Addressing water scarcity and climate contingency, as well as how to deal with current conditions in the agricultural world, were some of the conversations held at EXPO AGRYD 2023, where experts in the area analyzed the most relevant points of the activity and the industry.
This Tuesday, the Expo Agryd meeting was held at the San Carlos de Apoquindo Events Center. The exhibition, which was attended by prominent exhibitors, authorities and businessmen in the sector, addressed topics such as the efficient use of water, the complexities that affect farmers, the new technologies that have arrived to strengthen the sector, and the challenges that lie ahead, among other topics.
On this occasion, a round table was also held to discuss in depth the revised Irrigation Law, recently approved by both chambers, which aims to address water scarcity, strengthen work, particularly of small and medium-sized farmers, and integrate a broader range of projects.
In the case of the fruit sector, the phenomenon of “El Niño” and climate change are some of the points that have caused the greatest concern in recent years due to the implications that this has for fruit producers. In this regard, Wilson Ureta, Director of the National Irrigation Commission, explained that “This is a very big challenge as a State because normally the contingency goes faster than the development of laws, but we have the mission of being able to face a spring that may be rainy and be prepared to prevent effects and also to focus resources, and reach agreements with different political actors to develop medium-sized irrigation works."
Along these lines, Tomás Urcelay, Regional Sales Manager for LATAM at Wiseconn, a field monitoring and control platform, added the relevance that the use of innovative technologies, which help optimize water use, through data-based decision-making, has for the industry. “It all depends on the base conditions, but obviously the cherry is a crop that requires very careful irrigation management and also has a very large certification component, so saving on those elements generates a productive impact and sending a cherry in good condition, good quality and that is also sustainable, obviously provides an extra plus when marketing the fruit at its destination.”
Finally, Nicolás-George Nascimento, Commercial Director of Rivulis Chile, a company that provides micro-irrigation solutions, stressed the importance of addressing the climate problem from a 360 perspective, understanding not only the optimization of water, but also carbon sequestration and increased productivity. These, as he explained in his talk, are fundamental elements for agriculture. In addition, in conversation with Smartcherry, he stated that “The focus is on producing the same or more on the same surface and with the same resources, as this creates a positive balance for sequestration and not for greenhouse gas emissions.”
