PRECIMED – Precision Irrigation Management to Improve Water and Nutrient Use Efficiency in the Mediterranean Region

What is PRECIMED ?

In the Mediterranean Regions, large areas are vulnerable to water scarcity and drought events due to population growth and climate change. An adequate irrigation management is proposed as one of the most effective solutions to favor the economic development of these regions. For this reason, the main impact foreseen by PRECIMED project is to improve the farm productivity through the reduction of production costs and the increase of the crop yield. This solution minimizes the environmental impact due to the sustainable use of resources (water, fertilizers and energy consumption) and reduces the human laborious tasks while feasible business models will be generated. In this sense, PRECIMED is committed to develop of sustainable agriculture by using precision irrigation techniques, adopting and implementing new water and nutrient management practices.

PRECIMED is formulated to present a professional irrigation scheduling expert system associated to a set of results coming up from real case studies on fruit and citrus trees and vegetable crops. Specifically, a Standards-based Decision Support System (DSS) for a data-driven irrigation/fertilization management will be developed and validated. The DSS will offer management services to improve the lives of Mediterranean farmers and also to improve water and nutrients use efficiency in EU and non-EU countries. PRECIMED will impact a range of stakeholder groups along the agro-food ecosystem: farmers, businesses, society, public authorities and external communities.