Smart Sustainable Farming Research Program

A drone collecting environmental DNA (eDNA) samples at a vineyard trial site in Stabio, Ticino (Image: Martina Lüthi).

The Smart Sustainable Farming Research Program aims to contribute to sustainable, innovative and competitive agricultural production and increase transparency from agricultural production to consumers.

The program enables interdisciplinary projects at the interface of agriculture, sustainable production systems, robotics and artificial intelligence. With the establishment of the Smart Sustainable Farming Research Cluster, industry partners are welcome to participate in the research initiative.

Funded Projects

The predictive power of smartphone imaging to increase sustainability of crop production

Project Webpage
Download Project Factsheet (English) (PDF, 635 KB)
Download Project Factsheet (German) (PDF, 634 KB)

Genetic and robotic technologies for pest detection in vineyards

Project Webpage
Project Factsheet (English)
Download Project Factsheet (German) (PDF, 469 KB)

ChemiResistive sensors for effective agricultural nitrogen management and N₂O mitigation

Project Webpage
Download Project Factsheet (English) (PDF, 780 KB)
Download Project Factsheet (German) (PDF, 701 KB)

News

May 2025: An innovative research project is underway, focusing on tackling N₂O emissions with low-power, low-cost sensors. News item

April 2025: First results show potential of drone-based eDNA analysis approach for early detection of invasive species in viticulture. News item

January 2024: New ways to measure nitrous oxide emissions from soils as well as detect invasive pests in vineyards are the foci of two new interdisciplinary projects starting in 2024. News item

July 2022: Smartphone imaging to increase sustainability of crop production: A newly funded interdisciplinary project will focus on using smartphone images of fields to create visualizations of past and future crop development. News item

October 2021: World Food System Center of ETH Zurich and fenaco launch research collaboration in the field of smart sustainable farming. News item

fenaco supports this Research Program of the World Food System Center with a total donation of 1.2 million Swiss francs to the ETH Foundation.

Recent calls for the program closed in October 2024. Download Call for Proposals 2024 Information (PDF, 172 KB)

Direct funding is restricted to ETH Zurich World Food System Center members.

World Food System Center Research Programs

The Center's Research Programs support new cross-disciplinary and solution oriented research to address food system challenges. The Center administers these competitive programs in coordination with the Research Commission of the ETH Zurich.