European Commission explores scaling AI in agriculture
Barriers to scaling AI in agriculture were a central focus of the Commission’s June 2026 expert workshop.
The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) and Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT) jointly organised an online expert workshop on 24 June to explore how to accelerate AI adaption and scale trusted AI solutions across the agriculture sector.
The workshop was organised within the framework of the Commission’s Apply AI Strategy, which aims to accelerate AI adoption in strategic sectors, including agri-food, while strengthening European competitiveness, technological sovereignty and uptake among small and medium-sized enterprises. Participants discussed AI applications already being deployed in farm management, precision agriculture, crop and livestock monitoring, advisory services, agricultural robotics and the simplification of administrative processes.
The workshop focused on three priorities: assessing the current level of AI adoption in EU agriculture, identifying barriers to wider deployment and exploring policy measures that could support greater uptake. An interactive session also examined what is needed to ensure AI solutions in agriculture are developed, tested, and validated in a trustworthy and responsible manner.
The workshop’s findings will inform a stakeholder input note identifying priority AI use cases, barriers to adoption, infrastructure and data requirements, and potential follow-up actions under the Apply AI Strategy and related EU programmes supporting the digital transition of agriculture.
Why does it matter?
The workshop illustrates how the European Commission is moving from promoting AI in principle to addressing the practical conditions needed for large-scale deployment. In agriculture, AI has the potential to improve productivity, reduce resource use and simplify administrative tasks, but broader adoption will depend on access to high-quality data, digital infrastructure, trusted solutions and support for farmers and SMEs.
The initiative also reinforces the EU’s wider strategy of linking AI deployment with competitiveness and technological sovereignty. By connecting the Apply AI Strategy with the Common Agricultural Policy, the Common European Agricultural Data Space and Horizon Europe, the Commission is seeking to build an ecosystem in which AI can be adopted responsibly while supporting the long-term digital transformation of Europe’s agri-food sector.
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