The Marketing team of ena Development Consultants — Christos Pitiakoudis, Sofia Argyriadou, and Maria Karyofilaki — in the context of creating #32 Business Story, interviewed representatives from the 6 partners of #DigiAgriFood, the first European Digital Innovation Hub in the Agri-Food sector in Greece.
The partners of the hub responded to a series of questions regarding the importance of digital transformation in agri-food, the technologies being utilized, the significant activities of the hub, and their roles in the project. They highlighted their commitment and enthusiasm for the initiative, as well as their expectations for the growth and future of the agri-food sector in Greece.
The #DigiAgriFood hub aims to strengthen the digital and green transformation across the entire agri-food value chain, delivering direct benefits to citizens, SMEs, and the public sector. It specializes in technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Digital Skills, High-Performance Computing, Digital Transformation, and Interoperability, directly contributing to the missions and goals of the “Digital Europe Programme 2021–2027.”
The role of ena Development Consultants, as Partner, Innovation & Communication Mediator of #DigiAgriFood, is to connect the needs of the real economy and businesses with the innovation generated by the research institutions involved in the hub, while also developing comprehensive communication strategies for the hub’s goals, activities, and achievements.
Consortium, #DigiAgriFoodled by Democritus University of Thracealso includes the University of Thessaly, the Ινστιτούτο Βιο-Οικονομίας και Αγρο-Τεχνολογίας (iBO) του Εθνικού Κέντρου Έρευνας και Τεχνολογικής Ανάπτυξης (ΕΚΕΤΑ), το Perrotis College της Αμερικανικής Γεωργικής Σχολής και η Region of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace..
Dimitris Bardakidis, Quality & Risk Manager of #DigiAgriFood and co-founder & Agrifood expert at ena Development Consultants, shared with us the characteristics of agrifood sector businesses today and the modern challenges they face.
Here’s what he told us:
Dimitris Bardakidis, Quality & Risk Manager of #DigiAgriFood: The structural weaknesses of the primary sector in Greece, combined with climate change, rising input costs, and changes in the Common Agricultural Policy, create a restrictive environment for the sustainability of agricultural and livestock farms.
It is important first to understand the current state of the agricultural sector in Greece in order to speak knowledgeably about the modern challenges it faces. The primary sector in our country employs approximately 10% of the total workforce, of which 64% are over 45 years old. In 2020, it contributed 3.5% to the country’s GDP. According to Eurostat, the average cultivated area per farm is about 54 acres, agricultural labor productivity in Greece lags behind the European average by 21.4%, and less than 6% of farm managers have any formal agricultural education background.
All of the above clearly reflect the main structural weaknesses of our country’s agricultural sector, which, when combined with the impacts of climate change (drought, natural disasters, rising average temperatures, soil desertification, yield reductions, etc.), the rapid increase in input costs, and the consequent changes occurring at the level of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, create a constraining environment in which Greek agricultural and livestock farms must strive to maintain their sustainability.
It thus appears that the greatest challenge, not only today but consistently over time, for every business operating in the primary sector is... … the timely adaptation to the rapidly changing environment.Unfortunately, in our country, about a decade was lost due to the lack of a long-term agricultural development strategy from the relevant Ministry, which resulted in the agricultural sector not adapting in time to the new conditions of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Thus, we have arrived at the present, where for the period 2023-2027, the CAP requires farmers to implement production systems with which they are not yet familiar.
In summary, I would emphasize that, as with every independent economic entity, each agricultural business is called upon to make its strategic and business decisions that will determine whether it remains sustainable. Fundamental elements for success include adopting a culture of investing primarily in knowledge, innovation, and new technologies. Equally important is persistence in ensuring the safety and quality of the produced goods, as well as (even limited) vertical integration of the production process. Finally, adopting input reduction techniques and environmental protection measures are indispensable.
If all the above seem challenging for the farmer, then it is the right time to take advantage of free resources such as the European Digital Innovation Hub #DigiAgriFood, and/or the Agricultural Advisory Service Providers.
Read the full #32 Business Story of #DigiAgriFood here.
The proposal for participation in the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) program, under the acronym #DigiAgriFood and led by Democritus University of Thrace, with the involvement of ena Development Consultants, was selected by the European Commission within the framework of the “Digital Europe 2021-2027” program. Together with 135 other candidate hubs across Europe, #DigiAgriFood will form innovation ecosystems that generate added value for all citizens in sectors such as health, rural development, and digital governance.
Through the “Digital Europe 2021-2027” program, the European Commission supports the development of the above network of ecosystems, aiming to strengthen the European Union’s capabilities in the fields of High-Performance Computing (HPC), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, advanced Digital Skills development, and the digital transformation and interoperability of Public Administration.
