Lithuania is a country with a huge potential to become a sandbox for AgriFood Tech solutions as well as one of EIT Food’s RIS countries

What do you need to know about today's Lithuanian agri-food sector?

Agriculture plays a significant role in Lithuania’s economy and generates 3.6% of GDP while the entire agri-food sector generates 7.1% Lithuanian GDP. Now, our main goal is to digitalize the entire food value chain at every level in Lithuania and exploit the potential of agri-food technologies innovators.

Lithuania has an exceptional army of High Tech talents, whose skills are valued all around the world. They have already created some unique digital solutions that contribute to the creation of a sustainable ecosystem in the agri-food sector. Today they need help in order to be able to take the last step and to commercialize their innovative products around the world.

EIT Food can help them by creating cross-border connections between governments as well as private and science stakeholders. Also, EIT Food can promote the creation of an advanced agri-food innovation ecosystem where digital technologies would be accessible to all and could be tested by different actors in the sector before making an investment.

Room for Improvement

Lithuania needs to see the agri-food sector as one of priorities of smart specialization and to exploit the potential of clusters operating in this sector. Another challenge that requires solutions is to increase of attractiveness of digital technologies for SMEs operating in food sector and actors of short food supply chains. The country needs closer cooperation between businesses, social partners and the government.

Together with EIT Food we need to develop models based on the principles of a shared economy and the purchase of services, rather than the acquisition of fixed assets. It would let us have a green and digital agri-food sector in Lithuania, based on sustainable agriculture, digital traceability, circular food systems and targeted nutrition.

EIT Food Hub in Lithuania: AgriFood Lithuania DIH

AgriFood Lithuania DIH is a one-stop-shop for AgriFood Tech innovation development services and cooperation opportunities. In 2020, the European Commission included AgriFood Lithuania DIH as one of two good practice examples of European sectoral DIHs in the JRC science for policy report. This digital innovation center connects the most important Lithuanian research, business and public stakeholders united by the common goal to develop new digital solutions for the agri-food sector.