Sowing Innovation

Precision Agriculture for a Sustainable Future in Catalonia’s Agricultural Landscape

Sustainable Food & Farming Systems

This project compares three fertilization strategies with AI, sensors & satellites to improve nitrogen use, reduce pollution, and face climate change.

Grant agreement ID: 67.788,77 €
Total project budget: 99.640,74 €
Start Date: 01/09/2024

End Date: 30/07/2026

The project explores the efficient use of nitrogen (N) in agriculture — an essential element that is often overused, leading to environmental issues such as water and soil pollution. In Catalonia, where nitrate contamination and climate change severely affect agriculture, the project aims to improve fertilisation practices.

Two variable-rate nitrogen fertilisation strategies are proposed: the Robin Hood approach (higher doses in less fertile areas) and the Kings approach (higher doses in more fertile areas), both compared to conventional uniform-rate fertilisation.

The approach combines advanced technologies such as soil sensors, satellite imagery (Sentinel-2, Menut and SMOS), and artificial intelligence techniques to obtain precise data on soil moisture and plant status, including the NDVI vegetation index. This enables more accurate fertilisation planning, adapting to the spatial and temporal variability of fields, reducing environmental risks, and optimising crop performance.