There is a consensus that farming needs to become sustainable by increasing the yield per square meter, as creating more farmland would most likely come at the expense of other ecological systems. More unconventional resources will also need to be utilized; the UN has identified seafood as a promising food source, thus making use of the oceans that cover 70% of the world. However, offshore farming has additional challenges compared to land-based farming due to reduced accessibility.
The automated data retrieval, processing and remote management of an offshore farm are required to enable safe and cost-effective growth of offshore crops. In order not to make the same mistakes as made with extensive monoculture farming on-land it is important to obtain a scientific and nature-inclusive approach. UTOPIA brings tools that are instrumental for support of scientific research, just-in-time seeding, installation, nurturing and harvesting the crops, with eye on ecology and yield while reducing unsafe work.
Seaweed use case
Vineyard use case