The College of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Latakia launched, on Sunday, an intensive training course titled "Smart Agriculture and Advanced Digital Technologies for Plant Protection and Sustainable Agriculture," in collaboration with the German Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The course lasts four days at the university headquarters, with the participation of approximately 80 people, including postgraduate students, researchers, and faculty members. Dr. Ali Al-Masri, a senior researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute, will deliver lectures alongside several Syrian academics and researchers.
Four axes for training on modern agricultural technologies
The course covers four main axes. The first day is dedicated to conceptual foundations, introducing smart, precise, and digital agriculture, and the role of artificial intelligence in crop monitoring and plant protection. The second day focuses on imaging and non-imaging sensing technologies. The third day is dedicated to remote sensing and artificial intelligence, including the use of drones and satellites, and discussion of recent scientific papers. The fourth day concludes with an axis on innovation and technology transfer, along with student presentations and final evaluation.
Research partnership to develop digital agriculture in Syria
Course sessions are delivered by faculty members from various departments in the college and researchers from the General Organization for Scientific Agricultural Research, through local case studies. The Dean of the College of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Latakia, Nabil Abu Kaf, told SANA about the importance of hosting a researcher from the Fraunhofer Institute, a prominent European institution in applied research. He noted that the cooperation focuses on building a strategic partnership that contributes to developing national capacities in digital agriculture.
Smart agriculture essential to face water scarcity and climate change
Abu Kaf clarified that future cooperation areas include conducting joint applied research in multi-spectral LiDAR technologies and early detection of plant stress, organizing specialized training courses and trainer programs, as well as technology transfer and adapting modern technologies to suit Syria's environmental and agricultural conditions. He added that cooperation also includes strengthening international partnerships, participating in advanced scientific programs, joint publication in scientific journals, and working to establish a permanent research center and launch a specialized master's program in smart agriculture.
Abu Kaf emphasized the importance of shifting toward smart agriculture, considering it an existential necessity for Syria amid water scarcity and climate change, due to its potential for early disease detection and loss reduction. He noted that its application can achieve a tangible increase in the productivity of strategic crops, particularly wheat, olives, and citrus, by up to 20 percent. He added that smart agriculture is expected to contribute nationally to saving 30 percent of irrigation water, reducing pesticide use by 25 percent, and increasing productivity by an average of 20 percent, in addition to creating job opportunities for youth in agricultural technology.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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