well – it’s a kind of push-pull process. Soon, we will see much more ML/AI-based solutions in the field, robots, etc.” Petar Knežević, who works as a software architect at DunavNET, confirms the same, adding, “Connectivity, battery and sensors are self-sufficient. In the last ten years I have witnessed the evolution of these devices and batteries.”

Spasenija is presenting the latest sensor technology

Today, the company exports its products and expertise to a number of countries in Europe, Canada, and the Middle East. “We were always among the first ones to do something in the digital agriculture sector in the region,” Srdjan says proudly. Nevertheless, he says the business of agriculture is “yet to become fully profitable.” “It takes time to earn trust of farmers and for the cost of technology to drop to acceptable levels. Anyhow, since COVID, we are seeing an increased pace of traction, and the engagement with farmers more focused on deployment than explanation of what benefits such solution can bring.”

Agriculture is a tough sector which “needs a lot of time and patience” in comparison to other domains such as smart cities, according to Spasenija. The sales cycle is typically quite long, but they think it will shorten in the near future. The company is already seeing some real interest. “It’s only last year and now this year, and there is that we see an increased number of commercial customers,” Srdjan says.

The team is convinced that the trend is upward, and the future is bright for smart agriculture. “I suppose, from year to year, we will have improved solutions, better devices, and more clients,” Spasenija concludes.

About

This is a series of blogs curated by PhD candidate Cevdet Bulut, who is investigating the adoption of IoT in agriculture. In this series, the author shares a limited version of his field notes and highlights from multiple case studies in a news story format as part of his current research study. The scope of the case studies is to uncover what factors (socio-economic, cultural, technical, etc.) affect the adoption of IoT and to gain experience from the field that can guide the design of viable IoT-based business models for the sector. A new blog will be published on each case study with the participant’s permission.

Blogs in this series: