About PATH2DEA

In European agriculture, digital innovation-driven solutions are viewed as crucial for addressing serious challenges, ranging from environment and economy to societies, while simultaneously raising new concerns. Digitalisation may foster more sustainable EU food systems, particularly when paired with principles of agroecological farming. Agroecology means working with ecosystems, and combines science with producers’ traditional knowledge. Thus, information-intensive agroecological farming will benefit from a digitalisation, both by an improved performance or via support to the farmers’ decision-making process. Still, the transformational potential of digitalisation for EU agriculture needs yet to be unlocked.

The challenge: EU’s progression towards digital agroecology, relies on the adoption of digital technologies by users, and adapting and tailoring them to users’ needs. This requires multi-actor, user-driven action supported by dedicated instruments, while ensuring a persisting direction towards increased sustainability.

There is an extensive portfolio of digital tool and technologies already available for potential use in agroecological farming. Yet, for various reasons these tools are not yet widely used:

Insufficient information on existing solutions adapted to individual needs
Insufficient knowledge on usage, which may be perceived as too complex
Investment costs
Uncertainty regarding performance in real-life

At the same time there are many initiatives, networks and projects focusing on agroecological practices.

PATH2DEA aims at connecting the so far isolated major assets in digital agroecology, namely:

Available digital tools and technologies available in agriculture
Farmers’ (traditional) knowledge
Relevant expertise in science and technology

PATH2DEA will build a bridge connecting across EU initiatives and platforms in both agroecology and digital technology.

The objective: PATH2DEA’s general objective is to support that digitalisation may act as an enabler of agroecology and thus catalysing farming systems transition towards more sustainability.

PATH2DEA provides coordination and support in six focus areas linked to the project’s environmental, economic and societal wider effects. Related to this, PATH2DEA defined six specific objectives and its methodological approach.