Recently, Flemish Minister of Agriculture Jo Brouns visited the experimental farm to witness firsthand how digital transformation is strengthening the agricultural sector. Thanks to the 5GENIUS project, a collaboration between HOGENT and Citymesh, the farm is being transformed into a ‘living lab’ where the latest technologies are tested in real-world conditions.
The farmer of the future is a data analyst
During his visit, Minister Jo Brouns was highly impressed by the technological progress at the site. He emphasized that innovation is the key to a profitable and sustainable sector:
“We must support our farmers with the latest technological developments to meet the challenges of tomorrow. The agriculture of the future is data-driven, and innovations like the ones we see here in Bottelare demonstrate how we can achieve higher efficiency with fewer resources.” – Minister Jo Brouns
The power of private 5G in agriculture
Reliable connectivity across vast areas is essential to realizing the Minister’s vision. While traditional WiFi often falls short in expansive fields, Citymesh’s private 5G network provides the necessary stability and speed.
“The Bottelare Experimental Farm is the ideal place to demonstrate that 5G is about much more than just faster internet,” says Citymesh. “It is the foundation for sensor-based applications that measure soil moisture, drones that monitor crops, and AI systems that help farmers manage resources much more precisely and sustainably.”
During the Minister’s visit, the agricultural experts at VILT vzw captured the innovations in the field. The report below showcases how Citymesh’s technology and HOGENT’s expertise converge at the farm:
Innovation through collaboration
The synergy between knowledge institutions and technology partners is crucial. By combining HOGENT and UGent’s expertise in crop protection and livestock farming with Citymesh’s private 5G solutions, projects such as autonomous weeding robots and real-time soil data analysis are becoming a reality.
5GENIUS: HOGENT’s digital future powered by Citymesh’s 5G technology has been made possible with the support of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF Digital) program.
