Turkey, Georgia and Bulgaria launch AGRICOOP tech project to curb invasive species

The Trabzon Commodity Exchange (TTB) is coordinating the AGRICOOP project, an 18‑month, technology‑driven initiative aimed at mitigating the impact of invasive species and climate change on agriculture in the Black Sea region. Backed by the InterregNEXT Black Sea Region Programme, the project brings together public agencies, academia, farmers, NGOs and other stakeholders from Turkey, Georgia and Bulgaria.

Key components include the installation of Climate and Pest Detection Stations (CPDS) in a pilot field in Trabzon and the development of the MAPPEST mobile application, which will allow farmers to report and monitor pest densities such as the brown fox (kahverengi kokarca). Eyyüp Ergan, TTB board chair, said: "Farmers said they will actively use such an application," adding that the CPDS will collect temperature, humidity, wind and pest data for real‑time access via the app.

Meetings have been held in Batumi (Georgia), Varna (Bulgaria) and Turkish cities Samsun and Trabzon, where field visits assessed pest impacts on crops. The project is scheduled for completion next year.