Citizen science Sustainability

CERBERUS. Multiplatform surveillance for crop health

Program:

HE (Horizon Europe)

Duration:

2024-2027

Budget:

4.8 M

Consortium:

13 partners in 4 countries

SFC:

Partner

The objective of CERBERUS is to create a system that combines the early detection of agricultural pests and the use of intelligent spray applications, to reduce the use of pesticides and thus eradicate pests in a more sustainable way. CERBERUS will be a cloud system that will combine, using AI algorithms, large-scale observation sources (satellite images) and on the ground (robots, traps), with data generated by citizens. The creation of the system will be the result of a multi-actor approach through co-creation and knowledge exchange between all the agents involved throughout the entire project. The multi-actor approach will be reinforced by the complementarity of the consortium: three academic partners, three technology companies, a company expert in citizen science, a government agency involved in crop protection and five pilot farms.

The project will be implemented in three countries in the Mediterranean basin (Spain, Italy and Cyprus) and for three crops that are key in this area: wine-producing vineyards, olive oil-producing orchards and citrus plantations.

Project challenge

Citizen science plays an increasingly important role within the research and innovation ecosystem in Europe; However, this is one of the first projects that integrates citizen science in the monitoring of agricultural pests, in triangulation with other data sources.

Solutions

At SFC we are in charge of incorporating citizen science into the project in a transversal way to guarantee that the data generated by citizens is robust and contributes to the consolidation of the entire system. To do this, we will design specific citizen training and involvement strategies for each country, seeking to generate a stable community involved in promoting a more sustainable agricultural system.

In addition, SFC is also in charge of promoting the exchange of knowledge between all actors in the food chain, through co-design methodologies, and thus guarantee that the resulting solution is user-friendly and adapts to the needs of all actors (large, medium and small organizations; people with different levels of training and digital skills; non-professional citizens; etc.) in an inclusive manner.

Results

At the end of the project, it is expected to obtain an easy-to-use digital platform that will allow the early detection of pests and their sustainable management. In addition, it is expected to obtain innovative machinery (robotics, intelligent fumigators) adapted to the needs of end users.

Project funded by the Horizon Europe research and innovation program of the European Union. Grant agreement no. 101134878 - Belonging to the call Innovative governance, environmental observations and digital solutions in support of the Green Deal (HORIZON-CL6-2023-GOVERNANCE-01)