Seminar ‘Data revolution: emerging new business models in the agri-food sector’

Development of ICT and sensor based technologies, procedures and software have enormously increased the amount of data collected, and available, in agricultural sectors and through the whole supply chain (from farm to fork). The appearance and adoption of biosensors, nanotechnology, low-cost electronics, the Internet of Things or remote sensing devices, among others, will further boost the data domain. This scenario offers significant potential for new data driven business models.

Several initiatives are already in place, many are quickly developing, and even more are just ideas. The seminar intends to connect all of them bringing the community together and giving people launching or conceiving new data driven businesses the opportunity to discuss, test and enrich their ideas while meeting other members of the community.

Furthermore the seminar will reflect on how agricultural and rural development policy can support the data revolution for an enhanced productivity and sustainability in the wide agri-food chain, covering different sectors, farm types and production systems.

The concrete objectives of the seminar are:

• Identify and discuss existing and potential data driven business models in the agricultural sector, including the whole supply chain
• Identify enabling conditions for these business models and strategies to support their development
• Bringing people together to further develop data driven business mode
• Participants’ own experiences and ideas will form the core of the seminar. They will have the chance to present their business models to other colleagues and innovators.

This seminar is organised within the framework of the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI) by the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development in cooperation with the Institute for Agrostrategies and Innovations in Sofia.