The Project for the Promotion of Efficiency in Irrigation (Ferdoñana), an initiative of the SAI platform (Sustainable Agriculture Initiative), has launched an experimental plan to demonstrate the benefits offered by a innovative irrigation technique called on-demand irrigation on substrate. This method has been applied in a hydroponic strawberry crop, i.e. without soil, thanks to the collaboration of ADESVA (Technological Center of Agro-industry). The data obtained during the last month show that it helps reduce water consumption by 28% compared to traditional practice on land.
On-demand irrigation in substrate, an innovative irrigation technique
During the month in which this irrigation system has been monitored, a total of 763 cubic meters of water per hectare have been consumed. Meanwhile, a regular crop grown in soil requires 1,071 cubic meters of water per hectare, according to the average volumes used in strawberry crops by the 75 farmers participating in Ferdoñana. Thus, this new method requires 308 cubic meters of water less per hectare than the traditional cultivation method, i.e. 28% less water.
This trial has the technical support of the NIAB EMR English horticultural and agricultural research institute and has been verified by the areas responsible for the sustainability of large agricultural food companies at an international level, such as the Coca Cola Foundation, Danone, Tesco, Coop, Marks and Spencer, Migros, SVZ, Innocent, or Iberfruta. The representatives of the Ferdoñana initiative presented, in situ, the work they developed in the experimental farm of ADESVA in Lepe, as well as another on-demand irrigation in substrate that has been carried out with raspberries by the company Lands of the County in Almonte, to representatives of these companies.
The people responsible for Sustainability of agricultural food companies get to know on-demand irrigation on substrate.
What is on-demand irrigation with substrate?
The on-demand irrigation system in substrate is an innovative soilless cultivation technique for improving the efficiency of water and fertilizer consumption. It consists in having the roots on a substrate collected in a container, in uniform and easily controllable conditions, in such a way that the container drains part of the nutritive solution that is applied by fertigation - the simultaneous application of water and fertilizers through irrigation - or directly.
Substrate culture is expanding for many reasons. It is a system with which soil disinfection and rotation is avoided and, in addition, it improves harvesting conditions for workers, which allows them to act more comfortably and improve production thanks to the increase in crop yields. In addition, it allows controlling and saving inputs, such as water and fertilizers.
As the director of the Ferdoñana project, Sebastien Guery, underlines, "we are seeing an important change in recent years in the use of irrigation technologies. Sustainability is on everyone's lips; there are locally available solutions, and experiences that show that we can achieve a very efficient use of water, guarantee profitability for our companies in the long term, and protect the environment."
The people responsible for Sustainability of agricultural food companies verify the experimental project with representatives of Ferdoñana.
The sector is carrying out a significant commitment to the use of technologies aimed at the efficient use of water. According to estimates, more than 30% of the farms devoted to growing berries in Huelva have soil moisture sensors and, even though not all of them operate with on-demand irrigation, the objective of Ferdoñana is that "these sensors allow applying this system in the future, without ignoring the potential for improvement there still exists in the improvement of the designs and operations of the farms in the province, which are increasingly aware of the savings and benefits provided by techniques like this one," Guery said.
The Ferdoñana project
Ferdoñana is an initiative of the SAI Platform (Sustainable Agriculture Initiative) that began in 2016. It is a training project aimed at berry producers and technicians from the Doñana area to improve irrigation efficiency. Currently, this project is monitoring 75 berry farms in Huelva with the aim of improving the efficiency in the use of water in each of them by up to 20% within three years, as well as reducing the risk related to the area's water situation and help ensuring the sustainability and profitability of the production of berries in the region.
In addition, the project includes an initiative to promote efficient water use and provide advice on different tools and methodologies called the 'Ambassadors of the Ferdoñana Project.' In it, producers from Huelva can visit three pioneer farms which were selected due to their use of water and that belong to the SAT Grufesa, Tierras del Condado SL, and Fran and Lolo SL companies, to know more about this topic.
More information:
Communication Cabinet - Ferdoñana
Daniel Rodríguez - 637 48 20 71
comunicacion@ferdonana.es