Authors: Ninon Violeau and Julie Menadi (ACTA)
As the CODECS project nears the end of its four-year journey, the team coordinating its demonstration activities, led by ACTA, is bringing together the lessons learnt from across Europe. Building on the Handbook of Demonstration of Digital Technologies, the project now presents the Final Synthesis Report on Demonstration and Assessment of Digital Technologies. The report draws on the experience of 20 Living Labs and 28 Demo Farms and brings together the main findings, comparative analysis of demonstration formats and recommendations for future initiatives.
64 demonstrations across Europe
Between December 2023 and June 2026, CODECS Living Labs organised 64 demonstration events in 17 European countries. These included 37 on-farm demonstrations, 7 international cross-visits, 15 Farminars and 5 Virtual Tours. More than 2,000 people took part, including farmers, advisors, researchers, students, policymakers and technology providers.
The demonstrations provided opportunities to observe digital technologies in real farming conditions, exchange experiences and discuss their practical value. They also allowed the project to test different ways of making digital tools understandable and accessible to diverse audiences.
What makes a digital technology demonstration effective?
One of the main findings is that there is no single format suited to all technologies. The most appropriate approach depends on the technology, the target audience and the learning objectives.
On-farm demonstrations facilitate observation of technologies in action and hands-on experience. International cross-visits provide opportunities to compare farming contexts and exchange experiences across borders. Farminars can reach wider audiences and are particularly well-suited to technologies with results or functions visible on screen, such as digital platforms and decision-support tools. Virtual Tours allow users to explore a farm at their own pace and revisit the content after the event.
Combining formats can also strengthen the learning process. Virtual resources can help prepare participants for a demonstration, extend learning afterwards, reach wider audiences or serve as a back-up in the event of technical or weather-related constraints.
The report also highlights the importance of showing the complete digital workflow. For many technologies, the value lies not only in the physical equipment, but in how data are collected, transmitted, processed and translated into practical decisions. Connecting these processes to a concrete farming need helps participants understand the technology’s relevance.
Finally, demonstrations work best when they create opportunities for meaningful exchanges and collective learning. Learning is not limited to farmer-to-farmer knowledge transfer: farmers, advisors, researchers and technology providers can learn together, drawing on their different experiences and expertise.
Positive perceptions, but barriers to adoption remain
The assessment activities show that participants generally perceived the demonstrated technologies as useful and relatively easy to use. They also expressed broadly positive views of the potential benefits of agricultural digitalisation.
However, positive perceptions do not automatically translate into adoption. Financial resources, technical skills, integration into existing farm systems and interoperability remain important constraints. Farmers also need evidence that reflects their own production context, including expected costs, benefits and practical implementation requirements.
These findings underline that demonstrations are an important step in the innovation process, but they need to be connected to further experimentation, advisory support and appropriate investment mechanisms.
Practical resources to reuse beyond CODECS
The demonstration activities have produced a range of resources intended to remain useful after the project ends:
- The D5.5 Synthesis Report brings together the main findings, comparative analysis of demonstration formats and recommendations for future initiatives. It complements the D5.3 Handbook, which provides practical guidance for organising and assessing demonstrations.
- 28 Practice Abstracts translate the experiences of the Living Labs into concise and reusable recommendations. They include three methodological abstracts on on-farm demonstrations, Farminars and Virtual Tours, 20 abstracts documenting on-farm demonstration experiences, and 5 focused on the development of Virtual Tours.
- The video for farmers and advisors presents the key lessons from the demonstration activities in an accessible and short audiovisual format. It highlights the value of demonstrations and the importance of considering the conditions for technology adoption.
- The project’s Virtual Tours and some Farminar recordings also remain available online, extending access to the demonstration experiences beyond the original events.
Building on the experience
The methods, practical experiences and assessment results provide a valuable foundation for future demonstration programmes. They can help farmers, advisors, researchers and other AKIS actors design more effective approaches to supporting digital technology adoption.
Effective demonstrations do more than showcase a technology. They connect digital tools to real farming needs, create spaces for learning and exchange, and support informed adoption decisions. Combined with appropriate technical, financial and advisory support, they can contribute to the wider uptake of digital technologies in agriculture.
For more detailed information, the full D5.5 Synthesis Report is available on the CODECS website at https://www.horizoncodecs.eu/work-packages-and-deliverables/.
