About

REFARM is established in Syros Island of Cyclades as a living laboratory to validate and upscale technologies in farming. It has been introduced to unify and exploit prevailing technologies making farming autonomous, self-sufficient and sustainable. We introduce a software to assess, handle and manage self-guided farming needs integrating our platform with robotics and nanotech. all relevant technologies and incorporating aspects of sustainability and resilience. The concept is to deliver farms of any size through emerging technologies such as EO (Earth Observation), IoT, AI and BDA (Big Data Analytics) or manually. Beyond software development REFARM is engaged in exploiting latest technologies in Robotics and Nanomaterials in the Farming sector. We are engaging 3 test sites as living laboratories. These test beds are in suburban or remote areas examining autonomy for water, energy and crop efficiency. REFARM is established by Emmanuel Sofianopoulos, having an extended experience of more than 20 years in international Research and Development projects, supporting SMEs, with allied companies in Egypt and England.

Solution & Product

The main idea is to provide turn on Key solutions along the overall cultivation process. From the start of selecting appropriate cultivation for a particular field, up to consumption and beyond, towards recycling and potential exploitation of waste. For commercial farming, we can automate selection and packaging ready for distribution and recycling. We can make everything automatically. One of our main competences is to follow up evolutions in emerging technologies (EO, AI, IoT, BDA). Without creating dependencies on any other external factor, we utilise the most recent and advanced technologies and incorconnect them through our AI platform. We can automate unique parts, several parts or everything that constitute the elements of a farming enterprise. Utilizing experience, advanced technologies and infrastructures, we identify and implement ways to optimize production for personal or commercial use. We propose ways to optimize further any part of any process from cultivation, to yield, to logistics and to recycling. In an ideal situation farmers wouldn’t need to do anything. But because nature is unpredictable we cooperate with local farmers and agriculturists to prepare yunexperienced farmers through training and continuous support, so as to minimize their operating efforts, as much as possible.

Innovation & Scalability

Depending on several factors, such as the type of ccultivation, the number of labour (stable and extra according to the seasonal needs), the microclimatic characteristics and more, we design, operate and predict upcoming uncertainties and demands of a partiqular farm. Even small fields of less than 4.000 m2 deliver enough farming space to feed a family with organic vegetables, livestock and fruit. In case of inexperienced farmers, we can create an Auto and Robo Farm Model (ARFM) to do anything for them. On the far end we can provide our services for extensive types and combinations of cultivations. Yield depends on microclimate and land. We propose cultivations depending on this concept, farmers needs and the market. We adapt the farm to local needs and incorporate added value with niche products keeping in mind historical cultivations. At first we give a brief report suggesting what would be appropriate for a field and potential ways to produce and recycle. Depending on choices we can fully automate all processes with the option to exploit the benefits of manually turn. We give emphasis on organic pharming and we provide solution on micro farming and urban farming for specialised, ad-hoc farming needs for restaurants through small gardens. The situation is simpler for vast areas of unique cultivations like cotton or grain fields. There we can automate evreything working on 24/7/365 basis.

Traction & achievements

Our team so far participates in SUSMEDHOUSE (https://susmedhouse.eu/) project where we cooperate in creating and demonstrating a DSS platform for Greenhouses that automatically adjusts energy and water for a Greenhouse in Turkey.

Team & Why Us

Mr Emmanuel Sofianopoulos BEng, MPhil, PMP® is a materials engineer with post graduate studies on advanced material and a certified project manager (PMI). Since 1988 he has been managing multinational projects in R&D dealing with cutting-edge technologies. He has also coordinated projects on policy and employment issues. He is an expert in HORIZON RESULTS BOOSTER initiative of the European Commission providing exploitation workshops to projects. He has sound knowledge in the development of entrepreneurial policy and finance mechnanisms working successfully in multicultural teams; Since 2018 he is an expert in EBRD coordinating the team of International Advisors on Technology projects. Dr. Avraam Mavridis (Scientific responsible), Ph.D., M.Sc, Integrated M.Sc and B.Sc. in Agriculture. He received in 2008 his Ph.D in GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and Agroenvironmental Sustainability from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh) (Sch. Of Engineering, Civil Engineering Dpt). In 2011 he received his M.Sc. in Geoinformatics/Remote Sensing (Sch. Of Engineering, Land Surveyors' Dpt) and in 1994 he received his Integrated M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Agriculture (Sch. of Geotechnical Studies) from the same university. He is a National Expert of the European Commission on scientific fields around agriculture, GIS, Remote Sensing, Farming, Organic Agriculture, UAVs, IoT, Geoinformational Artificial Intelligence.

Funding Needs

So far we try to participate in ΗΟΡΙΖΟΝ EUROPE proposals supporting applications and applying for funding to EIC Pathfinder and Accelerator. We estimate a 2 million Euros to validate our AI and DSS in different crops and conditions in Greek fields.