Portugese growers and breeders collaborate for harvesting robot

Fieldwork Robotics has partnered with the Research Centre for Sustainability – a research consortium constituted by Lusomorango, Portugal's largest berry producers' organization, INIAV, I.P. (Portugal's National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research), and the companies Driscoll's and Maravilha Farms – for a research and development programme.

The program will take place over 24 months on farms and with growers in the Lusomorango producers' organization near São Teotónio, Portugal. Lusomorango, founded in 2005, counts among its members companies such as Maravilha Farms (a Reiter Affiliated Company), Haygrove, and other leading growers in the region, which produce fruit for the Driscoll's brand. The Research Centre's mission is to ease farmers' challenges by offering solutions that increase efficiency and drive innovation in berry production. Solutions previously trialed by Lusomorango growers have since been adopted globally. Through this program, Fieldwork Robotics will demonstrate the capabilities of its robot in harvesting fresh raspberries, with a specific focus on Driscoll's Reyna™ and Maravilla™ raspberry varieties.

© Fieldwork Robotics

As part of the program, Fieldwork and the Research Centre for Sustainability will design polytunnel lanes to achieve optimal robotic harvesting performance and improve quality scores. The AI capabilities of Fieldwork's technology will be tested to enhance efficiency and precision, and night harvesting will also be trialed to extend the robot's operational utilization. The data collected in this program will inform early modelling to analyze the economic benefits of Fieldwork's on-farm operations for growers and assess whether robotics can improve fruit quality scores. Additionally, data captured from day and night harvesting will be used to accelerate the development of Fieldwork's forecasting tools.

Labour shortages have greatly affected growers in this region, making this program a key© Fieldwork Robotics opportunity to explore how Fieldwork's technology can complement the existing workforce and enable growers to maintain production levels even when labour is scarce. Fieldwork's ongoing research and development activities in Portugal are gaining recognition for innovation, having been awarded the Selo de Idoneidade em I&D (R&D Suitability Seal) by Portugal's National Innovation Agency (ANI). This prestigious certificate highlights Fieldwork's technical excellence and reinforces the value of its R&D work in advancing agricultural automation technologies. The seal also positions Fieldwork to benefit from Portugal's SIFIDE programme, which offers generous tax deductions for R&D expenses and improves the company's chances of securing funding to accelerate its development roadmap.

David Fulton, CEO of Fieldwork Robotics, commented: "This research programme is of significant strategic importance to Fieldwork as we continue to develop the capabilities of our harvesting robot and drive innovation in the raspberry harvesting sector. I look forward to partnering with the Research Centre for Sustainability team on this project. The innovative harvesting methods trialled by the Research Centre have historically been market-leading, making this partnership an excellent opportunity for Fieldwork to demonstrate the real-world benefits of its harvesting solution for growers around the world."

© Fieldwork Robotics

Joel Vasconcelos, CEO of Lusomorango, on behalf of the Research Centre for Sustainability, commented: "This is undoubtedly an opportunity to generate knowledge aimed at improving the competitiveness of our producers and of the entire agricultural sector. Understanding how technology can contribute to a more resilient and efficient operation, even in the fruit-picking process, will be of added value. This is the mission of the Research Centre for Sustainability, and we are very pleased with what this partnership with Fieldwork Robotics will bring, not only to Lusomorango's producers, but also to the entire sector, both nationally and globally."