Application for the development and modernization of the olive grove sector

The Tecnova Technological Center, in collaboration with Gestión y Finanzas 365, Castillo de Tabernas and Spanish Olive Technology, have developed an application to improve the management of olive groves. It is a technological tool that allows the control of agricultural activities, in a sector such as the olive grove that increasingly needs the use of applications that help its development and technification.

The aim of this project, through the union of different automated field technologies and manual data collection methods, is to make decisions to achieve efficient farm management. It is IoT technology, internet of things, which enables data management with the use of the internet through devices. Based on two plots, one for study and the other for control, climate and soil data will be collected and recorded through sensors, data that is crossed with parameters of kilos of product and hours of work.

By means of a simple introduction of data this platform allows to generate all the necessary reports for the improvement of the planning and the management of the olive grove. The project started in January 2018 and closed in December 2018, a 12-month project. As funding body for the project is the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development of the Junta de Andalucía.

This project is funded by the European Association for Innovation, co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development of the Junta de Andalucía. Some of the objectives that this project has pursued, from the beginning, have been the reduction of water resources, reduction of field tasks, increasing the quantity and quality of production, and reducing the use of phytosanitary products.

Technological tool that allows the control of agricultural activities in the olive grove sector

Tecnova, with the recent completion of the project, determines that the use of low cost technology has helped to efficiently use the use of natural resources. Tecnova’s technical team has managed to design and develop meteorological stations based on the use of inexpensive, high-precision devices and sensors, which facilitate decision-making for crop management based on the data obtained, thus achieving a low-cost product. reliable and accessible to everyone.

The collection of data by these stations has been fundamental in the execution of the project, since thanks to the management of this information a more efficient irrigation control has been obtained.

The management of this data has taken place through the developed platform, known as Interagro, finally obtaining a data management tool that can bring benefits to the olive grove sector.

With it, and with the use of sensors, the situation of the crop can be taken into account to nourish it, both with water and with phytosanitary products. As a result of its implementation, a higher product quality, higher production, lower costs and an increase in energy efficiency will be obtained, through the saving of water resources and inputs.

Within the different collaborations between the internal companies, which have participated in conferences and various dissemination tasks, there has been a continuous connection throughout the project that has facilitated its development and execution.