News

Updates from our LinkedIn page

We are pleased to share that Open Smart Irrigation is featured in the new European IP Helpdesk Bulletin: “Managing Intellectual Assets in Innovation Ecosystems”.
The article presents OSI as an example of how innovation emerging from EU-funded research can be sustained beyond the project timeline and developed further for scalable impact.
Building on insights from the FoodLAND Africa project and field research in Uganda, OSI continues this work through an open-source smart irrigation platform designed for smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries.
For us, this is an important reminder: research impact does not end with project completion. It depends on long-term ownership, practical implementation, strong partnerships, and the ability to translate knowledge into tools that can be used in the field.

We thank the European IP Helpdesk for including OSI in this edition and for highlighting the role of intellectual asset management in turning research-based innovation into societal impact.
Read the full bulletin here and the OSI article on page 50: https://lnkd.in/dtMu4txW

#OpenSmartIrrigation #KnowledgeValorisation #InnovationEcosystems #SmartIrrigation #FoodSecurity #ClimateResilience #HorizonEurope #SmallholderFarmers

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🌍 At OSI, we are proud to see our team continuously building knowledge and skills that strengthen inclusive and sustainable agricultural innovation.
The recent participation of our Country Manager Joel Ikabat in the GESI in Cooling and Cold-Chain workshop at ACES Rwanda provided valuable insights into integrating Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) into project design, implementation, and evaluation.
These learnings will support OSI in developing irrigation and agricultural solutions that are more inclusive, accessible, and impactful for women, youth, and marginalized communities. 🌱💧
We appreciate the organisers and facilitators for delivering such an engaging and practical training experience.
#OpenSmartIrrigation #GESI #InclusiveInnovation #SustainableAgriculture #ACES #ClimateSmartAgriculture

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Exciting news! OSI was invited by EURICE – European Research and Project Office GmbH and Infinira Ventures GmbH to the beautiful Saarland for a joint meeting with the Impact Licensing Initiative.

After so many remote sessions, it's great to finally meet the people behind the screens! The OSI team received a very warm welcome and then collaborated on the impact licensing terms and OSI's funding strategy.

We are joining forces with a shared vision of helping smallholder farmers adapt to a changing climate! 🌍 👩‍🌾 🌿

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What has your printer in common with our OSI irrigation systems? Fortunately, not much.
Printers are a perfect example of how technology design has increasingly moved away from user experience toward profit optimization. This is why many tech products push cloud subscriptions, service contracts, and proprietary, non-replaceable components.
Following up on my previous post, I want to shed light on another key aspect of robustness in design: local ownership.
For long-term operation in rural areas of low-income countries, we advocate full independence from the supplier.
The fundamental design of the OSI platform is built around this principle: local operation without cloud dependence, capacity building to ensure long-term operation and repairability, and the support of the most open and flexible hardware available on the market.

Robust, long-living technology design is also about autonomy - enabling smallholder farmers to operate, maintain, and truly own the technology for years to come.

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To ensure broad smallholder adoption, the Open Smart Irrigation (OSI) platform is built on two core principles: robustness and accessibility.
And when we say “robustness,” we mean real field robustness,the kind that goes far beyond IP ratings or lab tests.
Swipe through examples to see what our systems are up against:
1️⃣ Wild bees decided our gateway was the perfect place to start a hive.
2️⃣ Termites began constructing their own “infrastructure” directly on our antenna.
3️⃣ And finally… two very playful monkeys who stole some maize and inspected our installation more closely than any engineer ever would.

At OSI, we embrace the incredible biodiversity found in our partner countries. And because our systems need to run for years in these environments, we design for everything: heat, dust, rain, wildlife, unstable power and limited internet connectivity.
Robust, accessible smart irrigation is essential for climate resilience and it must be designed from the field up, shaped by real conditions, farmers and challenges.
#OpenSmartIrrigation #AgTech #SmallholderFarmers #ClimateResilience #SmartFarming #Irrigation #Biodiversity #ResilientDesign #LoRaWAN

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📅 Throwback to one month ago, when Open Smart Irrigation received global technical recognition as an impactful solution during the FAO #RomeWaterDialogue.

🔥 It was an honor to be acknowledged on such an international stage. If you’d like to revisit the moments, you can find photos and videos by scrolling through our page!

A special thanks goes to Agroscope, whose support during the irrigation trials and farmer surveys in Uganda within the FoodLAND Africa project was essential to the development of the #OSI platform. Their partnership continues to strengthen our work, and we’re excited about the progress ahead.

#InnovationInAgriculture #WaterManagement #SustainableFarming #AgTech #ClimateResilience #FAO #Collaboration #ResearchAndDevelopment #Sustainability

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Uganda has recently gained attention as the birthplace of New York’s new mayor, #ZohranMamdani, but it is also where the Open Smart Irrigation story began.

