Funding Opportunity
This ‘Space for Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture’ opportunity offers funding to European teams interested in developing services integrating technology solutions to the smart cities and urban agricultural sector. The European Space Agency (ESA) will provide funding for six-month feasibility studies known as ‘Kick-Starts’, which can lead to larger-scale projects and pilots. Kick-Starts are funded at 75% by ESA, up to a maximum of €75K per contract. Proposed services must use satellite data or space-based technologies. Please see the ‘Authorisation of Funding’ section below to verify your team’s eligibility.
The Challenge
By 2050, nearly 70% of the projected 10-billion people will live in cities . With the world witnessing such rapid urbanisation and an increasing awareness of environmental sustainability, urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) is emerging as a potential solution to address pressing challenges in modern societies. Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) refers to practices that yield food and other outputs through agricultural production and related processes, including transformation, distribution, marketing, and recycling. These activities take place on land and other spaces within cities and surrounding regions, redefining the relationship between urban environments and food production.
According to FAO, UPA practices are growing in importance as a means of ensuring food security and the livelihoods of urban dwellers. Urban farming market size was estimated at $213 Billion in 2020, projected to grow at a CAGR of 2.8% during the forecast period 2021-2026. Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) has witnessed huge demand in its application following geopolitical instability, supply chain disruption and related rising food costs.
Making the vision of UPA a reality requires precise control of light, temperature, water, and nutrients. This could involve a wide range of technologies, including IoT sensors, robotics, drones, and data analysis. Yet, this valuable practice faces challenges such as land scarcity, air and soil pollution, water access, zoning regulations, climate change, pests and diseases, market access, economic viability, infrastructure, and growing competition. Satellite technologies can play an important role in overcoming some of these challenges.
The scope of this Kick-Start Activity is to support companies in investigating the technical feasibility and commercial viability of services that utilise space technologies to support Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture.
Topics of Relevance
Site Selection for Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture
Limited space in urban areas poses challenges not only for housing, transport and green spaces but also creates pollution, congestion and health issues. Dealing with limited space in urban settings requires creative and innovative solutions to ensure that cities remain liveable and sustainable for their cities. To address these challenges, urban planners have utilised various techniques such as rooftop gardens, green walls, and repurposed vacant lots to create green spaces in densely populated areas. Vacant or obsolete properties are good candidates for indoor vertical farming systems, due to their large spaces and because soil and sunlight aren’t required.
Enhancing local food production
Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture depends on ensuring a constant tightly controlled growing environment for crops. There is little flexibility in terms of natural variables and conditions such as ambient temperature, humidity and lighting. One of the pre-requisites of urban and peri-urban farming is that these and other parameters need to be monitored and adjusted in real-time to ensure that they are meeting the optimum requirements for a great yield. The availability of real time data enhances farm management and supports precise adjustments to improve crop yield and quality.
Resource management
Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) presents distinct challenges, but also offers significant opportunities for high-yield, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable food production. The key lies in optimising resource use, with water efficiency being paramount. Precision irrigation techniques, such as drip irrigation and hydroponics, directly delivers water to plant roots, significantly reducing evaporative losses.
Rainwater harvesting and closed-loop hydroponic systems further enhance water sustainability by capturing and reusing runoff. Strategic integration of renewable energy sources, such as solar panels and wind turbines reduces the carbon footprint of UPA operations and decreases reliance on fossil fuels. Additionally, energy-efficient technologies such as LED grow lights and optimised greenhouse climate control systems further minimise energy consumption. By adopting these resource-optimised strategies, UPA can achieve sustainable and productive food production within urban and peri-urban environments.
Connected growing centres
Connected growing centres can be defined as cloud-connected, high-yield agricultural facilities that form a global network, functioning as both local farms and distribution centres. This network is connected to a central data processing system (the cloud), which collects sensor data to facilitate remote monitoring, automation, and risk mitigation. Such infrastructure supports global growth and scalability, accommodating the needs of retailers of any size and location.
Efficient and resilient food supply and distribution systems are crucial for the success of connected growing centres. Strengthening the peri-urban food supply chain is essential to ensure adaptability during disruptive events and to maintain a steady supply of fresh produce.
Sustainable transportation and logistics planning can help reduce carbon emissions by utilising alternative fuels and methods. This approach strengthens connections between urban growing centres and peri-urban and rural areas, fostering a more sustainable and efficient distribution network. Additionally, enhancing or developing energy-efficient municipal public markets—such as farmers' markets, retail markets, and wholesale markets—supports this goal. Creating a supportive environment for the informal food sector and its stakeholders is also important. The target users for these services include urban farming businesses (B2B) and local food retailers (B2C).
Value of Space
Proposed services must use one or more space asset. Some examples of the use of space assets are provided below.
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)
- Facilitates real-time tracking of distribution and logistics along supply chains for urban farming produce, optimising transport routes. This minimises transportation-related emissions and enhances logistical efficiency within urban farming networks.
- Assists in food traceability systems, enabling the tracking of food product origins for the development and implementation of sustainable labelling practices for urban-farmed products.
Satellite Earth Observation (SatEO)
- Facilitates the identification and mapping of vacant or underutilised spaces, such as rooftops and vacant plots. SatEO data assesses microclimatic conditions in urban environments, pinpointing optimal locations for plant growth.
- Enables crop health monitoring in urban farms by analysing spectral reflectance data to detect diseases and assess crop growth stages. This supports targeted interventions and optimises resource allocation.
- Monitors rainfall patterns and intensity to design and implement rainwater harvesting systems, promoting water conservation and self-sufficiency.
Satellite Communications (SatCom)
- Provides reliable connectivity in peri-urban and urban fringe areas where terrestrial network coverage may be limited or obstructed by dense construction, leading to connectivity issues for IoT devices and sensor networks used in urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA). Additionally, in urban areas prone to network outages due to natural disasters or infrastructure failures, SatCom serves as a resilient backup, ensuring continuous communication and operational continuity. This enables real-time monitoring and control of farming systems, facilitating precise adjustments and enhancing overall efficiency.
- Supports remote participation in agricultural training and workshops, fostering knowledge exchange and capacity building among urban farmers. This accelerates the dissemination of best practices and promotes innovation within the sector.
What we look for
We offer funding and support to companies, both for business case assessment and for the development of new, space-based services.
Our offer includes:
- Technical & commercial guidance
- Access to our network and partners
- Use of the ESA brand for your service
- Zero-equity funding
- Each selected activity will receive 75% funding by the European Space Agency of up to 75k EUR.
How to apply
- Register your team on esa-star registration today.
- When the Kick-Start opens on 17 March 2025 visit esa-star publication and search for the Space for Insurance Technology opportunity to download the official competition documents.
- Use the official documents to prepare your proposal.
- Reach out to your National Delegate (if applicable) to request a Letter of Authorisation. Contact details of each National Delegate can be found here.
- Submit your proposal via esa-star Tendering before the deadline on 25 April 2025.
Authorisation of Funding
ESA Space Solutions can provide funding to perform Kick-Start activities to any company (economic operator) residing in the following Member States: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Germany has pre-authorised the funding to this call. Applicants from this country do not need to obtain a letter of authorisation from their National Delegation.
Contact information for each national delegate is available here.