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La entidad financiera alcanza en junio de 2020 el 40% de los 100.000 millones de euros comprometidos entre 2018 y 2025 en finanzas sostenibles y para luchar contra el cambio climático. Esta cifra incluye operaciones en financiación verde (62% del total), inclusión financiera y emprendimiento (13%), infraestructuras sostenibles y 'agribusiness' (11%), y otra movilización sostenible (14%).
- INFOGRAFÍA: Aquí puedes ver el desglose del Compromiso 2025 de BBVA

Tras dos años y medio del lanzamiento del ' Compromiso 2025', BBVA ha logrado movilizar 40.082 millones de euros, a cierre de junio de 2020. La apuesta del banco contra el cambio climático contribuye a la consecución de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) de Naciones Unidas y a los retos derivados del Acuerdo de París sobre el Clima.

El 'Compromiso 2025' está basado en tres líneas de actuación: financiar para contribuir a frenar el cambio climático y conseguir el cumplimiento de los ODS mediante la movilización de 100.000 millones de euros entre 2018 y 2025; integrar los riesgos ambientales y sociales asociados a la actividad del banco para minimizar los potenciales impactos negativos directos e indirectos; e involucrar a todos los grupos de interés para impulsar de forma colectiva la contribución del sector financiero al desarrollo sostenible.

Préstamos sostenibles

En lo que respecta al primer pilar del 'Compromiso 2025', BBVA ofrece a sus clientes sus capacidades, conocimientos y experiencia para facilitarles un asesoramiento superior de soluciones de financiación sostenible y es pionero y referencia mundial en préstamos y productos financieros verdes. En 2019, el banco concedió un total de 10.176 millones de euros en préstamos sostenibles, a los que se han añadido otros 6.309 millones en el primer semestre del 2020, sumando un total de 23.904 millones movilizados desde 2018. Estos préstamos comprenden préstamos finalistas verdes certificados, préstamos vinculados a indicadores ambientales y sociales (' KPI-linked') y préstamos vinculados a la calificación ESG del cliente (' ESG-linked') y financiación corporativa.

BBVA ha consolidado su apuesta por la financiación verde, que ha acelerado con motivo del `Compromiso 2025´. En marzo de 2019, el banco lideró su primera línea de crédito RCF sostenible en el Reino Unido con SSE, el mayor productor de energías renovables en el Reino Unido e Irlanda. En abril de ese año, BBVA actuó como agente sostenible en el primer préstamo sindicado sostenible de ACCIONA, una de las primeras financiaciones dispuestas regidas también por los Sustainability Linked Loan Principales (SLLP), incorporando ajustes en el tipo de interés según el desempeño de la compañía en parámetros de sostenibilidad.

Otras operaciones destacadas en 2019 fueron la formalización con Fibra Uno de la primera línea de crédito revolvente vinculada a la sostenibilidad en América Latina, la firma de una línea de crédito 'revolving' con el grupo energético francés EDF que incorpora un ajuste de precio basado en la evolución de la compañía en aspectos de sostenibilidad, la firma de la primera financiación sostenible sindicada con un cliente corporativo chino (COFCO International).

Los Sustainability Linked Loan Principles (SLLP) incorporan ajustes en el tipo de interés según el desempeño de la compañía en parámetros de sostenibilidad

Ya en 2020, BBVA ha cerrado con Acerinox el primer préstamo sostenible del sector del acero en España; ha asesorado como único coordinador sostenible a la energética alemana EnBW para incorporar criterios ambientales y sociales a su principal financiación bancaria; ha actuado como agente sostenible del nuevo préstamo verde del grupo inmobiliario patrimonialista GMP; y ha formalizado con la empresa de alimentación Borges un préstamo sostenible, cuyas condiciones están vinculadas a la evolución del impacto medioambiental de su producción industrial.

Otros clientes que siguieron confiando en BBVA para incorporar criterios de sostenibilidad en sus financiaciones bancarias fueron Gestamp, Redexis, Piñero o Meliá, donde la entidad actuó como coordinador/estructurador sostenible. Adicionalmente, destacan también las primeras operaciones con aval ICO sostenibles en España, en particular las lideradas por BBVA como coordinador/estructurador sostenible, como son Grupo Piñero e Intermas. BBVA participó además en el sindicado con aval ICO sostenible a favor de El Corte Inglés.

Proyectos sostenibles y bonos verdes

En 2019, el banco financió proyectos sostenibles por un importe total de 1.142 millones de euros, principalmente en el sector de las energías renovables. Durante los seis primeros meses de 2020 esa cifra ha aumentado en 479 millones de euros, alcanzando un volumen acumulado desde 2018 de 2.443 millones de euros. Entre las principales operaciones destacan la financiación de tres parques eólicos en Italia, once en España y el primer parque eólico marino de Francia.

