WEALTH November 6, 2025 0 Comments

ESA’s Game-Changing Bet on Proveye’s ProvVari Tech: What This Could Mean for the Future of Innovation!

Ever wondered if space tech could actually help farmers do a better job on Earth? Well, Irish agri and climate tech innovator Proveye just snagged a European Space Agency (ESA) contract to make that a reality with their game-changing ProvVari system. It’s not your typical farming gadget — this precision fertiliser solution aims to crank up productivity and slash costs, all while seriously cutting down the environmental damage from grassland farming across Europe. Given how artificial fertilisers have been messing with our water and pumping out greenhouse gases like there’s no tomorrow, Proveye’s approach is a refreshing shake-up. By tapping into ESA’s satellite tech and combining it with drones, GPS guidance, and real-time soil data, ProvVari promises to help farmers apply fertilisers with pinpoint accuracy — trimming waste, protecting water quality, and aligning perfectly with Europe’s ambitious climate and biodiversity goals. It’s the kind of innovation where business savvy meets environmental stewardship — a rare combo that could leave a lasting mark. Curious how a tech startup is leveraging the cosmos to green up our fields? Dive deeper here: LEARN MORE

Irish agri and climate tech Proveye has been awarded a European Space Agency (ESA) contract to complete the development and deployment of ProvVari.

ProvVari is Proveye’s a breakthrough precision fertiliser solution designed to increase productivity and reduce costs for farmers and significantly cut the environmental footprint of grassland farming across Europe.

The widespread use of artificial fertiliser has contributed to nutrient loss, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions, which Proveye is seeking to change.

With ESA’s backing through the ESA Spark Funding initiative, ProvVari will harness space technology to guide the precise application of fertilisers, reducing waste and environmental impact while maintaining productivity and profitability for farmers.

Built on Proveye’s ProvGrass platform, ProvVari will combine satellite imagery from ESA’s Sentinel-1 SAR and Sentinel-2 multispectral missions with high-resolution l imagery drone, GNSS guidance, and soil and meteorological data.

The technology will generate variable rate application maps that optimise fertiliser use, safeguard water quality, and support national and European climate and biodiversity goals.

“ProvVari has already drawn strong engagement from agri-advisors, machinery manufacturers, and seed and fertiliser companies, as well as a growing community of progressive Irish farmers,” said, Jerome O’Connell, CEO of Proveye.

“Together, these stakeholders reflect the urgent need for tools that help agriculture deliver food security while protecting natural ecosystems.”

“At Proveye, we see little trade-off between farming and nature, our technologies are designed to enable both to thrive, and this ESA contract is a major step forward in our mission to align agricultural productivity with environmental stewardship, biodiversity protection, food security and climate resilience,” he added.

Peter Finnegan, manager of ESA Space Solutions Centre Ireland, which administers the ESA Spark Funding mechanism, welcomed Proveye’s most recent ESA contract award.

“The development of the ProvVari platform is an exciting new solution that will yield benefits for farmers and the environment alike, and is a timely intervention when positioned against the challenges of both increasing productivity and reducing negative environmental impact simultaneously,” he said.

ProvVari will be launched first in Ireland early next year before being roll out to international markets.

In addition to supporting farmers ProvVari will also provide regulators and policymakers with a mechanism to manage fertiliser use sustainably, contributing to healthier soils, cleaner waters, and more resilient landscapes across Europe.

Proveye signed a €900,000 contract with the ESA last year, and raised €1m in a 2023 seed funding round.

Photo: Paul Kennedy and Jerome O’Connell. (Pic: Proveye)