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“SAH contributes to the digitalization of the ag sector by promoting farmers’ financial and digital access to innovations, mainly through the Digital Innovation Hubs growing network.”

Aquaculture is a fast growing sector worldwide and plays an important role in providing food for the growing world population. Various farming systems from ponds to net cages to closed systems produce fish, mussels, crustacea and algae on all continents.  

But what about aquaculture in Germany? 

Birgit Schmidt-Puckhaber from the German Agricultural Society (DLG) answered our questions about this. She is project manager of aquaculture at the DLG and runs a fish farm with her family in the North of Germany. 

Could you give us a brief overview of aquaculture in Germany: Which forms (types of farms) and which kinds of fish are the most common? 

Aquaculture in Germany is dominated by conventional fishponds. These ponds utilize a natural source of water for aquacultural purposes, which requires a special permit. Ponds are bodies of water that can be drained, unlike lakes, which cannot be emptied and re-filled. We distinguish between warm- and coldwater fish culture, depending on the kind of fish that is being reared in these ponds. In warmwater ponds (carp etc.), water is flowing at low rates and has a high temperature. These ponds are primarily used for cyprinidae in conjunction with compatible fish (tench, zander, catfish, etc.). Salmonid fish (Rainbow trout, brown trout, etc), on the other hand, prefer clear, cool, flowing water. As a result, coldwater ponds tend to be longer, have a higher flow rate, and are filled with clear, cold water. Both types of ponds use naturally occurring water for breeding fish, and the water is returned to nature (i.e., a creek or river) after passing through the pond. Unlike in conventional ponds, the water used in so-called RAS systems (Recirculated aquaculture Systems) is purified in special filters for re-use. As a result, these systems require only a fraction of the water used in conventional ponds. However, these systems require heat and electrical power for rearing fish and water purification and bear a higher technical risk. They are used for catfish, sturgeon, and eels, as well as for prawns in salt water systems.  

In 2018, the number of farms that relied primarily on producing fish in aquacultures was approximately 2 600, with most farms operating warmwater ponds (1 700), followed by coldwater farms (1 060), and only 45 RAS Systems (Recirculated Aquaculture Systems). 

How does aquaculture in Germany compare to the rest of Europe and the world? 

We can be proud of our fish farmers and the traditional pond farms, but we only play a minor role in European and international markets. In 2018, German aquaculture produced 31 900 tons of fish, mussels, shrimps and algae, but could not even come close to meeting the national demand for fish and seafood. We rely heavily on imports when it comes to fish – Germany imports 87 % of the demand of fish and seafood. The production of carp and trout in Germany has not increased in years; only the yield from RAS systems is steadily growing. 

Is there a typical “German” fish that has a rich tradition of being farmed in this country? 

Yes, there is. Even if we cannot shine with large yields, fish farming is an important part of German culture, and especially carp farming has a long-standing tradition here. It contributes to the typical landscape of several regions and forms a mainstay of our culinary tradition. Anyone who ever tried a tasty Franconian baked carp will never forget this experience. The main areas of production are in Saxony and Bavaria. 

Where do you see future opportunities? How about, for instance, “German shrimp”? 

I believe that the most lucrative opportunities arise wherever there is something special about the product, some kind of story. This can be a certain sign of quality, a special way of producing or selling the fish, or a beautiful place where buying fish is a special experience. 

Fresh prawns from Germany are such an experience. Everybody knows frozen prawns, and consumers love using them for all sorts of recipes. But fresh prawns from a well-run salt water prawn farm are an entirely different - and delicious - product; a real treat for the senses. However, I would argue that this model can only be successful if it stays limited to a small number of farms, so that the price of around €50 per kilo can be maintained. 

Germany imports approximately 80 % of its fish and seafood. Which growth opportunities do you see in the German market, for instance when it comes to meeting the national demand for fish and seafood? 

Regional production is promising. I can once again point to the challenging task of convincing restaurants and consumers in your own back yard with your very own products, and getting local grocery stores involved. German fish farmers will not succeed by trying to ramp it up and offering their products at global market prices. Apart from the traditional farming systems we see various start - ups – combining the production of aquatic organism with plants, so called Aquaponic systems. These systems are very innovative and can be installed everywhere, also in the middle of the City. I guess, these “urban farming systems” will grow and can bring people in the cities back to primary production,  

What is your favourite fish to eat and how do you prepare it? 