Durante la primera mitad de 2020, BBVA ha participado en un total de 11 operaciones de nueva originación en la financiación de proyectos sostenibles, por un importe total de 5.400 millones de euros. De especial mención resulta la actividad del banco en financiaciones sostenibles a proyectos renovables. Entre enero y junio de 2020 destacan, en concreto, un total de cuatro operaciones cerradas a dichos proyectos renovables, entre ellas las operaciones en Kincardine (Escocia) y Monegros (España).

En el ámbito social, la entidad ha estado particularmente activa en financiaciones a proyectos de telecomunicaciones, habiendo participado como banco líder en tres operaciones de este sector en los últimos seis meses. BBVA está poniendo especial foco en incrementar su actividad en infraestructuras de telecomunicación dada la importancia que tienen desde el punto de vista social como facilitadores del acceso a las nuevas tecnologías, la digitalización y la contribución al desarrollo económico.

En cuanto a los bonos, en 2019 BBVA participó en 30 emisiones como coordinador que supusieron la colocación de 23.198 millones de euros en total, con una cuota de 3.383 millones de euros. En 2020 esta cuota se ha ampliado en 2.056 millones de euros.

En mayo de 2020, BBVA se convirtió en la primera entidad financiera privada en Europa en emitir un bono social COVID-19

Algunas de estas emisiones fueron pioneras, como el primer bono verde mundial por parte de una telecom y el primer bono verde estructurado utilizando la tecnología 'blockchain'. Estas acciones han posicionado a BBVA como el séptimo banco del mundo en número de emisiones y el noveno por volumen colocado de bonos verdes. Asimismo, está impulsando la vertiente social de la sostenibilidad, al ser la primera entidad financiera privada en Europa en emitir un bono social COVID-19 en mayo 2020.

BBVA se ha convertido en uno de los bancos más activos en la emisión de bonos verdes, desde la publicación de su marco para la emisión de bonos vinculados a los ODS en 2018. En 2018, emitió su primer bono verde por 1.000 millones de euros, el mayor importe de una entidad financiera de la eurozona hasta la fecha. En 2019, el banco emitió un segundo bono verde por el mismo importe. Los proyectos financiados con los bonos verdes emitidos por BBVA en 2018 y 2019 han evitado que se emitan a la atmósfera más de 724.000 toneladas de CO2 durante 2019, casi el triple que el año anterior.

En julio de 2020, BBVA ha sido la primera entidad financiera del mundo en emitir un bono perpetuo contingentemente convertible (o CoCo) verde por 1.000 millones de euros. Los fondos se destinarán a financiar activos verdes elegibles en la cartera de BBVA, que asciende a 2.900 millones de euros y que está diversificada en activos de diferentes sectores verdes (eficiencia energética, energías renovables, transporte sostenible, gestión de residuos y gestión de aguas).

Parte fundamental de la estrategia de BBVA es ayudar a sus clientes no sólo financiando sino también asesorandolos en la transición ecológica

BBVA considera que las entidades financieras tienen que incorporar los riesgos y oportunidades del cambio climático en sus decisiones de inversión y financiación. Además, parte fundamental de la estrategia de la entidad es ayudar a sus clientes a adaptarse a este nuevo entorno, no sólo financiando sino también asesorandolos en esa transición ecológica. En ese sentido, recientemente anunciaba la incorporación de una nueva funcionalidad al agregador financiero One View que, a través del análisis de datos, permite a las empresas conocer la cantidad de gases de efecto invernadero que emiten a la atmósfera con su actividad diaria. A partir de esta información, podrán explorar nuevas líneas de negocio, más sostenibles, que les facilitarán la recuperación en un nuevo contexto.

La aspiración de BBVA es que todos sus productos tengan su correspondiente solución alternativa sostenible, tanto para grandes empresas e instituciones, como para pymes y clientes particulares en 2020 en España.

Inclusión y emprendimiento

Respecto a la movilización en inclusión y emprendimiento, BBVA ha alcanzado los 5.189 millones de euros desde 2018 y hasta el primer semestre de 2020, fundamentalmente a través de la labor en la Fundación Microfinanzas BBVA, que continúa promoviendo el desarrollo económico y social, sostenible e inclusivo de personas en vulnerabilidad a través de las finanzas productivas en América Latina.

Una recuperación sostenible y verde para salir de la crisis tras el coronavirus. Son varias las iniciativas que persiguen este objetivo y que han surgido desde diferentes organismos o actores recientemente. Manifiestos, cartas, compromisos, declaraciones institucionales, llamadas a la acción han proliferado conforme se agravaban las consecuencias de la crisis. Iniciativas a las que se ha unido la Unión Europea con el histórico acuerdo aprobado por sus líderes para afrontar la profunda recesión provocada por el COVID-19. Es tiempo de alianzas verdes. BBVA participa activamente en muchas de ellas.

