OccitAnum

A living lab putting digital technologies at the service of agroecological transition within the territories of Occitanie

Occitanum is a commitment to the deployment of digital technologies to foster agroecological transition and regionalize the food supply

Occitanum is an archipelago of 13 Living Labs deployed on different pedo-climatic and production sites across the Occitanie Region.

These users-centred labs bring together all the local and regional stakeholders, including farmer communities, local authorities, agricultural development actors, AgTech firms, citizens as well as researchers, engineers, technicians, and academics, to develop innovative projects for a variety of agricultural systems (orchards, beekeeping, livestock, field crops, vineyards and market gardening) and local food systems.

Aim

Deploying digital technologies to foster agroecological transition and regionalize the food supply

Short background information

Occitanum brings together 49 regional actors in agriculture and the agrifood sector, including the Occitanie Region.

Occitanum is supported by INRAE based on its expertise in Digital Agriculture and the territorial approach, and by a group comprised of the Chambres d’Agriculture, the Agriculture Cooperative Federation, local authorities, the Higher Education and Research Agronomy institute – AGRO Montpellier, the technical institutes, the Competitivity cluster called AgriSudOuest Innovation and the firm E2L.

Occitanum follows an original structure allowing flexibility and complementarity. It is based on seven open lab based on six production systems (beekeeping, orchards, vineyard, filed crops, livestock, market gardening) and one on local supply chain. Each open lab is dispatched on different pilote sites. And on each pilot site, different innovative projects can emerged. In the Open Labs, each site organizes its specific governance to conceive and support Innovative Projects. General governance is manage through the CORE entity allowing for the general coordination, research and training actions, valorization and financial actions.

Funding

The project is a winner of the "Territoires d'Innovation" Grand Plan d'Investissement, Banque des Territoires.

The Occitanie Region supports OccitAnum as part of the the green newdeal action plan.

Activities

• implement innovative projects:
  • test new digital solutions in a real-world environment
  • develop co-innovation with stackeholders
• Codevelop innovative methods
• Foster involvement of AgTech Firms in open innovation process
• Develop multidisciplanarity research
• Assessment of the potential of digital technologies used in Open Labs

Mathods, stakeholder engagement and tools

Different tools are used to get a good stakeholder participation and involvement:

• Regular meetings even during the Covid crises using participatory remote tools
• Transparent and clear method call “service map” that allow to go from the stakeholder’s need to the requirement for AgTech to develop new products.
• Call for interest to the AgTech enterprise to propose solution to farmers
• Development of robust protocol to evaluate innovative solution on real life
• Formation on AgTech to motivate the different stakeholders

Achievements

• 49 partners involved
• 25 emerging innovative projects
• 7 working group to cobuild (data, research, ideal open lab, formation, CMI, assessment)