A fresh perch fillet from lake Selent in Schleswig-Holstein, just blanchéd in butter and served with roasted almond slivers - that’s our absolute favourite. 

How would you describe your project?

The project aims to produce and use the zooplankton biomass as food for the growth in the post-embryo development stage of some valuable fish species, such as sturgeons, zander and European catfish that are the object of intensive farming in Romania. The purpose of the project is to produce the stocking material necessary for the development of aquaculture farms.

What is the problem that you target, and what solution do you offer?

All fish species feed on the early stages of development with live food (algae and zooplankton). The problem encountered, at farm level, is the fact that insufficient quantities of live food are produced. As a solution there is the possibility of creating two production systems of live food, at industrial level, in a controlled environment, in the required quantities and during the desired period. 

How many aquaculture farms do you work with and what do they mostly need help with?

S.C.D.P. Nucet produces stocking material of different ages for about 80% of the aquaculture farms in the country.  Within the institution there is a counselling centre that ensures the technological transfer and assistance for the implementation of new technologies and methods. These two activities ensure permanent connection with the farmers. 

What have been one or two of your most successful cases?

A successful project was the introduction of North-American sturgeon - Polyodon spathula - in aquaculture from Romania. Within S.C.D.P. Nucet was elaborated the growth technologies in different systems that allow to obtain sturgeon meat and caviar in fish farms. Also, within the station was developed artificial reproduction technology that allows producers to obtain stocking material for aquaculture farms in Romania and neighboring countries. 

Currently, S.C.D.P. Nucet is also creating a collection of species and breeds of freshwater fish (genotheque), which comprises about 30 genetic entities, represented by about 90 lots of different ages, being unique in the country. 

According to you, what are three factors aquaculture farms should start implementing as soon as possible?

1. Farms should implement modern technologies to increase the productivity and quality of production from aquaculture farms.  
2. Farms should implement monitoring programs to reduce pathological risks in aquaculture, reducing losses and ensuring animal health and welfare. 
3. Farms should diversify their production by introducing species of high economic value. 

What are the key challenges aquaculture farms encounter when it comes to improving their sustainability, animal welfare and public health standards?

 Upgrading of existing farms and construction of new production capacities.

Adapting the supply to the demand, both in terms of quality and quantity, to increase the benefits brought by aquaculture products to consumers, as well as the producers incomes.

The necessity of connecting Romanian producers to quality regulations / norms / standards imposed by the applicable national and European legislation in terms of the post-harvest phases ( labeling, transport, marketing, hygiene, etc.). Especially relevant are the technological phases of production (regulations regarding the good state of fish stocks, environmental protection and biodiversity).

The need for specialisation of the personnel from the fish farms and the attraction of young people in the fisheries sector.

In this first year of the project, Regional Cluster Italy & Malta tried mainly to build a culture of Digital Innovation Hubs in the agricultural sector.  
 
This has been done by attracting EIP Operational Groups focused on digitalization of agriculture. If well established and developed, they could serve as Digital Innovation Hub: they were indeed born to introduce innovation in the agricultural sector, putting together farmers, universities, researchers, tech providers and advisors. Their approach is therefore aligned to the one of Digital Innovation Hubs, but they have short-term deadlines. Investing in their development means to exploit an already established network of subjects, interested in innovation of the agricultural farms to create Digital Innovation Hubs. 
 
This knowledge building also went through the publication of articles and interviews on magazines specialized in agriculture. This in order to support the established Flagship Innovation Experiments and promoting their achievement and analysing needs and barriers of the agricultural sectors. Such as low culture of Digital Innovation Hub, lack of awareness of digital solution in agriculture and lack of expertise in this specific field. Now we will continue our commitment also by the tools provided by SmartAgriHubs.

Regional Cluster Central Europe including Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Switzerland, promotes regional developments in digital faming as well as in smart farming start-up ecosystems. Overall, we aim to identify relevant actors and connect them with the unique network of SmartAgriHubs. 

