York-based agri-tech firm, AgriSound, launches 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 sees 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, specialized 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 are 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 are deployed to two of Importaco’s almond productions sites; Zurria, Spain, a 50-hectare orchard, and Freixo, Portugal, a 23-hectare site. 

The trial evaluates performance across four core areas: 

• Pollination performance – tracking hourly bee activity, generating field-wide heatmaps, and monitoring hive dynamics during bloom  
• Crop outcomes – analysing nut set, yield and quality to quantify return on investment 
• Biodiversity and regenerative impact – comparing pollinator activity across habitats and management systems to evidence biodiversity gains from regenerative practices 
• Operational insights – identifying underperforming orchard zones and linking pollinator activity directly to yield and quality improvements.  

Sensor deployment is tailored to Importaco’s orchard geometry to ensure complete spatial coverage. Zurria’s larger, uniform blocks will use a wider hexagonal grid, while Freixo’s smaller, fragmented polygons use tighter spacing to prevent pollination ‘dead zones’. AgriSound’s devices are positioned to avoid end-of-row microclimates, ensuring representative bloom monitoring across both edge and interior zones. 

Casey Woodward, founder and CEO of AgriSound, says: “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.” 

Lucia Donnini, Director of Agricultural science at Importaco, adds: “Importaco is committed to advancing sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices across our supply chains, and understanding the role of pollinators is a key part of that journey.  

“Partnering with AgriSound gives us an exciting opportunity to apply vital monitoring technology to our almond orchards and generate the robust, data-driven insights needed to better understand how pollination influences both biodiversity and crop performance. We look forward to working together to demonstrate how innovation can support healthier ecosystems while delivering strong outcomes for growers and food production.” 

AgriSound specialises in precision pollination monitoring and supports a range of major brands including British Sugar, M&S and Dole UK.