Groundwater research in demand by fruit and vegetable growers

The demand for water, and not just for agricultural use, continues to grow. In fact, every year, based on a cyclical pattern, industry experts warn of new negative records in terms of drought and heat, even in the winter period.

Groundwater detection technology from HydroHunter Italia

And that's why more and more farmers, worried about a terrible drought, are turning to companies like HydroHunter Italia, which specializes in groundwater exploration using innovative remotely piloted multi-rotor fixed-wing aircraft systems to find out whether there are aquifers to draw from before drilling into the ground.

Vincenzo Orso during the second search phase after the overflight. Tarsia area (Cosenza, Italy)

"For the last two months," explains pilot Vincenzo Orso, "we have been conducting fieldwork in Piedmont, Basilicata and Calabria on farms that produce or plan to produce stone fruits, table grapes, vegetables and avocados. We are talking about scanned areas of up to 1,000 hectares per farm. We used to work mainly in the spring and summer months, but now the demand is almost year-round, both because water shortages have become a perennial emergency and because people prefer to move early to avoid crop damage at the time of real irrigation need. Drillers require long lead times. Some people have waited up to 6 months for the drilling company to start working in the area."

Part of the equipment used to scan the subsoil

Artesian wells are an effective solution to ensure the irrigation of crops that are in an area that is served by inefficient water supply networks. "Our team is made up of a geologist, a geophysicist and a hydrogeology expert, but our aim is not to replace the local experts a farm may already have. The intention is to work together so that the chances of finding water in the ground are increased."

HydroHunter Italia's professional equipment consists of high-precision drones equipped with a special technological probe. The drones fly over the targeted land surface and send electromagnetic waves down to a depth of 240 meters. "We advise our clients to drill only if our scan shows a suitable amount of water in the area. The process is completed in a few hours and consists of four delicate steps. The lack of significant rainfall is a threat to crops, and farmers are faced with lower yields or lower quality fruit and vegetables. Our goal is to help the weakest and most vulnerable part of the supply chain, but with transparency and honesty. There is no point in continuing if there is no water or it is unsatisfactory in that part of the country.