Digital technologies are increasingly shaping the future of agriculture, offering new opportunities to improve productivity, resource efficiency and the resilience of food systems. However, ensuring that these innovations are accessible, affordable and responsive to the needs of different farming communities remains a key challenge. Addressing this challenge requires approaches that combine technological development with practical knowledge, inclusive business models and collaboration among relevant stakeholders.
Recognising the value of knowledge exchange and complementary expertise, INCiTiS-FOOD and Farmtopia signed a Memorandum of Understanding in June 2026, establishing a framework for cooperation between the two Horizon Europe projects.
Making Digital Agriculture More Accessible
Farmtopia (Democratizing Digital Farming through Smart Solutions for Small Farms) focuses on making agricultural digital solutions (ADSs) more accessible and affordable, particularly for small and medium-sized farms. The project addresses barriers that often limit the adoption of digital technologies, including costs, compatibility challenges, and the need for solutions adapted to farmers’ actual conditions and requirements.
Through a farmer-driven, multi-actor approach, Farmtopia supports the co-creation, deployment and testing of digital solutions in 18 Sustainable Innovation Pilots across Europe. Its work also addresses the development of reusable software components and appropriate business and governance models, with the aim of making digital farming more practical and economically viable for smaller agricultural producers.
INCiTiS-FOOD, meanwhile, focuses on strengthening food and nutrition security and food safety in African cities and towns through inclusive and circular agri-food systems. The project works with local stakeholders through Living Labs to develop, test and promote context-appropriate technologies and business models, including hydroponics, aquaponics and insect farming.
Although the projects operate in different geographical and agricultural contexts, they share an important ambition: to make innovation more accessible and ensure that new approaches respond to the needs of the people and communities who are expected to use them.
Connecting Digital Innovation with Inclusive Food Systems
The experience of both projects highlights the importance of placing end users and local contexts at the centre of innovation. For digital agriculture solutions to deliver lasting benefits, they need to be technically effective while also being affordable, adaptable and supported by suitable business models. Similarly, innovative technologies for urban food production need to be embedded in local value chains and supported by viable approaches to implementation and scaling.
This creates valuable opportunities for knowledge exchange between the two initiatives. Farmtopia’s work on farmer-driven digital solutions, reusable technologies and sustainable business models offers relevant perspectives on how innovation can be developed and adopted in practice. INCiTiS-FOOD’s experience with Living Labs and circular agri-food technologies in African urban contexts provides complementary insights into stakeholder engagement and the development of solutions adapted to local needs.
Bringing these perspectives together can contribute to a broader understanding of how technological innovation, inclusive approaches and sustainable business models can support more resilient food systems across different regions.
Looking Ahead
The Memorandum of Understanding provided a framework for Farmtopia and INCiTiS-FOOD to explore opportunities for cooperation through knowledge exchange, participation in relevant meetings and events, the development of complementary project activities, and mutual dissemination of project results. The agreement also envisaged the possibility of joint communication and knowledge-sharing initiatives, helping both projects reach wider audiences and connect with relevant stakeholders. As Farmtopia concluded in August 2026, any continuation of this cooperation would depend on further agreement between the partners.
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