For centuries, olive cultivation has been rooted in tradition. Today, however, climate change is disrupting this balance, with heatwaves and water scarcity threatening both yield and quality. In response, the SOLEATECH project - developed by WES TRADE LTD (Malta) and Bahçeşehir University (Türkiye) under the bilateral call PRIMA Xjenza Malta- TÜBİTAK 2023 - is introducing a new paradigm: data-driven olive farming.

The first phase of the project focused on establishing a “Digital Twin” of olive orchards through the deployment of advanced IoT infrastructure. Using the IRRIGOPTIMAL platform, solar-powered Smart Nodes equipped with soil moisture, nutrient, and weather sensors were installed across pilot sites in Malta and Türkiye. This system enabled continuous, real-time monitoring of hyper-local environmental conditions.

A key scientific breakthrough emerged from this phase: the identification of the “Microclimate Gap.” Data analysis showed that regional weather models can overestimate orchard temperatures up to 8°C. This discrepancy can lead to inefficient irrigation decisions and unnecessary stress on crops.

By validating the importance of localized data, SOLEATECH demonstrated that precision agriculture must rely on field-level intelligence rather than generalized forecasts. This foundational phase sets the stage for advanced analytics and AI-driven decision-making in modern olive farming.

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