HSG helps to shape the future of agriculture in three EU projects

The three projects, Nostradamus, LandShift and AfroGrow, are funded under the European Union's Horizon Europe programme. HSG will receive funding of around CHF 2.9 million from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation for its participation in these initiatives. All three projects are coordinated by the Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence at the Cyprus University of Technology in Limassol, Cyprus, and will run for several years: LandShift from 2024 to 2027, Nostradamus from 2024 to 2028 and AfroGrow from 2025 to 2028.

Three innovative projects for different challenges

The Nostradamus project is transforming the management of European agriculture by using real-time data from Earth observation, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. By integrating large amounts of data into cloud-based systems, land managers, advisory services, agricultural technology companies or policy makers, for example, can work more efficiently, reduce agricultural inputs and thus report to the resilience and independence of European food production.

LandShift relies on data-driven optimisation of land use systems through earth observation, artificial intelligence and digital data platforms. Five pilot regions in Europe are being used to investigate how nature-based solutions can contribute to climate neutrality in the land use sector, in line with the New European Bauhaus. The project results support decision-makers with scientifically sound, digital tools for sustainable land management.

AfroGrow promotes the sustainable management of agroforestry systems in Africa by establishing six networked “living labs”. The project partners are developing digital tools and a crowdsourcing app that provide various target groups with context-specific knowledge about climate-resilient farming methods. In addition, an open data platform is being developed that will enable data-based recommendations for plant and animal selection and facilitate the transfer of knowledge between science, politics and practice.

HSG contributes expertise in socio-economic innovation to the projects

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS-HSG) is an important social science partner in all three projects. Under the direction of Dr Sabine Hoidn, an interdisciplinary research team contributes its expertise in socio-economic impact analysis, stakeholder engagement, training concepts, sustainable governance strategies and the promotion of gender equality. “Technological innovations alone are not enough – only by embedding them in a sustainable economic and social environment can we create successful digital solutions for fairer and sustainable land use in the long term,” says Sabine Hoidn, explaining the significance of HSG's contribution to the research projects. HSG will therefore analyse the social and economic impacts of these technologies, develop strategies for the integration of interest groups and ensure a knowledge transfer into politics and practice.