Biogenic Value Creation and Smart Farming

The “Biogenic Value Creation and Smart Farming” initiative of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft focuses on applied research in the field of food and agriculture – from crop farming and livestock care to agricultural use of moorland. Divided into two smaller initiatives, researchers from five Fraunhofer institutes, the IGD, IGP, IIS, IVV and EMFT, are based across several offices in Bavaria and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The interdisciplinary teams contribute a wide range of expertise from the sectors of robotics and automation, sensors, analytics and actuators, AI and big data, as well as construction, production and process engineering. Their aim is to develop new technologies for the sustainable production and processing of agricultural products — from seeds to finished products. 

Agriculture is facing ever greater challenges due to increasingly strict requirements governing environmental protection, food quality and sustainability against a backdrop of limited availability of land and fossil fuels as well as workforce shortages. Using highly individualized, automated and sustainable technologies, the initiative is helping to ensure the long-term security and future viability of regional agriculture and food production.

The funding required for the initiative amounts to a total of 80 million euros, split equally between the German federal government and the German state governments. This includes 20 million euros from the respective federal states for each of the two smaller initiatives and 40 million euros of federal government funding.