Author: Blanca Casares (AEIDL)
The introduction of geo-tagged photos in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was intended to reduce the need for field visits and lower costs for national administrations. As described in Tools4CAP’s deliverable Integration of farm level data towards CAP monitoring and evaluation, the geo-tagged photographs could complement existing monitoring and control mechanism, including farm’s visit. They bare the potential of capturing objective data in real-time to facilitate a more transparent and reliable assessment and verification process, while offering a comprehensive approach.
However, their implementation has presented challenges, particularly for farmers and national administrations. Findings from a recent EU public consultation indicated that 50% of CAP applicants do not use mobile devices for geo-tagging, and those who do frequently experience difficulties. These challenges include the time-consuming nature of the process, difficulty in usage, and a lack of information on the accuracy of the photos.
During this public consultation, held from 11 June to 9 July 2024, stakeholders emphasised concerns about the mandatory use of geo-tagged photos for the Area Monitoring System. Farmers and Member States reported that the requirements were burdensome, and that the existing technology was not always reliable or user-friendly.
Tools4CAP’s role in addressing these challenges
Tools4CAP is actively involved in mapping data gaps that hinder the successful design of CAP and identifying innovative solutions to address these gaps. The project aims to equip policy-makers and administrations with the necessary knowledge to inform them about the potential impact of policy interventions. In this context, Tools4CAP is dedicated to improving the design of the CAP by addressing the complexities associated with interoperability and the integration of various data sources.
The project is working to provide an innovative toolbox introducing more flexible, user-friendly solutions. As of today, the project inventory includes tools where the main data source is geo-tagged photos. Some examples would be: iSIP– IFAP-Mobile (Portugal), Telepac Géophotos (France) and BiedjaCam (Malta).
Deliverable 4.1 about Integration of farm level data towards CAP monitoring and evaluation includes the description of geo-tagged photos and explains the data types and usage in agricultural monitoring.
The reports on “Challenges and Approaches for Landscape Monitoring” and “Methodological guidelines and technical protocols on data integration” will be available soon.
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More information about the proposal to make the use of geo-tagged photos voluntary for Member States here.