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Save water, energy and fertilizers:
This is the Figaro project's aim.
Next up, we present "Flash R+D. New horizons".
Figaro aims to increase the efficiency of citrus, corn, cotton
or grapevine crops, saving water, energy and fertilizers.
This European project is coordinated by Netafilm,
a leader in the production of trickle irrigation materials.
The first project results were released at the end of January,
during the third general project meeting,
held at the Polytechnic City of Innovation.
CROP MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR AT NETAFILM
The IT platform designed by Figaro acquires information
from sensors linked to crops, meteorology and irrigation network.
Once it is processed,
it permits decision-making that will optimize irrigation programming.
This project contributes to
the joint use of many technologies that are now used separatedly
in the crop reality of many European cultures
and all the Mediterranean countries.
FIGARO SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR
This will enable us to conserve water
and optimize energy and water use,
which is very important for the future of agriculture
in every Mediterranean country.
Figaro began in 2012.
Organizations and research centres of eight countries
are taking part in it,
amog them, the Valencian Centre for Irrigation Studies
and the Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering.
The Universitat Politècnica de València
and, particularly, the Institute for Water Engineering
have major roles in the project.
PROFESSOR AND RESEARCHER IN THE INSTITUTE FOR WATER ENGINEERING We are in charge of the...
energy optimization of the distribution networks.
The aim is to save water and energy;
which is now a burning problem in Spanish irrigation.
We also do satellite and thermography imagery processing
in order to analyse the crop conditions,
which is one of the project's parameters.
Finally, we take part in two experimental smallholdings:
one in Picassent, about citrus; and one in Cheste, about grapevine.
The first experimental field-tests results
reveal water conservation of 10 to 30%,
which means energy was saved as well.