Soil Passport wins Agoria Digital Society Award
On World Soil Day, the Flemish Agency for Agriculture and Sea Fisheries wins the Agoria Digital Society Award, in the sustainability category. DjustConnect is also working on this.
The Soil Passport, an innovative digital tool of the Agency for Agriculture and Sea Fisheries, won the Agoria Digital Society Award in the sustainability category on Thursday. This award honours projects that contribute to a more sustainable and digital society.
The Soil Passport is a user-friendly web application that offers farmers insight into the condition of their agricultural plots. The tool combines data from various sources, such as soil analyses, crop growth and water management, and presents them in a clear manner. This allows farmers to focus on sustainable soil management, which can contribute to higher crop yields, improved water management and reduced nutrient leaching.
In addition, the application simplifies administration by bringing all relevant data together in one place. In the future, the farmer can choose to add additional data from soil samples to the soil passport. For this, the farmer must give permission in the data sharing platform DjustConnect, developed by ILVO.
Future expansions
The Soil Passport continues to evolve. An important expansion is the carbon tool, which calculates how soil carbon levels evolve based on plot data. This helps farmers to analyse scenarios, e.g. by adjusting crop rotations, thus contributing to healthier soil and better resistance to climate extremes. The integration of a fertiliser forecasting tool in cooperation with the Manure Bank is also planned.
Flemish Minister for Environment and Agriculture Jo Brouns (cd&v) reacts enthusiastically: ‘I am particularly pleased that the Soil Passport has won the Agoria Digital Society Award. Digital technologies are also becoming increasingly commonplace in the agricultural sector. The benefits are huge: they improve productivity and reduce environmental and climate impact. The fact that the soil passport won the Agoria Digital Society Award is the icing on the cake.’
The Agoria Digital Society Awards annually highlight government projects that improve the lives of citizens and entrepreneurs. This year saw the 21st edition, with awards in various categories such as innovation, usability and sustainability.