How can we achieve more sustainable vineyards and winemaking? VitiGEOSS project

The European Union is the largest wine-producing region in the world with over 165 million hectoliters produced annually. Climate change, provoking a higher frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, threatens crops all around the world.

On the other hand, more than 20% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide come from agricultural activities. This demonstrates why today, sustainable agriculture is more important than ever.

The European funded project 'VITIGEOSS' contributes to the increase of sustainability in the wine industry by offering a platform for optimizing day-to-day field management.

Based on the integration of Earth Observations, combining satellite data and sensors in the field, the VitiGEOSS platform offers services providing advanced weather, and sub-seasonal and seasonal climate forecasts, crop status indicators, phenological monitoring, disease warnings, crop water demand requirements and a tool for managing business operations and sustainability assessment.

VitiGEOSS aims to deliver a reliable decision support system to winemakers for smart vineyard management, supporting sustainable grapevine cultivation at an economic, environmental and local level.

The platform, being co-developed and tested in vineyards of three European wine producers, boosts vineyard sustainability and eases the industry adaptation to climate change.

VITIGEOSS, striving for more sustainable vineyards and winemaking.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 869565.

[shraddhaniwas]

The project has the potential to increase the efficiency of vineyard production. But it is hard to establish that it will lead towards a sustainable mode of production.

I agree that with proper technological tools, business can be improved, wastage can be reduced, and hence profit can be increased. I am sceptical though, about these technological tools mitigating the effects of unpredictable weather. For example, even with an accurate prediction of an intense thunderstorm, a vineyard owner wouldn't be able to accomplish anything if the harvest is a month due.

I would strongly disagree about the claim of sustainability. In this discussion, I would like to refrain from hypocritic "corporate definitions".

The industrial form of agriculture can NEVER be sustainable however technologically advanced the methods are.