The actions contemplated in the AGRISECH project - the implementation of a new system of protected cultivation for the optimization of water and agricultural inputs in Sechura - started to be carried out in December 2017. The project will be led by Tecnova and will be developed in collaboration with the University of Almeria, through the Department of Engineering Projects, the San Martin de Sechura Community Foundation, and it will have the local support of the LAL company.
According to the Director of Tecnova, Mari Carmen Galera, "this project is the result of the visits and studies made in the territory to know their needs and to detail future development possibilities." The Center has traveled to Peru several times in the last two years because it considers this is a great opportunity to collaborate and to share their experience and knowledge to generate value.
Productivity and sustainability for development
CT Tecnova is aware of the concerns that the Peasant Community of this province, which is located in the Sechura Desert, on the northeastern coast of Peru, has in terms of agricultural productivity and sustainability. As such, CT TECNOVA has made great efforts to design and construct a pilot project based on the experience accumulated in the Almeria model, demonstrating its high efficiency in the optimization of the use of natural resources (such as water, land, renewable energy, etc.) and agricultural inputs (fertilizers, phytosanitary products, etc.), and to increase of yield levels, productivity, and product diversification.
Once the first phase is completed and during the 18 planned months of execution, the project includes the start-up of a diversification towards new crops stage, in which they will validate how new value-added crops adapt there (such as, for example, tomato or seedless watermelon). In addition, they will carry out a Training Plan, which includes 12 training sessions and the training of 240 community members, and a final phase of dissemination of results and networking with other institutions in Peru, such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, the National University of Piura, the National Institute of Agrarian Innovation (INIA), or the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Sechura.
Cooperation project
This initiative is part of the AGRISECH development innovation project (Action 2017 / ACDE / 001124), supported by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
It is a reflection of the collaboration commitment formalized in 2016 between the Tecnova Technology Center and the San Martin de Sechura Community Foundation (FCSMS) to promote sustainable agricultural practices under greenhouse conditions that favor the economic and social development of this region.
According to the Director General, Mari Carmen Galera, "this project is a great opportunity for Sechura and its inhabitants as it will allow them to seek new opportunities that can generate employment and wealth in the territory, especially for young people, so that they do not have to leave the territory in search of work."