'Rise of the Robots' Must Ensure an Integral Role for Human Beings in the Irish Co-Operative Agrifood Sector of the Future

A vision for a technologically and digitally enabled future for the Irish co-operative agrifood sector, with the skills of human beings remaining integrally engaged, was presented today at the final conference of the LeadFarm 5.0 project, held in Maynooth, Co. Kildare.
The conference was opened by the Minister of State for Skills and Further Education, Niall Collins TD. The initiative started in May 2022 spearheaded by ICOS Skillnet in collaboration with Léargas and supported by the EU Erasmus+ programme.
In the future, advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics and big data will be integrated into all aspects of daily life. This integration aims to solve social challenges, improve quality of life and enhance the success of enterprises.
The LeadFarm project focused on developing a competency framework and roadmap for Irish agrifood co-operatives to transition the skills of their people towards 'Society 5.0' or the 'super-intelligent society'. It has been a collaborative effort involving a broad and diverse range of co-operatives including management, farmers and workers from Ireland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Poland, Latvia and Portugal.
A training curriculum emerging from the project emphasises human skills acquisition in areas such as digitalisation, sustainability, management and entrepreneurship while highlighting the potential to balance digital advancements with human-robot collaboration. The approach aims to improve employment opportunities and skills in rural Ireland, creating a sustainable future for the industry.
Minister Niall Collins TD said:
"I congratulate the ICOS Skillnet for taking proactive steps to clarify the competencies required for the adoption of digital innovation by agri-food cooperatives. Initiatives like this ensure that Ireland shapes its future rather than simply respond to technological change ".
ICOS President Edward Carr said:
"The purpose of this conference is to disseminate the outcomes of the LeadFarm 5.0 project to as many stakeholders as possible. It outlines the good work carried out by this pan-European initiative and showcases the benefits to cooperatives and farmers across Europe.
"ICOS is the lead partner in this project. This is with the specific aim to support various stakeholders, including co-operatives, social enterprises, boards of directors, farmers, trainers, and educators, with a particular focus on those at risk of exclusion, such as youth and women.
"The concept is about ensuring the long-term sustainability of the industry through skill and talent development. We are focused on creating a more digitally aware society that will be human-centred and will take advantage of technology to tackle problems that affect the whole of society as well as our own industry.
"The agri-food co-operative sector must participate, join this trend, and support the creation of a society which is aware and committed to the problems it faces, avoiding becoming a sector that remains a trace of the technological past."
International collaboration and engagement of the lead partners from seven countries has fostered international collaboration and the exchange of best practices. All intellectual outputs have been secured for practical application within Ireland, ensuring the Irish agrifood sector can be aware and prepared for significant technological advancements.
Minister Niall Collins acknowledged the importance of the project's achievements and the promotion of future success for Irish cooperative enterprises within the framework of Society 5.0.
Further Background:
LeadFarm 5.0 arises from the need to improve the knowledge, capacities and skills of European agri-food co-operatives regarding the use of digital innovations that can be easily adapted to new agricultural models that will largely replace the intensive industrial farming model and that will require changes in business decision-making processes.
Agrifood co-operatives need to impr...