Friends of Digital Farming e.V.

Sovereign Data Ecosystems in the Agri-Food Sector – Seminar Series

Creating transparency, enabling innovation: across eight sessions, practitioners from Germany and Europe explored how data rooms deliver real benefits throughout the value chain – from use cases and governance to business cases.

Dates & Topics

Background and motivation: Data sharing creates added value

European and national initiatives such as JoinData (NL), AgrospAI (ES), DJustConnect (BEL) or the Common European Agricultural Data Space (CEADS) To illustrate: Structured data exchange fosters transparency, innovation and new business models. The seminar series has been successfully concluded and has provided fascinating insights. The academic evaluation has been summarised in an executive summary, which is available here. It brings together the key findings on governance, requirements, use cases, business models and collaborations along the value chain.

Through the series of seminars we organised, we were able to provide a platform that brought together knowledge, practical experience and strategy across the agricultural and food value chain. Since the second quarter of 2026, we have been holding quarterly update events designed to ensure that we continue to pursue our original objective.

Key thematic areas and added value

  • Promoting sovereign, secure and interoperable data spaces
  • Dialogue between business, academia and the public sector
  • Best practices from European initiatives
  • Guidance on governance, standardisation and business models
  • Impetus for collaboration and strategic positioning

Objective

  • Highlighting practical services and initiatives (at home and abroad).
  • Identifying use cases and business cases – in a concise and comparable format.
  • Understanding governance: roles, decision-making, participation.
  • Laying the foundations for collaboration and partnerships.

Expected result

  • List of requirements for data rooms in the agri-food sector.
  • Map of relevant platforms and initiatives (Germany/EU).
  • Comparison of business models and responsibilities.
  • Documented input for strategic and investment decisions.

Would you like more information? Click herehere

Scope

Scope Bild
  • What types of ‘data rooms’ are there?:
    • Governance
    • Requirements
  • Why/How is data shared?:
    • Use Cases
    • Terms and Conditions

Organisers & Supporters

Hosted and organised by: Friends of Digital Farming e.V. – in partnership with the academic community, trade associations and businesses. Co-organised and supported by DLG, DRV, DBV, appellando, BVLH and GS1

Friends of Digital Farming e.V. Logo DLG – Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft DRV – Deutscher Raiffeisenverband DBV – Deutscher Bauernverband Apellando GS1 BVLH

Dates & Topics

Date & Time Session Country Venue / Format Speaker Presentation slides Speaker profile Company Profile Recording
01.10.2025
12:00–13:30		 AgrospAI ESP Online (MS Teams) Language: English Roberto Garcia Gonzales Slides_AgrospAI Roberto Garcia AgrospAI YouTube link: AgrospAI
06.10.2025
15:00 – 16:30		 Digital Farm Wallet NZ NZ Anuga, Cologne Boulevard 049/ Federal Association of the German Food Retail Trade Language: German Klaeri Schelhowe Slides Digital Farm Wallet NZ Klaeri Schelhowe Contact: Klaeri Schelhowe YouTube link: Digital Farm Wallet
16.10.2025
12:00–13:30		 DJust Connect BEL Online (Microsoft Teams) Language: English Jurgen Vangeyte DjustConnect slides Jürgen Vangeyte DjustConnect YouTube link: DjustConnect
22.10.2025
12:00–13:30		 JoinData NL Online (Microsoft Teams) Language: English Sener Celik Slides JoinData Sener Celik JoinData YouTube link: JoinData
12.11.2025
12:00 – 13:30		 Agricultural machinery DE Agritechnika, Hannover Convention Centre, Hall 17 Christian Hennig (ISO TC 347 ‘Field Atlas’ – VDMA), Norbert Schlingmann (AEF) Slides from ISO TC 347 Slides AgIN Christian Hennig Norbert Schlingmann ISO TC 347 AEF YouTube link: AEF – AgIn
20.11.2025
12:00 – 13:30		 QS Pork (batch goods) EU Online (Microsoft Teams) Marie-Lisa Schmengler (QS GmbH) Slides: QS Climate Platform Marie-Lisa Schmengler QS Climate Platform
25.11.2025
12:00 – 13:30		 Specifications for Agricultural Data (Bulk Goods) DE Online (Microsoft Teams) Simon Harnisch (MIV) Slides: MIV Specification Document Simon Harnisch Dairy Industry Association
03.12.2025
12:00 – 13:30		 European Agricultural Data Room (CEADS) EU Online (Microsoft Teams) Bernd Rauch (Fraunhofer IESE) CEADS slides Bernd Rauch Fraunhofer IESE YouTube link: CEADS
08.12.2025
12:00 – 13:30		 agrirouter EU Online (Microsoft Teams) Johannes Sonnen (DKE Data) Agrirouter slides Johannes Sonnen DKE Data YouTube link: DKE Data

Subject to change. Details and further sessions will be added on an ongoing basis.

Session schedule (75 mins)

  1. Introduction (5 mins): Objectives, speakers and panel
  2. Presentation (25 mins): Solution, Offer, Benefits
  3. Discussion (25 mins): A practical perspective on the agri-food sector
  4. Conclusion (5′): Key takeaways & next steps

Language: German (with exceptions for international speakers). Use of Microsoft Teams features; recording for internal evaluation.

What is being compared?

  • Motivation and requirements arising from practical experience, the market and regulation
  • Stakeholders, Roles & Governance
  • Features, services & shared data (e.g. ‘Product Passport’)
  • Funding, contributions, business case & scaling

Contact

Do you have any questions about the seminar series, or are you interested in getting involved as a sponsor, speaker or member of the press?
Contact: support@friendsofdigitalfarming.org