Smart Irrigation and Circular Agricultural Waste-to-Value Platform for Climate-Resilient Farming

Project Background and Local Pilot

This opportunity is based on a validated Smart Irrigation and Agricultural Waste Management Pilot implemented in Yalova (Altınova – Sermayecik Reservoir), Türkiye, in cooperation with the Yalova Provincial Special Administration and Altınova District Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, and coordinated by Boğaziçi University – Center for Targeted Therapy Technologies (CT³).

The pilot integrates:

• 250 smart water meters and IoT-based sensors

• Real-time monitoring of water level, flow, EC, pH and temperature

• Automated filtration and digital dashboard

• Solar-powered irrigation infrastructure (2.2 kWp)

• Cooperative-based digital water governance

• 30% water loss reduction and 15% energy savings

• Training of 200 farmers (minimum 30% women and youth)

In parallel, the project includes agricultural waste-to-value applications such as composting, biogas, microalgae-based nutrient recovery, and heavy metal & pollutant analytics.

Alignment with Horizon Europe Cluster 6

The project is fully aligned with the following Horizon Europe CL6 calls:

• FARM2FORK – Digital solutions for agriculture in water- and nutrient-scarce regions

• CLIMATE-02 – Towards the water infrastructures of the future

• ZEROPOLLUTION – Monitoring and reduction of agricultural emissions and pollution

• CIRCULAR BIOECONOMY (CIRCBIO) – Circular valorisation of agricultural residues

Scaling to a Horizon Europe Project

The Yalova pilot is now ready for multi-country scaling as a Horizon Europe project, with the following core work package structure:

• WP1: Multi-site smart irrigation validation (Türkiye + EU partners)

• WP2: Digital twin of reservoir and AI-based water allocation

• WP3: Circular agricultural waste-to-value chains (compost, biochar, microalgae)

• WP4: Farmer digitalisation and capacity building

• WP5: Policy alignment, replication and Zero-Pollution strategy

Expected Partner Profiles

We are seeking collaboration with:

• Universities and research centres in water engineering, environmental engineering, digital agriculture and circular bioeconomy

• Municipalities, agricultural cooperatives and pilot regions

• SMEs working on IoT, sensors, data platforms, biogas, compost, and environmental analytics

Offered Expertise by CT³ (Boğaziçi University)

• Advanced sensor and monitoring systems

• Microalgae-based remediation and nutrient recovery

• Pollutant and heavy metal analytics

• AI-assisted decision support

• Strong Horizon Europe project development and IP management capacity

📩 Partnership Objective:
To jointly prepare and submit a Horizon Europe Cluster 6 proposal based on a field-validated smart irrigation and circular agriculture pilot and scale it to EU level.