The European Space Agency (ESA) has granted €430,000 to eAgronom‘s CoverCrop project, which is being conducted in collaboration with STACC OÜ and becoming possible with the help of the Estonian Space Office.
The project aims to develop further a satellite-based MRV system (Measurement, Reporting, Verification) that aids in collecting and verifying data related to farmers’ activities. The technology being developed will enable the automatic assessment of plant biomass and monitoring of cover crop usage using satellite data.
“Collaboration with eAgronom is a great example of how space technology can support sustainable agriculture and help reduce the carbon footprint.”
Madis Võõras, Director of Estonian Space Office
“We will create new intellectual property for machine learning models and user-oriented tools during the project. The developed machine learning models and software will become an important part of eAgronom’s carbon program service,” said eAgronom CEO Robin Saluoks.
The total project budget is €538,000, of which ESA’s contribution is €430,400 and eAgronom’s contribution is €107,600. The project duration is 12 months, and work began in March 2025.
The project aims to develop further a satellite-based MRV system (Measurement, Reporting, Verification) that aids in collecting and verifying data related to farmers’ activities. Photo: eAgronom
Expanding eAgronom´s project reach to major European countries
“The goal of the Estonian Space Office is to help Estonian companies engage in world-class development cooperation and offer our companies new business opportunities in high-tech markets,” said Space Office Director Madis Võõras. “Collaboration with eAgronom is a great example of how space technology can support sustainable agriculture and help reduce the carbon footprint,” he added.
“We will create new intellectual property for machine learning models and user-oriented tools during the project. The developed machine learning models and software will become an important part of eAgronom’s carbon program service.”
Robin Saluoks, CEO of eAgronom
If the project is successfully implemented, its results can be applied in Estonia, other Baltic countries, and Poland. Additional goals include adopting new satellite data sources such as Sentinel-3, expanding historical data sets, and scaling operations using ESA infrastructure. In the future, extending the project’s scope to all major European countries where eAgronom already operates or plans to start operating will be possible.
The CoverCrop project enables the collection and validation of data from fields regarding cover crop biomass, which is one of the most important practices for soil health in regenerative agriculture. This technology contributes to the development of regenerative agriculture and helps reduce the carbon footprint across Europe, while strengthening eAgronom’s position as a leader in sustainable agricultural technology. The Space Office, part of Enterprise Estonia, is the intermediary for ESA business opportunities in Estonia and Estonia’s representative in ESA.
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