SMART FARMING HACKATHON 2025
3rd - 4th September 2025
DLR R-N-H, Bad Kreuznach
0
Days0
Hours0
Minutes0
SecondsImportant Information:
🚨Hack through the night! Our hackathon space will remain open 24 hours!
Farming feeds us all. But more and more time is lost behind a desk — in forms, rules and endless documentation. What if we could change that?
At the Smart Farming Hackathon 2025, students, developers, and founders come together to create real solutions for real challenges in the field: from compliance tools to smart planning apps. Tools that save time, reduce paperwork, and let farmers focus on what truly matters.
The Smart Farming Hackathon 2025 is presented by the Innovation Agency of RLP and the Friends of Digital Farming, serving as your gateway to pioneering solutions and revolutionary ideas.
Together, we are forging a dynamic network of enterprises, startups, and research institutions, establishing Rhineland-Palatinate as a leading hub for agricultural innovation. Join this thriving community, driving progress not only in farming but also in strengthening the regional economy for the future.
We look forward to your ideas!
Registration Form
Please contact the Sweap Support.
USE CASES
This year, we will once again present three exciting Use Cases – and these are currently in development! Together with the key stakeholders of Rhineland-Palatinate’s agricultural sector, we are currently defining the challenges to be addressed during the hackathon. The themes cover central future-oriented questions in the Smart Farming industry – practical, relevant, and with real impact for the region.
- Contributed by farmers and businesses from RLP
- Focus on data spaces & connectivity
- Lean Admin: Help to cut farmers’ office time in half
- Insights into real-life experiences & challenges
Use Case 1:Â Cut office work by 50% with compliance checks by the push of a button
Farmers need to comply with regulations on fertilization, crop protection and many other environmental topics. How can they be sure what regulations need to be applied for? GeoBox provides the geo-data required to check what legal requirements need to be considered when planning fertilization and crop protection measures. The system connects GeoBox and FMiS and provides field-specific guidance based on public data. It also helps to generate audit-proof documentation — saving time and reducing compliance risks, during planning and after execution.
Use Case 2:Â Nitrogen tracker - Pre- and in-season fertilization planning and documentation
How to keep track of the total compliant fertilizer volume per field? How can we identify the remaining compliant nitrogen volume? And how can this be received with the push of a button while being legally compliant? How can we connect public calculators (WebBESyd), data (GeoBox) and FMiS? How can we consider different fertilizer types and the remaining nitrogen from the previous season? We want to enable automated fertilization planning, machine control, and precise geolocation — all without custom integration projects.
Use Case 3: Micro Weather Marketplace
Precise weather data means more sustainable and productive farming. That’s why farmers invest in weather stations for their farm and specific fields. What if public and private weather data could be combined? What if, Geobox weather, your own and your neighbors' weather stations could be combined? What if farmers earn micro payments for sharing their weather data? With this use case, companies gain access to hyper-local weather data for analytics, modeling, or insurance — powered by transparent micropayments and open APIs.
Agenda
Welcome!
Upon your arrival at DLR Bad Kreuznach, you will be greeted by the Innovation Agency team who will register your attendance. Help yourself to a drink, settle in at your leisure, and get to know your fellow participants. We will then commence the day with an official welcome from the organisers in the plenary session.
Plenary Welcome
Following the arrival period, we will immerse ourselves in the thematic introduction. Here you will learn all essential information about the schedule, the hackathon's objectives, and gain initial insights into what awaits you. There will be an overview of the challenges, a discussion of innovation's role within the hackathon context, and inspiration for your own project ideas.
Participating teams will receive their specific assignments or "cases" to work on during the hackathon. These cases derive from real-world challenges in business, academia or administration, providing scope for creative solutions.
Time to recharge
A fortifying lunch awaits you! Use this break to network with other participants, brainstorm initial ideas, and gather energy for the afternoon ahead.
Work, work, work!
Now the real work begins! Having refreshed yourselves, you and your team can now fully immerse yourselves in tackling the cases.
Best of luck and perseverance!
Please note: The hackathon continues overnight. Field beds will be available at the venue for anyone who wishes to stay and keep working or get some rest.
Final sustenance.
To ensure you don't go hungry, we'll provide light evening refreshments for all participants.
Hacking continues overnight!
Starting the final day together
A proper breakfast ensures clear thinking! Use this time to network with other teams, discuss final ideas, and begin the hackathon's concluding phase well nourished.
Perfecting your concepts
Now comes the crucial phase: You'll have time to further develop your concepts, refine prototypes, and prepare your expert pitch presentations. Mentors will be available to provide support.
Demonstrate your project's potential
In concise presentations, you will pitch your ideas to an expert panel. You'll receive immediate feedback, can address outstanding questions, and gain valuable insights to further develop your concepts.
The Jury Deliberates
While you may relax, network, or apply final touches to your solutions, the expert panel will withdraw to evaluate the submissions. They will discuss the concepts and select the most compelling ideas to advance to the finals.
Final Performance & Grand Finale
The top teams will present their refined solutions before all participants and the judging panel. This will be followed by the formal award ceremony - complete with prizes, recognition, and a dignified conclusion to the hackathon.
HACKATHON 2024 IMPRESSIONS
Twelve teams, eight universities, three continents, and numerous innovative solutions for tomorrow's digital farming – at the Smart Farming Hackathon 2024 organised by the Innovation Agency of Rhineland-Palatinate, creative startups and students gathered in Kaiserslautern to address current agricultural challenges.
FAQ
The hackathon will be held on 3rd and 4th September 2025 at DLR Bad Kreuznach. You will receive the exact address and schedule via email after registration, or you may find it under "Directions" at the bottom of this webpage.
All interested parties - whether students, developers, designers, entrepreneurs, or simply creative thinkers. Prior knowledge is helpful but not strictly necessary.
No, participation is completely free of charge - including catering.
We will include suggestions for affordable nearby accommodation with your confirmation of participation.
Naturally! During the hackathon, we will provide complimentary snacks, beverages, and hot meals at no cost. Vegetarian options will also be available.
Please bring the following:
- Your own laptop including charger
- A multi-socket extension lead if possible
- Good cheer and creative ideas
- Your favourite snacks and drinks
You will register individually by default - though you may certainly choose in advance whether to form a team with people you know, or whether you'd prefer spontaneous team building on site.
Note: Teams may comprise no more than 4 members.
The hackathon is designed as an in-person event to facilitate intensive networking and collaborative work on site. Virtual participation is therefore not available.
An expert panel comprising specialists from industry, academia and public administration will assess projects based on criteria including:
- Degree of innovation & creativity
- Technical implementation
- Relevance to the theme
- Teamwork and presentation quality
Yes! The hackathon runs non-stop. You’re welcome to code, collaborate or nap during the night – the space remains open and secure, and we’ll provide night-time snacks and sleeping facilities in the form of 20 camp beds. Please let us know in advance if you would like to use one of the camp beds or bring your own insulated mat and sleeping bag. Please note that there is not a camp bed available for every person.
Yes, travel expenses can be reimbursed upon request. Further information will be provided during the hackathon. Please make sure to keep your receipts!
DIRECTIONS
Location
Arriving with public transportation: Bus stop: Weinbauschule (direkt vor dem DLR Gelände) Rüdesheimer Str. 68, 55545 Bad Kreuznach
OUR PARTNERS
Partners
Partners
