The Spanish municipalities of Toledo (Castilla La Mancha), Las Rozas and Madrid (both in the Community of Madrid), and Rota (Andalusia) have recently been acquainted with the merits of the European project LifeWineGrover. Central to this initiative is the implementation of precision agriculture in vine cultivation, an approach that foregrounds environmental preservation and harmonious integration with the surrounding ecology.

Sustainability, resource efficiency, and natural resource management were the focal themes of three informative sessions conducted by Smart City Cluster across these Spanish locations. These sessions aimed to shed light on the project’s objectives and its progress in two vineyards located in Spain and Italy: Bodegas Conrad (Ronda, Málaga) and Cantina Falesco (Montecchio, Italy).

The first of these sessions was held on 28th June in Toledo, coinciding with a networking event organised by the cluster, set against the backdrop of its annual general assembly. This gathering highlighted the technological innovations underpinning WineGRover, from sensors spread across vineyards, drones surveying the vast viticultural landscape, to the IoT (Internet of Things) management platform and the exploration robot (often referred to as a rover). This robot navigates the vineyards, providing grapevines with precisely what they need at each growth stage.

The project’s subsequent presentations took place during events organised by the Spanish Network of Smart Cities (RECI) in Rota (Cádiz) and Las Rozas (Madrid). Within the RECI framework, over 140 member municipalities were introduced to WineGrover on 30th June in the Andalusian city and later on 19th and 20th October in Las Rozas.

Another significant showcase of WineGrover was at the ESRI Spain 2023 Conference, held from 3rd to 5th October at the IFEMA Madrid’s North Convention Centre. Under the banner “Creating the World We Want to See”, over 2,500 professionals gathered to share initiatives spanning modern urban development, the future of tourism, sustainable mobility strategies, and climate change mitigation efforts. Within this context, Smart City Cluster presented the objectives of the European project, underscoring the transformative potential of precision agriculture for the wine industry.