In our new video, Joel Ikabat, OSI Country Manager in Uganda, shares insights from the first field trial and highlights the importance of sustainable water management. Philippe Hess takes us to the Agroscope lab in Switzerland to demonstrate the technical principles of the OSI system.

🎥 Watch the video here: https://lnkd.in/dfYGMmha

If this concept catches your attention, follow our page to stay updated and reach out for more information, partnership ideas, or a chat about sustainable water and soil management. At OSI, every drop counts!

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Almost one week has passed since the #RomeWaterDialogue2025, and it’s time to share a few highlights from this enriching experience.

Our project lead, Philippe Hess, had the pleasure of presenting #OSI during the session on #ImpactfulWaterSolutions, which focused on practical tools to safeguard our climate and water systems.

It was a valuable opportunity to introduce #OSI to both the public and our fellow speakers. Our warm congratulations go to Moctar DEMBELE (International Water Management Institute (IWMI)), #GökcenGokdereli (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Republic of Türkiye), Raúl Muñoz Castillo, PhD (International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)), and Selvaraju Ramasamy (FAO).
We were also deeply honoured to be mentioned by Krisztina Bende, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United Nations, during her speech at the High-Level Segment.

At #OSI, we believe it is possible to develop accessible and smart solutions to improve water use in agriculture, especially where infrastructure and training are limited.

Our main takeaways from the event:
💧 Listen to the main users and those most affected by innovation. Recognize their challenges and strengthen their resources.

🌱 Ensure that new approaches are accessible to local communities, promoting local ownership and sustainable over time.

⚙️ Start simple, and empower people to build complexity with proper training and timing.


A heartfelt thank you to all the organizers working both behind the scenes and on stage. It was inspiring to see such strong interest in water use, governance, and innovation for a better future.

Innovation never stops and #OSI is proud to be part of this dynamic and collaborative network.

🎥 Watch the sessions here:

👉 \[Impactful Water Solutions Session\]
(https://lnkd.in/eyuKFTSi )
min 1:33:37

👉 \[High-Level Segment\]
(https://lnkd.in/eGvTGBSU )
min 1:22:32

Photo credit:
© FAO / Matteo Sala

#RomeWaterDialogue #FAO #WaterInnovation #Sustainability #Agriculture #ClimateAction #OSI

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🌍💧 Rome Water Dialogue on Impactful Water Solutions
It was a privilege for our project lead Philippe Hess to participate in the Rome Water Dialogue 2025, particularly in the panel session on "Impactful Water Solutions." This event, held at FAO Headquarters in Rome, brought together experts, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss actionable strategies for resilient agriculture and food security.

💡 Key takeaway
Water isn't just a resource; it's the lifeline of our food systems. Protecting it means protecting our future.

🎥 Stay tuned
We’ll be sharing the video from our panel presentation soon—can’t wait to let you see the full discussion! Curious to know why OSI is such a good listener?

#RomeWaterDialogue #SustainableAgriculture #WaterSolutions #ClimateAction #FAO #WaterIsLife #InnovationInAgriculture

https://lnkd.in/e9mwdSYB

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We are very happy to announce that Open Smart Irrigation (OSI) has been selected as a recipient of the Technical Recognition in the area of Land, soil and water resource management for resilient agriculture and food security by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
It is a great honour that our efforts to make smart irrigation accessible for smallholder farmers have been recognized by the FAO.
Our project lead, Philippe Hess, will present the OSI solution at the Rome Water Dialogue 2025 on Tuesday, 14 October, followed by the FAO Global Technical Recognition Ceremony on Wednesday, 15 October, at FAO Headquarters in Rome.
👉 Register below to participate in the Rome Water Dialogue, part of the flagship event of the World Food Forum (WFF), guided by the theme “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future.”
Stay tuned for updates from the conference here on this page.
#RomeWaterDialogue #WorldFoodForum #FAO #SmartIrrigation #ClimateResilience #WaterForFood #InnovationForImpact

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🌱 Welcome to Open Smart Irrigation (OSI)!
We’re excited to launch our official LinkedIn page and share our mission to make smart irrigation accessible to smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries.
The concept was born in the field - during extensive research on precision irrigation tools and countless conversations with farmers in Uganda. Their experiences and challenges inspired the design of a system that works under real conditions: affordable, robust, and easy to use, even where internet and electricity are unreliable.
💧 Our open-source software platform, OSI OS, enables low-cost, offline-capable irrigation automation using locally available components.
📚 Through the OSI Academy, we provide practical training and step-by-step learning resources in collaboration with universities, NGOs, and government partners.
Together, we aim to strengthen climate resilience, improve water efficiency, and empower local communities.
Follow us to stay updated on our field projects, open-source tools, and partnerships!

#SmartIrrigation #ClimateResilience #SustainableFarming #OpenSource #FoodSecurity #Uganda

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FAO WASAG Partner