The Impact

Expected impacts.

SusMedHouse promotes the European Circular Economy strategy as it aims for a systemic innovation for the sustainability and competitiveness of Mediterranean greenhouse and intensive horticulture. The novel technologies, methods and other expected outputs of the project will build further on the state-of-the-art greenhouses in the Mediterranean region. Project SusMedHouse is aiming to achieve sustainable solutions and lead to several scientific and technological breakthroughs promoting possible future developments in the horticultural field in the Mediterranean. Expected impacts of SusMedHouse are given below.

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SusMedHouse will provide novel tools, technologies and approaches to increase production amount, overall efficiency and sufficiency of the Mediterranean greenhouses.

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One of the pillars of the SusMedHouse is the optimisation. Optimisation techniques used in the greenhouse include deep learning, MLand AIand accompanying the software, and advanced automation and sensor networks are the tools to realise these techniques. With these tools, the productivity of the greenhouse along with the efficiency will increase while using minimal resources. In the scope of circular economy, agricultural wastes and drainages will be reused in the system via innovative composting and biosensor technologies in the SusMedHouse. The technologies developed in the project will make it possible in general to reduce spring water consumption in agricultural field. The SusMedHouse technology (the integration of biosensors, intelligent control software, etc.) will be a technological basis that could be implemented with other complementary and specific sensors to monitor more accurately the quality and adequacy of treated water for agri-food applications as well. Also,technological innovationsof SusMedHouse and formed database about plants which is expected to grow into a big data database after commercialisation, will substantially promote the development of future technologies; enabling various different AI applications in agriculture industry.

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SusMedHouse will provide novel tools assisting farmers to improve management.

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In the scope of SusMedHouse project, several innovation actions in the field of horticulture will be realised. The innovation actions aimed to improve management include (1) innovative, more accurate, reliable and cost-effective DSS for assisting farmers to improve management and productivity, (2) new environmentally friendly methods for IPPM and (3)sensor network andautomation system with a mobile application integrated with DSS to provide growers easy monitoring and remote-control ability. These systems will assist the technicians, agricultural engineers working in the greenhouses and owners via providing necessary information more accurately to the relevant people faster. Also, deductions made by the AI of the greenhouse from this information will ease the management of the greenhouse and increase efficiency and sustainability. With novel tools provided by SusMedHouse project, easy and effective management will possible, increasing productivity and competitiveness of the horticulture practices in Mediterranean region.

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SusMedHouse will provide cost-effective and socially accepted new cultivation methods aimed at improving hand-labour conditions.

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SusMedHouse will include four different cultivation methods for the horticultural practices in Mediterranean region: conventional, Agro PVs, hydroponics and aquaponics. The best suited method, considering socio-economic state of the region and hand-labour conditions will bedemonstrated; and each method will be analysed. With the outcomes of the SusMedHouse, the method for most effective greenhouse production will be determined. Within the scope of the project, new IPPM methods without harmful substances will be realised improving the working conditions of the technicians who apply the chemicals. Also, early detection of disease and pest indications with image processing and robotic spot on chemical appliance, human involvement will be minimized in this process, improving the hand-labour conditions for workers with reduction of exposureto excessive harmful chemicals. Harvest predictions provided by the AI, DSS and sensor network will optimise the hand labour usage.

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SusMedHouse will provide development of innovative and environmentally friendly integrated pest management practices.

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Typically,farmers use their experience mixed with their worries about yield loss to evaluate the need to spray and control pest problems. In several cases, most applications are redundant; and unnecessary exposure to labourers can be avoided with less residues and a better economic result. By understanding pests and diseases SusMedHouse will reduce this uncertainty and make IPPM processes clearer. For the IPPM, SusMedHouse will fist employ preventive and early detection measures. AI of the greenhouse will consider the conditions prone to breed diseases and pests during the optimisation of the greenhouse conditions, reducing the possibility of occurrences, hence the chemical usage. Based on the richness of saprophytic microorganisms, innovative peat-free growth media will potentially show suppressiveness against common soil-borne pathogens, so that the pathogens will not be able to thrive, preventing the propagation of the diseases thus reducing pesticide use in greenhouse cultivation. Sensor network will detect indications of diseases or pests early on, so that appropriate spraying can be applied. Spray technology is sometimes hard to understand,and, in most cases,farmers are not using it correctly. It’s important to measure and ascertain leaf coverage, select correct nozzle, pressureand control agent. Due to chemical restrictions in some countries, it is difficult to face old problems with outdated responses. With the proposed methods, SusMedHouse will reduce the environmental impact of the chemical warfare against pests and pathogens in horticulture using the least possible amount of chemical. This will also relieve the economic burden of these chemicals from the growers since they are quite expensive consumables. Innovative and eco-friendly methods like sexual confusion for managingthe pests will be developed aimed to get rid of chemical use entirely for the pests. This method will improve the working conditions of the technicians as well as giving no damage at all to the environment. With these outcomes SusMedHouse will contribute eco-friendly IPPM in greenhouses significantly in not just in the Mediterranean region but the world.

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SusMedHouse will provide development of new bio-degradable materials to be used in the cultivation systems able to minimize the disposal of residues and contaminants to the environment.

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Peat represents a non-renewable resource whose exploitation causes permanent damage to the peat bogs.Their effect on climate change cannot be neglected as peat bogs act as carbon sinks storing significant amounts of carbon. Moreover, arid Mediterranean countries are importing peat since peat bogs forms in wetlands. SusMedHouse will develop a superior growth media alternative to peat from waste streams. It will contribute to the economy Mediterranean countries reducing import of peat as well as demolishing and removing wastes of agriculture through recycling. This innovative peat-free growth media produced from waste streams will reduce residues of horticulture practices, contribute to circular economy and slow down the destruction of peat bogs, decreasing the effects of agriculture to global warming. SusMedHouse will reduce the adverse environmental effect of greenhouse cultivation by developing high quality and low-cost alternatives to peat for a more environmentally sustainable greenhouse vegetable production; and its impact will spread around the world increasing the sustainability of all horticultural practices.

