AgroTechnoPôle at the OECD Tractor Meeting: towards international harmonisation
At the beginning of June, the “OECD Tractor Working Group” met in Tréviglio (Italy), bringing together researchers, industrialists and institutional representatives to discuss the challenges of agricultural robotics. Clément Moignard (INRAE–TSCF, AgroTechnoPôle) and Nicolas Chollet (SHERPA Engineering) presented the protocol ARPA* PC1, the result of the joint laboratory i-SMART. This tool for evaluating the trajectories followed by agricultural robots paves the way for better automation and increased safety of machinery.
The event provided an opportunity to compare the visions of the different countries on the regulations being developed. These exchanges will feed into the future OECD guidelines, to which the French team is actively contributing. The delegation also visited the facilities of the CREA (Italian Agricultural Research Centre) and the SAME Deutz-Fahr factory, illustrating the complementarity between academic research and industrial practice.
This meeting highlights the central role of France in the implementation of validation tools for startups and SMEs in the agricultural robotics sector, in particular through the AgrifoodTEF catalog which offers innovators dedicated support. The agriculture of tomorrow is already taking shape: more autonomous, safer and better connected to international research.
*ARPA = Agricultural Robot Performance Assessment 
AXEMA and AgroTechnoPole : strategy and innovation in Montoldre
Also in June, AgroTechnoPôle hosted the Board of Directors of AXEMA at its site in Montoldre (Allier) , Union of Agricultural Machinery Actors. This meeting was an opportunity to discuss strategic issues, to visit the new facilities and to reaffirm a common ambition: to combine performance, sustainability and collaboration in agriculture.
Montoldre, a true hub of agricultural innovation, is a key place to experiment with the technologies of tomorrow. The discussions explored the challenges related to the international competitiveness and ecological transition of the sector. Discussions continued in the field, where AXEMA were able to see the progress of the infrastructure and the commitment of the AgroTechnoPôle team in concrete terms.
This event illustrates the desire to bring together industrial sectors and public research, in order to build a shared vision of the agriculture of tomorrow. The presence of many academic and professional actors reinforced the idea that agricultural innovation can only succeed through close cooperation between science, industry and territory.
Agricultural Equipment Meetings
The 2025 Agricultural Equipment Meetings in Bouguenais. Philippe Héritier presented the work on the development and evaluation of environmental perception systems. These technologies are essential to ensure the safety and accuracy of agricultural robots. The meeting, organized with ID4MOBILITY and Vegepolys Valley, brought together researchers, companies and agricultural representatives for concrete exchanges on the future of machinery.
Beyond the technical dimension, Philippe Héritier insisted on the importance of perception as the basis for the autonomy of agricultural machinery. According to him, the robots’ ability to identify their environment, detect obstacles and adapt to changing conditions is the key to safe and efficient use in the field. He also stressed that these advances need to be validated through common and shared protocols, to ensure farmers’ trust and facilitate large-scale adoption.
This meeting testifies to the dynamic: the autonomy of agricultural robots cannot be decreed, it is built through shared experiments, collective expertise and constant dialogue with the actors in the field
AgrifoodTEF Webinar: Testing Agricultural Robotics in Real-World Conditions
Finally, June 13, 2025, AgroTechnoPôle and its French partners hosted an international webinar dedicated to the evaluation of agricultural robots. Under the evocative title “ Test Your Agricultural Robots in France This online session brought together developers, researchers and entrepreneurs around the same objective: to facilitate the adoption of autonomous technologies in the field.
The webinar focused on safety and performance testing applied to agricultural robots. Among the exhibitors were Adriana Sanchez (INRAE–TSCF AgroTechnoPôle) and other partners of the French node AgrifoodTEF France (INRIA, IFV, Arvalis and LNE). The presentations showed how these protocols help build user confidence and accelerate the adoption of autonomous solutions.
By bringing together an international community, this event demonstrates that France is positioning itself as a privileged host territory for agricultural robotics, where innovations can be tested, compared and improved in real conditions.
June 2025 will be remembered as a decisive month for AgroTechnoPôle and its partners: between international exchanges, specialised webinars and strategic meetings, a clear ambition is emerging – to accelerate agricultural innovation for a more efficient, sustainable and collaborative agriculture.
