On Friday 9th September, DEMETER partners participated in an annual farming event “Kmečki svetek” in Slovenia. ICT Cluster and DIH Agrifood presented DEMETER project pilots and associated results to interested participants at a booth during the event. The audience consisted of farmers, agricultural experts, industry representatives and students with over 100 participants in attendance.
One of main Kmečki svetek partners is the Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry of Slovenia, department Murska Sobota, providing support, agricultural expertise and advice to all farmers in the region. As a close partner organisation, ITC/DIH Agrifood received the opportunity to represent DEMETER at the farming event.
Speaking on behalf of DEMETER, Tomaž Bokan, Senior Expert at ITC Cluster said, “Bringing new technologies and approaches to farmers and presenting them with the benefits can bring positive development to the whole agricultural sector. In smaller regions like Pomurje with many smaller farms, it is of even greater importance to showcase the pilot developments and exchange information. Close collaboration with farmers brings also very valuable feedback for future developments, and proposals for improvement but also improves the understanding of projects supported by the European Union. ITC/DIH Agrifood as a DEMETER project partner is highly motivated to support the development of the agrifood sector by bringing new approaches and technologies to all actors in the value chain.”
The DEMETER pilot booklet was translated into Slovene and shared with the attendees. In particular, the DEMETER pilot running in Slovenia focused on ‘Disease prediction and supply chain transparency for orchards/vineyards’ was discussed. This pilot focuses on complete farm management in vineyards and orchards, providing pest and disease management tools to optimise pesticide usage and increase crop quality. Furthermore, pesticide usage data is collected and stored to enable a transparent supply chain.
In addition, prior to the event, ITC Cluster/DIH AgriFood presented the DEMETER pilots to local agricultural advisory service, KGZS.
