In the fields and forests of Europe, a digital revolution is quietly taking root. Agriculture and forestry, long considered the backbone of European economies, are now at the forefront of an ambitious transformation. As the European Union pushes forward with its Green Deal and Digital Strategy, these sectors are expected to play a pivotal role in achieving environmental sustainability and economic growth. But to meet these lofty goals, a significant increase in the adoption of digital and data-driven technologies is essential.

Enter 4Growth: A Bold Vision for Digital Agriculture and Forestry

In response to these pressing challenges, the 4Growth consortium has come together, uniting experts from across Europe with decades of experience in research and operational activities in agriculture and forestry. Funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, the project brings a clear mission: to understand where, how and to what extent digital and data technologies are being adopted. This will help decrease the risk of investing in digital infrastructure and contribute to the sustainability and competitiveness of the agricultural and forestry sectors through further deployment of these technologies.

The 4Growth project has set out the following pillars to guide its work:

1. Tailored Communication and Dissemination: Impact maximisation is key to the success of 4Growth. The project will tailor its messaging to engage all relevant stakeholders, ensuring sustained involvement throughout its duration. The insights gained will be used to develop policy recommendations and best practices, helping to create an environment that supports the widespread adoption of digital solutions in agriculture and forestry.
   
2. State-of-the-Art Analysis: The first step involves a comprehensive review of the current adoption levels of various digital technologies across different agricultural and forestry disciplines. This analysis will lay the groundwork for developing a Digital Agriculture and Forestry Uptake Assessment Grid, a tool designed to evaluate the effectiveness of digital solutions in real-world scenarios.
   
3. Market Monitoring and Forecasting: To provide a clearer picture of digital adoption, 4Growth will develop the Market Monitoring and Forecasting Tool (MMFT). This tool will use macro-level market data to create an up-to-date and forward-looking analysis of the sector, helping policymakers and industry leaders anticipate and plan for future challenges and opportunities. This will be complemented by a Foresight Module, which will explore future trends and scenarios, helping to anticipate and plan for upcoming challenges and opportunities.
   
4. Ground-Truth Data Collection: The project will establish virtual Observatories across Europe, tapping into existing networks of digital innovation hubs and living labs. These observatories will collect real-world data from practitioners, offering insights that complement the broader market data gathered by the MMFT. Data collection will occur in three waves, ensuring that the project remains aligned with the latest developments in digital agriculture and forestry.
   
5. Data Visualisation: The project’s Visualisation Platform will serve as a key tool in this effort, offering stakeholders access to market insights, powerful storytelling, and interactive data through dedicated widgets and APIs. By integrating the findings from the project’s various activities, the platform will help bridge the gap between data and decision-making, enabling stakeholders to make informed choices that support the EU’s environmental and digital goals.

How We ‘re Steering the Way: Our Role in Driving 4Growth Forward

At the heart of this ambitious project is Evenflow, and we’re delighted to be taking on the role of Technical Coordinators of the project while also leading the Impact Maximisation work package. With many years of project management experience, we ensure the project activities and outputs remain impactful and of high-quality, while our role as dissemination, communication, and exploitation managers allows us to focus on getting the project findings and tools into the hands of people who need them the most – whether that is policymakers, industry leaders or farmers on the ground.

Our colleague Daire Boyle, Technical Coordinator for 4Growth, sums up the importance of this work: “The fulfillment of the EU’s vision for the European Digital Strategy requires us to deepen our understanding of digital and data-driven agriculture and forestry. As Technical Coordinators of this exciting project, we at Evenflow aim to make sure the project gains a comprehensive understanding of the digital and data markets, pinpoints good practices, identifies key barriers, and develops impactful policy recommendations. Ultimately, our goal is to disseminate the relevant knowledge and tools to foster faster and more effective adoption.”

Looking Ahead: A Sustainable, Digitally-Driven Future

The 4Growth project is all about pushing the boundaries and speeding up the adoption of digital technologies in agriculture and forestry. We are analysing the current landscape, forecasting future trends, and providing actionable insights, 4Growth is poised to support the EU’s vision for a sustainable and digitally-driven agricultural and forestry sector. As we move forward, this project will show how digital transformation can be achieved in these critical sectors, paving the way for a greener, more resilient Europe.

Intrigued by our work and eager to assess the adoption of digital tools and help shape the future of agriculture and forestry? We invite all agriculture and forestry stakeholders to contribute their insights through the 4Growth survey.