How to improve irrigation management
In addition to the equipment and tools to do a more efficient job, it is important to consider the time in which the investment is recovered and the training of the personnel.
The last few years have been marked by an important development of technologies aimed at improving water management in agriculture.
"There is a rate of important technification. Some 8 thousand to 10 thousand hectares per year go to localized irrigation; that is, micro-sprinkling and drip irrigation", indicates Alejandro Antúnez, an agronomist engineer from INIA La Platina
The technological impulse, besides optimizing the use of the resource, has allowed to cultivate in areas where the conditions are not ideal or the hydric and climatic situation has changed. This is the case of Ovalle, where 25 years ago the producers applied between 12 thousand and 14 thousand m3 / ha of water per year in their vines. Today the volumes do not exceed 8 thousand m3 / ha, without affecting their results.
"Even, there are producers who with 5 thousand m3 / ha a year harvest the same quantity and quality as when they applied even 15 thousand m3 / ha“explains Luis Leris Garay, transfer agent and manager of the INIA Intihuasi technical office in Limarí.
This is the product of new technologies, which have also allowed farmers to make more responsible use of water and improve the physical, chemical and hydrological conditions of the soil.
"This is very important in the future. In this area it is normal for them to fall between 90 and 100 mm of water. But 2030 is estimated to fall between 60 and 70 mm. This could be extended to regions VI and VII“, warns Luis Leris Garay.
And given that the change in water availability is a reality that will affect most of the country, the issue of optimizing and modernizing irrigation takes on new faces.
The advance of technologies such as telemetry allows today farmers of all sizes and income levels to know instantly what is happening with their water, how much their different plants require and to program everything from their computer or telephone, regardless of where they are.
But given that the current offer is very large and diverse in technologies and costs, experts recommend carrying out a study prior to any investment. The idea is that the equipment or technology chosen becomes an investment that is paid over time.
There are many factors that determine the return of an investment and range from the type of equipment to energy costs. Even more determining is the crop, not only for its water demand, but also for how it changes its yield and profitability.
The importance of training
As important as having the right equipment, is that you get the most out of technology. Here, experts say, training becomes key.
At the country level there are different training alternatives, through graduate or postgraduate courses and courses that are under the eaves of Sence, with different costs, depending on the subject and the level in question. There are even alternatives that have financing from regional governments, such as INIA Intihuasi, or Technological Transfer Programs and TWGs.
For Homero Barría, an irrigation specialist from INIA Remehue, the value of the training will depend on the level that is aspired to be reached and the number of participants, "although you can indicate a range between $ 800 thousand and $ 2 million per year".
Luis Leri tells that at INIA Intihuasi they hold talks for groups of 20 to 25 farmers, which can be around $300 and $400, financed by regional governments; therefore, the interested party should not cancel anything. The transferee adds that “if we assume that it is a talk of programming, management and maintenance of irrigation equipment, the value may increase, since it is required to take computers and internet to the place".
He adds that the great difficulty of the training is that many of the farmers are not digital natives nor do they have tools such as broadband or WhatsApp.
"In any case, thanks to their children, farmers have understood these mechanisms better. The problem is that unfortunately young people do not like agriculture. Although there are, they are a minority. From the III to the V Region, of all the groups that I have trained, I would say that at least in the Limarí there should be 10% of young people“, indicates Luis Leris Garay.
Source: Revista del Campo
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