DIGI-RESILIENT: Digital Innovations for Climate-Resilient Agriculture in Water- and Nutrient-Scarce Environments

Project Concept: "The Smart Circular Oasis"

Coordinated by the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO – Volcani Institute), DIGI-RESILIENT shifts agriculture in arid, semi-arid, and transitional drylands from a reactive paradigm to a predictive, circular framework. By bridging inline edge sensing with physics-informed Agroecosystem Digital Twins (ADT), the project dynamically optimizes the variable-rate delivery of reclaimed wastewater and brackish water while managing salinity, nutrient kinetics, and contaminants in real time.

Core Targets:

• 30% reduction in freshwater extraction

• 25% reduction in synthetic fertilizer runoff while stabilizing baseline yields

• 180+ days continuous, drift-free operation of ruggedized edge sensors in high-salinity dryland conditions

• Establishing the "Circular Safety Standard" protocol for European reclaimed water reuse

Consortium Work Package Architecture:

• WP1 (Science & Tech): Inline edge biosensors, water quality screening & field telemetry

• WP2 (Data & AI): Physics-informed Agroecosystem Digital Twin (ADT) & FAIR data pipelines

• WP3 (Agronomy): Transnational Living Labs & field validation (semi-arid, hyper-arid, and Mediterranean transition zones)

• WP4 (Society & Policy): Multi-Actor Approach (MAA), LCA, regulatory barriers, consumer acceptance, and SME business models

• WP5 (Management): Project coordination (ARO Volcani Institute)

Partners We Are Actively Looking For:

1. Southern / Central / Eastern EU Living Lab Hosts (WP3): Commercial farm networks, agricultural cooperatives, or research stations in Mediterranean and drought-prone EU regions (e.g., Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, or Eastern Europe) practicing irrigated agriculture (conventional or organic) interested in piloting digital circular irrigation.

2. Cloud & High-Performance Computing / AI SMEs (WP2): European software vendors experienced in scalable cloud digital twins, API orchestration, and intuitive dashboard UI/UX for farmers.

3. Sensor Engineering & Hardware Ruggedization Partners (WP1): SMEs or technical institutes capable of ruggedizing inline optical/electrochemical sensor casings for field deployment in abrasive/saline environments.

4. Agricultural Extension & Socio-Economic Partners (WP4): Organizations experienced in Multi-Actor Approach facilitation, rural sociology, Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA), and EU water reuse policy frameworks (Regulation EU 2020/741).