Background

The agricultural sector has a long history in using spatial information and knowledge as a means to enhance farm management and business processes. The intelligent use of information on location specific circumstances has been a key factor to success from the early days of farming. With the development of farm mechanization and especially the introduction of information technology in agriculture, precision farming has become an instrument to optimize farm management and on-farm production processes. The use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) for real-time positioning in the field is becoming an essential part of the technology used in precision farming.

Improvement of production efficiency can be regarded as a classical motive for precision farming and the application of location specific knowledge. Nowadays, however, other motives for precision farming in general and especially for the use of GNSS on the farm are gaining importance. European farmers are confronted with European directives that require them to comply with legislative rules concerning farm management, environmental issues etc. Deviation from these regulations might result in subsidy reductions or even fines. On the other hand, consumers, partners in the production chain and government demand that farmers produce “safe food”. More and more society expects that reliable information regarding the production process is available through the production chain all the way to the origin of the primary product.

The FieldFact projects primary objective was to promote the use of GNSS in the agricultural sector. This was implemented through an extensive promotion and training campaign. This was supported by the setup of a stakeholder platform, several studies and assessments and by the implementation of demonstrator applications.