Innovators in Central Europe’s agri-food sector come from a variety of backgrounds: they include farmers, researchers, startups, small and medium-sized enterprises, advisors, and many more. The mission of Regional Cluster Central Europe is to map these actors and establish links between them in order to facilitate synergies within and beyond the region, thereby enabling the digitization of the agri-food sector.  

Accordingly, our Regional Cluster supports different actors in finding innovative partners in the field of digital architecture by using the SmartAgriHubs network. Furthermore, it provides supportive measures such as the identification of public and private funding opportunities, as well as the coordination of new innovation experiments within the wider SmartAgriHubs network. We achieve this by connecting local Digital Innovation Hubs, with Competence Centres, and Innovation Experiments, thereby establishing an ecosystem capable of interacting with other ecosystems across Europe.  

Central Europe offers a distinguished pallet of digital innovators and agri-food businesses. The Regional Cluster capitalizes on this asset by building a comprehensive ecosystem of actors, allowing new ideas to flourish to help find solutions for the agri-food sector.

What is the core business of your Competence Centre?

The core business of this Competence Center is Research and Technological Development in ICT&E and Robotics. We are a Portuguese private and non-profit association for Research and Technological Development in ICT&E and Robotics. We act in all phases of the Smart Precision Agriculture cycle, i.e. Data Acquisition, Decision Support System, Prescription and Action with VRT, and regarding Food Security and Bioeconomy.

 What was the biggest challenge that you have encountered in the past year? 

The biggest challenge is the lack of resources to answer to all the requests that we get. 

IWe are celebrating the one year anniversary of SmartAgriHubs, what successes have you celebrated last year? 

We have celebrated the growth of TEC4AGRO-FOOD (INESC TEC’s Initiative for Agro-Food and Forestry) both at national and European level! 

TEC4AGRO-FOOD mission is co-shaping the digital (r)evolution in Agro-Food and Forestry to tackle the productivity and sustainability societal challenges towards an effective bioeconomy. 

What are you most proud of? 

The fact that the 5th INESC TEC Autumn Forum theme was “The Digital (R)evolution in Agro-Food and Forestry”. 

And also the participation in the ongoing H2020 projects: 

• “agROBOfood: Business-Oriented Support to the European Robotics and Agri-food Sector, towards a network of Digital Innovation Hubs in Robotics”. 

• “DEMETER - Building an Interoperable, Data-Driven, Innovative and Sustainable European Agri-Food Sector”. 

 What advice would you give to the other CCs of SmartAgriHubs?  

• Clarify DIH’s mission, vision and role and get a stronger involvement of its Competence Centres; 

• Further disseminate/advertise the role of DIHs as a promoter of the digital (r)evolution of Agro-Food and Forestry at an End Users level; 

• Further involve the Agro-Food and Forestry’s End Users with the DIHs; 

• Funding to proceed with DIHs mission, vision and role. 

Contact information 

André Sá 

Email: andre.sa@inesctec.pt 

Website: www.inesctec.pt 

Twitter username: INESCTEC;  

Organisation LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inesc-tec  

Organisation Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/INESCTEC 

Instagram username: inescte

Regional Cluster North-East Europe had an intense year with many achievements in terms of organization and participation in relevant events, the establishment of connections and collaborations, as well as the creation of the informative materials. 

In a region with a predominant percentage of rural area, with a significant number of farms (only Poland has ~ one eight of EU-28 farms), and with a contribution to GVA of the primary sector above the EU average but characterized by the low productivity, SmartAgriHubs project can deliver a significant impact.  
 
Some of the key achievements of our Regional Cluster include the organization of one of the first Regional Clusters’ events, which took place in Poznan. Various stakeholders of the agri-food sector participated: Digital Innovation Hubs and Competence Centers, agriculture advisory centers, public institutions as well as industry representatives. The workshop included presentations as well as an interactive session where the participants proposed and developed ideas to address key challenges in the region, which were provided as input to the organizers of the SmartAgriHubs open call.   

