York-based agri-tech firm, AgriSound, has launched a major European field trial with international food group, Importaco, to measure how regenerative farming affects pollination and crop performance in almond orchards.
The 2026 bloom season pilot will see AgriSound’s Polly TM monitoring technology deployed across two commercial almond production sites in Spain and Portugal, capturing real-time data on bee activity, pollination performance and crop outcomes.
The project with Importaco, specialises in the production, processing and distribution of nuts, dried fruit and mineral water, is developed in line with the company’s commitment to promoting agricultural practices aimed at protecting biodiversity, and with the pathway undertaken across the value chain towards decarbonisation.
By directly linking pollinator performance to nut set, yield and quality the trial aims to provide large-scale commercial evidence of how regenerative farming practices affect both biodiversity and productivity in tree nut crops.
More than 120 field sensors will be installed across the orchards, making it one of the most detailed pollination monitoring programmes currently underway in European almond production.
AgriSound’s PollyTM monitoring devices will be deployed to two of Importaco’s almond productions sites; Zurria, Spain, a 50-hectare orchard, and Freixo, Portugal, a 23-hectare site.
Casey Woodward, founder and CEO of AgriSound, said: “Pollination is one of the most important, yet least measured, drivers of crop performance. By working with Importaco across both regenerative and conventional almond systems, this pilot allows us to directly link pollinator activity with real crop outcomes such as nut set, yield and quality.
“The goal is to generate robust, independent data that helps growers and food companies to understand where regenerative practices are delivering measurable benefits, while also demonstrating how precision monitoring can support more resilient and productive orchard systems at scale.”
