A successful demonstration day was held on 27 August 2025 at the Rusthoeve Experimental Farm in Colijnsplaat, bringing together around 25 farmers, advisors, contractors, and stakeholders to explore state-of-the-art precision fertilization technologies.
The event — jointly organized by Vervaet, Wageningen University & Research (WUR), and ILVO — highlighted advances made under the ECONUTRI project in collaboration with industry partners.
One of the central demonstrations featured WUR’s VRA zoning app, developed on the Farmmaps platform and presented by Jean-Marie Michielsen. The app allows users to create task maps for Variable Rate Application (VRA), optimizing fertilizer use according to the specific needs of each field. These task maps, based on satellite data, soil scans, or drone images, can be downloaded or transmitted directly to application machinery, significantly improving fertilizer efficiency and reducing nutrient losses.
Vervaet demonstrated how these task maps are integrated into precision fertilizer application systems, supporting smarter and more sustainable nutrient management. ILVO contributed by presenting research on reducing ammonia emissions from agricultural activities and testing low-cost ammonia sensors, reinforcing the environmental objectives of the event.
This collaborative activity reflects ECONUTRI’s ongoing efforts to develop and implement practical solutions for sustainable nutrient management and to promote innovation uptake among farmers and agri-tech stakeholders.
Photos
Figure 1: Photograph of Jean-Marie Michielsen presenting on use of VRA zoning app to farmers at the Vervaet x Optimesti x Econutri demo day.
