SmartField kick-off: Lets realise the Lighthouse

Published on May 29 2024 | Sheena R. Rasmussen

On May 27, SmartField hosted a kick-off meeting in Middelfart to launch the 5-year initiative. The event brought together project partners from the Danish Technological Institute, Land-CRAFT, Aarhus University, University of Copenhagen, and SEGES Innovation, along with representatives from the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The event provided an excellent opportunity for participants to network across organizations and discuss future collaboration.

During the meeting, attendees were introduced to the overarching vision and mission of SmartField. The project's scope was thoroughly reviewed, emphasizing the work plan, roles, and available resources. Moreover, individual work packages were presented, and a mini-workshop on risk analysis was conducted.

The meeting marked the official start of the project, with participants beginning their respective tasks. The initial phase involves designing, planning, and setting up measurement stations to quantitatively measure nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural areas. Additionally, a database and supporting infrastructure will be established to store measurement data, forming the foundation for developing process-based mathematical models. Lastly, the "Science Policy Practice Forum" will be created. This forum is central to SmartField and will play a crucial role in collaborating with national and international stakeholders, including farmers, authorities, and regulators, to achieve the project's goal of significantly reducing nitrous oxide emissions from Danish agriculture.

This will initiate the activities that will position Denmark as a European lighthouse within reduction of nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture.