Agriculture, the future is digital
The technical agenda of AEF, the association that gathers and coordinates researchers and activities in the field of digital agriculture and Isobus systems and precision technologies, has become increasingly widespread. AEF's President, Peter Van der Vlugt, interviewed by Mondo Macchina, highlights the wide range of activities, and the need to standardize the operating systems realized by the companies working in the area, in order to optimize their use and develop the market
AEF was developed for the technical and commercial promotion of ISOBUS technology, but over time it has expanded the range of its activities, and today it deals with every kind of digital innovation applicable to agricultural mechanization. The president of the association, Peter Van der Vlugt, directs the organization’s activity with the aim not only to manage the present agenda but to anticipate the demand for technologies that will come from the primary sector in the coming years.
What do you think is in place for the future, which technologies will play a key role and what will be the future challenges for the sector?
As for the near future, AEF is working on a series of technical topics, including the one concerning the development of TIM (Tractor Implement Management) in order to be able to commercialize it among multiple brands. Among other purposes, there is the authentication and safety/security of the equipment when multi-brand machines work together, and the implement controls the tractor. Another purpose is to make the Isobus technology more accessible in terms of cost so that even a simpler and cheaper tractor can implement the ISOBUS connector and the cabling interface. Wireless Infield Communications is another area where AEF focuses on. Communication in the field between machines of different manufacturers can bring a lot of benefits in terms of optimizations. For example, it is possible to think of sharing the coverage maps (worked area) or synchronizing the A-B lines between the machines. With a wireless link it is also possible to share camera streams or images in order to guarantee the efficiency of these systems, it is also necessary to work to get more broadband, and this is what the AEF program called Highspeed ISOBUS is dealing with, while the EFDI program (Extended Farm Management Data Interface) concerns the implementation of a protocol to allow seamless data sharing between field machines and farm management systems or cloud solutions.
Italy is a very special market. In your opinion, are new technologies also useful on machines for working in orchards, vineyards and vegetable crops?
I believe that especially in the segment of vineyards, orchards and special crops ISOBUS can become an important standard. Now with the COPL (Cost-Optimized Physical Layer), AEF has paved the grounds for simplifying the ISOBUS connectors and cabling as well as for greater cost-effectiveness. This will help open up new target segments to manufacturers to start using ISOBUS as a common technology, including all the standards that can be used for data exchange on FMIS systems.
In the age of Digital Industry and Big Data, what will be the impacts on the world of agricultural machines?
As I said, Connectivity and Data exchange to external systems is a crucial part in AEF’s future strategy. The main topics to be addressed are on the one hand the quality of data coming from our machines, on the other hand, the simplification of the data flow from our machines to the Cloud and vice versa. Concerning the exchange of data between the different Clouds, AEF has teamed up with the AgGateway organization and will focus primarily on the data and communication interfaces for the Ag equipment, while AgGateway will focus more on data model standardization and on standard interfaces between different Cloud systems.
Do we have nowadays an estimate of the advantage that a “virtuous” farm can be drawn from using new technologies and Agriculture 4.0? And can this advantage be transferred to small family businesses that aim to product quality rather than its quantity?
This is a really difficult question, because to aim for a quality production we need the means to measure quality. Gathering data contributes to gathering knowledge on the production quality, but this means we need more intelligent machines. Of course, this applies to farms of all sizes, but larger farms usually have more financial means to invest in high-tech equipment. However, even family businesses - and I come from a farm of this type - must have a solid “business model” that includes the provision of intelligent machinery.
There has been a lot of talk now about the management of water resources becoming critical because of an always increasing growth in the world population. Can new technologies for Agriculture 4.0 help?
Water resources are certainly an increasingly serious issue in the world. Looking at the global indices of companies investing in water technology, we can say that there is a big business is growing in this field, and this is precisely because of the demand that comes from the agricultural field. As AEF we contribute with the Smart Sensor technology to the data collection on soil quality, moisture content, organic matter, etc. This data can then be used to obtain further decision support in agronomic advisory models and contribute to a better and sustainable agriculture.
The issues associated with the “electronics” field have recently come under increasing attention. Any security breach can cause serious harm to machines and people. When new technologies can also be, in some way, “dangerous”?
The word “dangerous” is legitimate, because Ag machinery is by definition dangerous machinery and every manufacturer has the obligation to meet the conditions set by the EU’s safety directive. When it comes to applications like TIM with different brands, it gets even more complex. What if things go wrong when an implement controls a tractor and a deadly accident occurs? Which of the two producers is to be held responsible, or are they both? AEF has developed guidelines for TIM to ensure the safety and integrity of the machines when they are combined together, but each manufacturer must comply with the safety directive, with additional measures regarding compliance, safety, and authentication of the certified equipment. With such complex equipment, even the MRI topic becomes more difficult. What happens if an independent dealer changes some settings and then an accident occurs in the field? In my opinion, with the next more sophisticated machines and with the different combinations of machines, we will also need a support like the airplanes “black box”, to identify and prove what went wrong.
At the European level, the issues concerning virtuous agronomic practices are increasingly under attention, including in relation to environmental problems. How does AEF stand against the European Commission, the CEMA, and other European bodies and what kind of support does it provide?
AEF cooperates actively with the CEMA and with the community institutions. We have asserted our role in the European Union for the Equipment Electronics standardization for agriculture, and the EU has clearly recognized it, as it can also be seen in the “IoT” sector where AEF is included as an industrial organization representing the Ag Electronics area. Furthermore, AEF has been invited to play a more active role in some future projects funded under the Horizon 2020 research programs.