Our Regional Cluster has supported the ongoing Flagship Innovation Experiments activities, monitored and tracked their progress, including the organization of multiple working meetings. We are proud for the establishment of the first agri-Digital Innovation Hub in Poland, which was planned at the beginning of the project and establishment of AgriFood Lithuania Digital Innovation Hub. We have established important collaborations and agreements, including the understanding with a Venture Capital fund to co-fund the upcoming open call in Poland and potentially other countries in the region. We also organised and participated in many events where we disseminated SmartAgriHubs, including:  

• Agroshow - Poland (one of the largest open-air agriculture exhibitions in Europe with over 140.000 visitors), co-organised by one of the Polish Flagship Innovation Experiment leaders, which included a SmartAgriHubs event featuring presentations and discussions panels with directors of different institutions as panelists;  

• Presentation of SmartAgriHubs and Regional Cluster at the Digital innovations for agriculture - 4th Knowledge and Innovation Forum in Warsaw; 

• Panel discussion in Agribusiness Forum 2019 in Vilnius, Lithuania and in “The New Age of Agriculture” Brussels; 

• Meetings with 3 Baltic countries farmers organisations; 

• Seminar in the agriculture autumn fair in Ramava, winter educational seminars for farmers and Union Farmers Parliament congress 

Our Regional Cluster also helped in the creation of the promotional videos of some of the Flagship Innovation Experiments, carrying out interviews with farmers, shootings of technologies, and video editing. Furthermore, our Regional Cluster organised and produced an interview with the vice-minister of agriculture and rural development in Poland, which will be released at the SmartAgriHubs stakeholder event! 

What is the core business of your Competence Centre? 

Ghent University is a top 100 university and one of the major universities in Belgium. The Biosystems Engineering Research Group focuses on education and research in the field of agricultural engineering with emphasis on precision farming and glasshouse horticulture often using image analysis. 

What was the biggest challenge that you have encountered in the past year? 

Apart from keeping research organised during the actual Corona crisis, getting our end-users involved and enthusiastic about our research. As our end-users are farmers, daily working in the field, in their animal houses or glasshouses, it is important to come up with ideas that combine novelty with feasibility and profitability for the farmer. 

We are celebrating the one year anniversary of SmartAgriHubs, what successes have you celebrated last year? 

It was encouraging to see that the farmers – after one year of collaboration – really appreciated the small steps and advances in research, making suggestions on how to implement them and how to adapt the next year experiments in a way that allows to provide answers to their most urgent questions. 

What are you most proud of? 

Being part of the larger UGent community, we are proud to see that our high ranking University not only cares about publications and rankings, but also about providing answers to the broad society, including agriculture and horticulture. 

Contact information

Jan Pieters 

jan.pieters@ugent.be 

https://www.ugent.be/en 

http://www.facebook.com/ugent 

http://www.twitter.com/ugent 

http://www.linkedin.com/company/ghent-university 

http://www.youtube.com/user/UniversiteitGent 

https://www.instagram.com/ugent/ 

Through the work carried out in the three FIEs 3-5, the Regional Cluster Scandinavia have worked with development and adaptation of digital solutions for the farmers, SMEs, CC and DIHs in the region. 

Potential of digitalization is difficult to comprehend – FIEs provide a great deal of help. The concept of DIH is challenging, needing time to understand what a DIH is and what it could be. Also, versatile operation concepts are needed to develop.  

Actors in the sector welcome the activities to combine and share information about abundant but presently scattered projects, products, services and actors available to all. This is seen important in order to allocate R&D and educational resources efficiently.  

“South-East Europe is getting out of the early stage of developing and adopting digital agrifood among its countries. There is an increasing trend of  digitial initiatives, addressed by quite brilliant local inovative ITC private companies towards individual farms, but wide collaboration among farmers, cross-sectoral collaboration and large scale projects are not yet common. However, during the first SAH year,  our emergent SEE innovative DIHs & CCs  started to be more aggressive towards the agrifood communities, as our RC leader and co-leadership have been learning, step-by-step, how to be more active in achieving new ways forward, into identifying real ”champion dots” and how to properly start connecting them accordint to the SAH concept, which is to be crucial for the SEE region!”