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SusMedHouse will provide solutions for eutrophication and pollution of both ground and underground water basins.

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Eutrophication is a major environmental concern in areas with intense agricultural activities. Runaway nutrients from the farmlands contaminatethe freshwater resources in the area, making this precious resource unusable for domestic use as well as industrial use. SusMedHouse will present an absolute and simple solution to this problem. Hydroponic and aquaponic cultivation methods are closed systems, meaning there would be no run off water from irrigation to carry off nutrients meant for the crops. These systems will circulate the water, reusing it and replenishing it as it evaporates. Only occasionally whole system will change the water entirely, reducing the nutrient leakage to minimum. Farmers and agribusiness companies avoidthe use of purified or circulated water due to the danger of spreading the diseases. SusMedHouse will guide the farmers and agribusiness companies to use circulated water and show that it is safe and economical with the innovative biosensors developed within the scope of the project. SusMedHouse will demonstrate how Hydroponicand Aquaponic systems will work as successful methods in proving that eutrophication can be prevented with these cultivation methods in the Mediterranean Region.

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SusMedHouse will create technological awareness in farmers and stakeholders in Mediterranean Region, promoting precision farming.

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The demonstration of SusMedHouse will present a working and efficient systems with the additional features of being eco-friendly to the farmers along with far more productive techniques in managing greenhouse production. This approach will improve the quality of crop production by extending production time, fighting and eliminating disease elements and finally improve the sustainability levels across many crops and covering several environments and conditions. Applications of high technology in the SusMedHouse, beside AI and DSS applications in horticulture will be examples of the precision farming in these technologically lacking regions, creating awareness for the importance of technology in horticulture.

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SusMedHouse will provide new perceptions on the sustainability of the greenhouses and create awareness about the issue in Mediterranean Region.

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As the demand for food increases and the global warming negatively affects resources, farmers and stakeholders in the sector needs to understand and practice sustainability in the Mediterranean greenhouses. Where are the pertinent people in these perceptions is very important as they will pave the path for the intended results. SusMedHouse aims to create awareness in both farmers and stakeholders about the importance of sustainability by practicing innovative and sustainable cultivation methods. SusMedHouse will provide useful relationships between sustainable farming and farmer’s perceptions and problem’s outlook in the Mediterranean greenhouses.

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SusMedHouse will provide communication and sharing of know-how between different countries of Mediterranean through dissemination and exploitation activities in horticulture field.

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The SusMedHouse results combined with dissemination activities; will contribute to the renewal of agricultural narratives of Mediterranean and Europe that speak to different languages, cultures, and will contribute to enhanced cultural inter-comprehension among different countries.

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SusMedHouse will promote food traceability by investigating decentralised architecture on greenhouse data communication network.

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The demand of the public to know where the food they consume comes from is growing. They are willing to pay more to know where and how vegetables they buy grown, which processes they are subjected. A decentralised architecture on the greenhouse communication networkwill be investigated. This will promote the enabling of unalterable information transmissionto public consumers, when combined with further technologies.

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SusMedHouse will provide improved efficiency and cost-effective climatic control procedures and technologies for Mediterraneanyear-round greenhouse cultivation.

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One of the main pillars of the SusMedHouse is the optimisation of the resources including energy, water, soil and hand labour. The tools of SusMedHouse to achieve this areAI, DSS and advanced control and automation system. Empowered by AI, the control and automation system will improve productivity of greenhouses using optimisation techniques. Based on crop performance during production cycle AI willadjust the conditions for the optimum results considering the resource consumption like electricity and water. DSS will provide support with an efficiency and cost-oriented view. The applications and actions of AI with automation and control system will be validated with technical and economic feasibilities in DSS in order to give insight to the farmer and increase competitiveness of the production. These tools will increase the efficiency of the greenhouse production,producing more using fewerresources. In the summer months, when extreme temperatures and costs of cooling the prevent production in conventional greenhouses in MediterraneanRegion, SusMedHousewill be able to perform year-round production by developing innovativecoating for thecover materials and installing PVpanels. Low-Ecovers and solar control coatings will reduce the amount of heat coming in the greenhousewhilst maintain high transmittance in the light range that will be used by the plants. Reducing the energy spent on cooling.Despite the light loss From PVs causing crop efficiency drop, electricity produced from PV panels will compensate the drop, providing overalloutputefficiency increase and allowthe highest possible degree of energy autarky of the greenhouse system.With an advanced automation andcontrol system, feedback from sensor network, AI, DSS, newspectrally selective coatingand PV panel installation, SusMedHouse will provide cost effective greenhouse climate control and more efficient greenhouses in MediterraneanRegion. These tools can be used not only in the targeted region but in greenhouses around the world as well. They will have a strong commercial impact after thedemonstration of their effectiveness and improve horticultural practicesglobally.

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SusMedHouse will provide development of innovative technologies and practices contributing to production of organic crops.

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Organic products are attracting more attention every year and there is a growing market for them44. SusMedHouse will introduce and demonstrate practices thatcan be very effective in organic crop production. The innovative methods for pest management alternative to pesticide usage developed within the scope of the SusMedHouse can be used in pest management of organic crop production directly as they will not contain any restricted chemicals. And, aquaponic cultivation method do not allow any harmful chemicals because the fish dies when such substances are used. The demonstration of this cultivation method will provide proof of the methods developed in the project is applicable and effective in the Mediterranean greenhouses. This method will be commercially valuable product and it will createa way of pest management in the organic crop production market.