Living Lab for Precision and Robotisation in Fruit Growing
Fruit growers across the Meuse-Rhine region face growing economic and ecological pressures: from labour shortages and rising costs to the need for more targeted use of inputs. At the same time, innovative technologies such as autonomous sprayers, picking robots and precision applications are advancing rapidly and have already demonstrated clear benefits. The key challenge now is to bridge the gap between technological potential and everyday practice on the farm. That is exactly what LivLabProFruit sets out to do!
Supported by the European Union and the Interreg Meuse-Rhine (NL-BE-DE) programme, LivLabPRoFruit brings together research institutions, advisory organisations, technology companies and fruit growers from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Together, we are building an open living lab in which growers, tech companies and other stakeholders work side by side to develop, test and refine precision technologies for pear and blueberry cultivation as well as viticulture, three labour-intensive crops with strong economic relevance in our region.
The project operates along four pillars:
- Co-creation: Growers and technology companies collaborate from the earliest stages of development, ensuring thatnew solutionsare designed around the growers’ needs and workflows.
- Testing infrastructure: New digital and physical test facilities areestablishedto independently evaluate technologies under practical conditions.
- Technical and economic assessment: Existing and improved techniques are rigorously assessed, providing transparent and reliable performance data for both growers and manufacturers.
- Knowledge transfer: All results and insights are shared openly with stakeholders across the Meuse-Rhine region.
By combining the complementary expertise of partners across the Meuse-Rhine region, LivLabPRoFruit creates a unique living lab infrastructure that helps technology companies bring their innovations to market faster and more successfully, while giving growers the confidence and knowledge to adopt new solutions in their operations.
We are looking for fruit growers and technology companies who want to shape the future of fruit growing together. Whether you grow pears, blueberries or wine grapes, or develop technologies for precision agriculture: Your expertise is what makes this living lab work.
Interested in participating or learning more?
Visit LivLabPRoFruit or contact . You can also find us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. Follow us to not miss out on what we achieve!
