Event | Workshop

EU CAP Network workshop 'Sensing the future: practical applications of proximal and remote sensing for farmers and advisors'

Organised by EU CAP Network
27 Jan 2026, 09:00 28 Jan 2026, 17:00 CET
English
Spain
In-person

The EU CAP Network workshop ‘Sensing the future: practical applications of proximal and remote sensing for farmers and advisors' took place in Valencia, Spain, on Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 January 2026.
A call for expressions of interest closed on 29 October 2025.

Background information

The European agricultural and forestry sectors are at the heart of the twin digital and green transitions. Farmers, foresters and advisors face increasing pressure to enhance resource efficiency, build climate resilience, and increase environmental sustainability, while maintaining socio-economic viability. Innovative tools for decision-making at multiple levels can contribute to meeting these demands, but would require wider adoption by the sector.

Proximal and remote sensing technologies, including satellites, drones, and sensor-equipped machinery, offer powerful tools to support smarter decision-making. These technologies generate vast amounts of data that can contribute significantly, from strategic planning to real-time, in-field decision-making. They contribute to CAP Specific Objective 2: enhancing competitiveness through research, innovation and digitalisation.

At the same time, sensing technologies play a key role in Specific Objective 5 by fostering sustainable development and efficient resource use in agriculture and forestry. Decision support systems based on remote data are being increasingly adopted in specific agricultural and forestry sectors and provide win-win solutions that benefit both farmers and the environment.

However, despite their potential, the uptake of these technologies remains uneven. Many farmers and foresters face barriers such as high costs, complexity, and challenges in interpreting data. Concerns about data governance, privacy and the fair distribution of value generated from farm-level data also persist. These issues can erode trust in technology providers and create a ‘digital divide’ between farms with different levels of access to infrastructure and skills. Tackling these issues is also essential to Specific Objective 7: attracting young farmers and supporting generational renewal. Digital tools can help modernise agriculture in ways that appeal to younger generations.

This workshop, organised within the context of the EU CAP Network activities for innovation, knowledge exchange and the EIP-AGRI, will address technological, economic and social dimensions of proximal and remote sensing. It will move beyond policy discussions to focus directly on real-world applications, integration and future development of sensing technologies at the farm level, while creating a space to discuss and address farmers’ concerns. The goal is to build trust and empower farmers, foresters, and advisors, not only with actionable technical knowledge, but also with an understanding of the economic viability, their rights and needs, and the broader social implications of digitalisation. In doing so, the workshop will also contribute to the Cross-Cutting Objective of the CAP: modernising agriculture through improved access to research and training. It will draw on experiences from EIP-AGRI Operational Groups, Horizon projects and other relevant initiatives to support wider adaptation of sensing technologies across Europe.

Objectives

The main goal of the workshop was to showcase, exchange, and learn from experiences that help farmers, foresters and advisors adopt and build trust in proximal and remote sensing technologies. The workshop demonstrated their practical, economic and social value, foster knowledge exchange, and address key barriers to their effective integration into everyday farm and forestry management.

The specific objectives of this workshop were to:

Showcase the concrete benefits and limitations of proximal and remote sensing. These include improving input management (such as water, fertilisers, and plant protection products), optimising yield, enhancing animal health and welfare, and simplifying farm operations and administrative tasks.
Facilitate knowledge exchange and peer-to-peer learning among farmers, foresters, advisors, researchers and technology providers. The aim is to support the development of data-driven, digitally-enabled strategies for successful implementation.
Explore practical methods for integrating data from multiple sources (such as satellites, drones, and soil sensors) into farm decision-making platforms, including Farm Management Systems.
Identify common barriers to adoption, including technical, financial and social challenges.

Main target groups

The workshop brought together approximately 100 participants from across the EU, representing a diverse mix of actors relevant to the topic of the workshop. Participants included:

Innovative farmers, foresters, farm managers and farm contractors from arable, horticultural, fruticulture and livestock, and forestry sectors.
Agricultural advisors, both public and private.
Members of EIP-AGRI Operational Groups and Horizon projects working on precision agriculture and digital farming.
Representatives from technology and data service providers.
Applied researchers from agricultural institutes and universities, focusing on agricultural technology and socio-economics.
Representatives from National CAP Networks and farmers’ associations.