The world faces a major challenge with the sharp increase in demand for meat and fish by 2050, to which current modes of production, whether through agriculture, aquaculture or fisheries, cannot be sustained. An innovative solution to this predicted shortage of resources, especially protein, lies in insect production and processing which can provide a serious response, but to date no industrial scale of production of insect-derived products has been reached. The FARMYNG project has this ambition to develop on an industrial and automated scale the breeding and transformation of insects for the production of animal nutrition, with the strong participation of 20 key actors all along the value chain from the feedstock supply to the final insect transformation. FARMYNG will demonstrate a large-scale, first-of-its-kind bio-based value chain producing sustainable, safe and premium feed products from an innovative origin: the Tenebrio molitor insect (mealworm). The plant developed for FARMYNG will use the efficiency of mealworm physiology to convert vegetal by-products in mealworm biomass and transform those mealworms into sustainable proteins and lipids for fish feed and pet food end markets. In parallel, manure will be recovered for soil fertilization applications. Insects are indeed very effective at converting organic matter. Fed with no-noble materials, insects multiply quickly, and are a rich and natural source of food for certain livestock and pet animals, and probably ultimately for the Humans directly. Insects also emit less greenhouse gases and ammonia and use less water and land than other animal proteins value chains. FARMYNG project, responding to the increasing worldwide proteins demand, will transfer the technology from a demo plant to the Industrial Flagship Plant able to produce almost 1 500 tons of proteins and 400 tons of oil per month, reaching a productions rate never demonstrated before for insect’s proteins production plant.

The main scope of the project is to empower the potential of EO Systems by creating an innovative commercial information delivery to optimize sustainable vine cultivation via decision support systems (DSS) on phenology, irrigation, fertilizer, disease and business operations management. Satellites imagery will be combined with other data sources such as in-field measurements, models and best practices to build up an integrated but modular management tool covering the most critical operations of the business, including sustainability aspects to align the outcomes with UN SDG´s, which will directly welfare population living in rural communities around wine producers locations. VITIGEOSS will integrate existing solutions to couple satellite imagery with in-field sensors with the aim of increasing resolution and reliability of satellite information applied to all aspects of viticulture and specific wine-business operations. Our platform will empower the usage of European open EO services by the improvement of agriculture business operations at economic, environmental and social level, and will ensure an effective engagement with EuroGEOSS by direct participation within its Action groups. The presence of 3 end-users in the consortium will facilitate a successful penetration in the market through ELEAF, who will act as commercialization partner. VITIGEOS can contribute to EuroGEOSS by demonstrating the effective use of European EO resources in an operational application for the wine industry. The application is at the pre-operational readiness level 6 to 7 and as such can reinforce other EuroGEOSS initiatives. VITIGEOS will explore the readiness level with different EuroGEOSS Coordination Groups to ensure that it meets the EuroGEOSS requirements. Connection with these action groups is ensured with the presence of relevant members in the Advisory Board