Precision agriculture is key to water shortages, depletion

By the year 2050, water shortages are to be experienced all over the world because of increasing population, which in turn causes specific problem in the agriculture sector which uses 82 percent of freshwater for crops.

Dr. Sylvester A. Badua, an associate professor at Central Luzon State University (CLSU), raised this concern during his lecture on automated fertigation systems during the recent  green economy forum.

The event was part of the 2024 Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (RSTW), held late September in Tuguegarao, Cagayan with theme “Providing Solutions and Opening Opportunities in the Green Economy,” which discussed sustainable agricultural practices and capacity building for innovation skills. The forum was organized by the Department of Science and Technology Regional Office II.

Badua reintroduced the concept of precision agriculture as a means of mitigating resource depletion.

Precision agriculture is the use of resources or inputs in the right amount, place and time.

A part of this agricultural technique is site-specific crop management (SSCM), which tailors farming practices to meet the unique needs of different areas within a single field.

One technology in precision agriculture is fertigation, a process that delivers fertilizers through irrigation systems.

In simpler terms, it involves simultaneously supplying plants with the water and nutrients they need for specific growth requirements.

Fertigation has proven to be 90 percent nutrient efficient and 90 percent efficient in water use, reducing waste, minimizing the use of fertilizers, and lowering nutrient loss.

Fertigation is considered a precision agriculture technology for three reasons: precise location, timing, and application rates.

Badua explained that the targeted application of water and fertilizers to the root system ensures nutrients are applied only when needed by the crops

He added that the application of fertilizers can be controlled to the right amount.

Badua pointed out that fertigation system can produce greater yields, eliminate pollution, and synchronize fertilization with crop needs, outlining the benefits of the technology.

However, challenges include cost, system maintenance, and setup quality.

He said that the setting up and implementing the system can be operated manually or automatically.

He also presented a project involving the fertigation system that was implemented at CLSU.

He assured users that they can implement the fertigation system according to their preferences, including the use of power source.

Dr. Claire Marie Castillo, also from CLSU, discussed the topics of aquaponics, hydroponics technology, and tower or vertical gardening, presented by

Karl Satinitigan presented the building of a dynamic innovation ecosystem in Cagayan Valley. S&T Media Service