ONDO Takes Smart Farming to South Africa: Bringing Precision Agriculture Closer to Farmers

Agricultural technology creates the greatest impact when farmers can see it working in real production environments.

This is exactly the approach behind ONDO’s latest activities in South Africa, where the Bulgarian smart farming company is bringing its automation solutions directly to farmers, irrigation professionals, and agricultural businesses.

As an innovative member of the AgriVentures community, ONDO represents the type of agrifood innovation that connects technology with practical agricultural challenges.

Its latest expansion into the South African market demonstrates how European agritech solutions can move beyond borders and support more precise, resource-efficient and data-driven farming.

From Smart Technology to Real-World Demonstration

ONDO, together with its South African partner The Irrigation Company, is preparing a series of activities in South Africa focused on demonstrating smart farming technologies in practice. The programme includes an on-site demonstration at Mondi greenhouse facilities in Hilton, industry events and individual meetings with farmers and irrigation designers.

The September 21 demo day at Mondi Greenhouse Nurseries is designed around a practical walkthrough of ONDO’s automation solutions. Visitors can see how the technology is used to monitor and control irrigation, precision fertigation and greenhouse climate management in a real production environment.

This “test before invest” approach is particularly relevant for agricultural technology adoption. Instead of presenting digital farming as an abstract concept, demonstrations allow producers to understand how automation can fit into existing infrastructure and how it can contribute to more efficient use of water, nutrients and energy.

Precision Irrigation and Fertigation for More Efficient Farming

Water management is becoming an increasingly important issue for agriculture worldwide. Farmers are dealing with changing weather patterns, water availability constraints, rising input costs and increasing pressure to improve resource efficiency.

ONDO’s technology addresses these challenges through automated irrigation, precision fertigation and climate-control systems for greenhouses and open-field production. The company combines sensors, real-time data, software and automation to enable agricultural operations to respond to actual crop and environmental conditions rather than relying only on fixed schedules or manual interventions.

The approach is relevant across different production systems. In greenhouse environments, automation can help coordinate irrigation, fertigation and microclimate management. In open-field agriculture, automated irrigation and fertigation can support more precise application of water and nutrients across larger production areas.

ONDO has already implemented large-scale automation projects in Bulgaria, including a recently completed subsurface drip irrigation system covering more than 150 hectares of almond and plum orchards. The project combines automated irrigation infrastructure, remote valve control and precision fertigation across three farms.

Why International Expansion Matters for AgriTech

The South African activities are more than a commercial expansion story. They illustrate a broader trend in agrifood innovation: technologies developed in one agricultural context can create value internationally when they are adapted to local production systems and delivered through strong partnerships.

For agritech companies, internationalisation requires more than exporting hardware or software. It requires local knowledge, trusted partners, technical support and direct engagement with farmers. ONDO’s collaboration with The Irrigation Company provides an example of this partnership-based approach.

The programme in South Africa includes meetings with farmers and irrigation designers, creating opportunities to understand local requirements while demonstrating how ONDO’s systems can be integrated into agricultural operations.

This combination of technology, local expertise and practical demonstration is an important element in accelerating the adoption of precision agriculture.

ONDO and the AgriVentures Innovation Ecosystem

ONDO’s international development also reflects the role that innovation ecosystems can play in helping agritech companies grow.

AgriVentures brings together startups, researchers, entrepreneurs, businesses and other stakeholders working to transform agriculture and food systems through innovation. Its community focuses on connecting breakthrough ideas with entrepreneurship, funding opportunities, partnerships and sustainable impact.

ONDO is one of AgriVentures’ innovative members and a strong example of how technology can move from concept and implementation to wider market adoption.

Its work spans precision irrigation, fertigation automation and climate control, while its participation in initiatives such as AgroDigiRise has helped demonstrate smart farming technologies directly to farmers and agricultural stakeholders.

Through AgroDigiRise, ONDO contributed to 11 demonstration points in South Central Bulgaria, including farm-based sites and scientific research centres. The initiative combined technology demonstrations, training and knowledge transfer to help farmers better understand and test digital agriculture solutions.

The South African expansion continues this same principle on an international level: technology becomes more valuable when farmers can see it, test it and understand how it can solve real problems.

From Bulgaria to Global Smart Farming

The development of ONDO illustrates the growing potential of European and Bulgarian agritech companies in global markets.

The company’s South African activities bring together several important elements of modern agriculture: precision farming, irrigation efficiency, automation, digitalisation, resource optimisation and international cooperation. They also demonstrate why strong connections between technology companies, farmers, local partners and innovation ecosystems are increasingly important.

For AgriVentures, supporting innovative members such as ONDO means supporting a wider transition toward a more connected, technology-enabled and resource-efficient agrifood sector.

As smart farming continues to expand, the most important question is not simply whether agricultural technologies exist. It is whether they can be implemented effectively, adapted to real farming conditions and scaled across different agricultural markets.

ONDO’s work in South Africa offers one example of how that transition can happen — through technology, local partnerships and direct engagement with the people who ultimately use it.

ONDO’s South African activities are a reminder that agricultural innovation does not stop at national borders. When practical technology meets the right partners and real farming needs, smart farming solutions can become part of a much larger global transformation of agriculture.

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The role of Agriventures in supporting agrifood innovation

As the agritech startup ecosystem grows across Europe, initiatives such as Agriventures are helping connect entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and policymakers working in agriculture and food innovation.

Agriventures focuses on supporting agrifood startups, biotechnology innovation, and access to European funding for agriculture, while also helping entrepreneurs navigate the complex landscape of startup financing, venture capital, and research commercialization.

By strengthening connections between startups, research institutions, investors, and farmers, Agriventures contributes to building a stronger agricultural innovation ecosystem that can accelerate the transition toward sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems.

Through knowledge sharing, events, and ecosystem building, Agriventures helps ensure that promising agritech innovations can scale and reach farmers, food producers, and global markets.