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BBVA supera los 40.000 millones de euros movilizados en finanzas sostenibles y contra el cambio climático

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La entidad financiera alcanza en junio de 2020 el 40% de los 100.000 millones de euros comprometidos entre 2018 y 2025 en finanzas sostenibles y para luchar contra el cambio climático. Esta cifra incluye operaciones en financiación verde (62% del total), inclusión financiera y emprendimiento (13%), infraestructuras sostenibles y 'agribusiness' (11%), y otra movilización sostenible (14%).

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Netafim, the Israel-based pioneer of drip irrigation systems, said that it has received an $85 million "mega deal" to provide advanced systems to 35,000 farmers in India.

The deal is part of the community irrigation projects the kibbutz-based firm has undertaken in the second most populous country in the world.

The new deal includes three large projects that involve the construction of irrigation systems for 66 villages, 35,000 farmers on 50,000 hectares area (123,500 acres) in the state of Karnataka in India. The projects will be deployed over a period of two years and will include technical and agronomic support for a further five years, Netafim said in a statement.

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These new projects are an extension of the Ramthal community irrigation project in the state of Karnataka, which Netafim completed in 2017, and an additional four projects in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, which Netafim got in 2018 and which are now being implemented.

Community irrigation methods provide a unique solution for small scale farmers. Creating these communities make it economically feasible to carry out large-scale infrastructure projects, as it binds together a number of farmers and provides them with the advanced infrastructure and technologies needed, even as each farmer benefits from the system that best suits their needs. Without this collaboration, the individual farmer would not possess the knowledge or financial resources to create their own effective irrigation system, Netafim said in a statement on Monday.

For these community projects Netafim works closely both with the government of the state of Karnataka and local farmers, and also with the Indian infrastructure company, Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd. (MEIL).

As part of the $80 million project, Netafim will also train the farmers to operate the advanced systems to grow a wide range of crops, including onions, chili peppers, corn, peanuts, beans, sunflowers.

The support and mentorship provided by Netafim for several years guarantees the success of the project, the statement said, as it ensures that at the end of the project farmers are able to operate the systems, making the investment worthwhile.

"The uniqueness of these projects is in their community model, which along with local government involvement enables a huge number of farmers and villages to improve their livelihoods," said the president and CEO of Netafim, Gaby Miodownik in the statement. "As part of its strategy to overcome the economic crisis, the government of India, realizing the importance of local food production, is investing substantial sums in agricultural projects"

The new projects also deploy Netafim's systems for digital farming, which enable real-time control of the irrigation systems using cloud technologies and allow access from any mobile device.

Netafim intends to expand the community irrigation project model to other countries that are also characterized by a large number of small farmers, Miodownik said.

The scope of the community irrigation projects won by Netafim to date involves 202 villages in India and over 97,000 farmers over 100,000 hectares (247,105 acres) area. The transition to precision irrigation is expected to double the agricultural output of the project areas, improve the quality of produce and save about 40 percent in water and fertilizer consumption, the statement said.

Founded in 1965, Netafim pioneered the drip-irrigation revolution, creating a shift toward precision irrigation. Today, the company specializes in end-to-end solutions from the water source to the plant root, and offers a variety of irrigation and greenhouse projects, and is one of the world's largest irrigation companies.

The firm has 33 subsidiaries and 17 manufacturing plants worldwide, that offer tailor-made irrigation and fertigation solutions to millions of farmers from smallholders to large-scale agricultural producers, in over 110 countries.

Netafim has also developed digital farming solutions, through the integration of real-time monitoring, analysis, and automated controls into one system.

In 2017, Orbia, previously called Mexichem, acquired 80% of Israel's Netafim, while Kibbutz Hatzerim holds the remaining 20% stake.

Orbia is a manufacturer of specialty products and solutions across multiple sectors of industry and commerce, from agriculture and infrastructure to telecommunications, healthcare.

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Netafim gets $85m irrigation deal to help Indian farmers grow onions, beans

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Netafim, the Israel-based pioneer of drip irrigation systems, said that it has received an $85 million "mega deal" to provide advanced systems to 35,000 farmers in India. The deal is part of the community irrigation projects the kibbutz-based firm has undertaken in the second most populous country in the world.

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Index

SECTION 2: A definition of Ag-Tech

SECTION 3: Global Issues

SECTION 4: The Ag-Tech Revolution

SECTION 5: Israel the 'Start-up Nation'

SECTION 6: Israel's Ag-Tech landscape

SECTION 7: Israel Ag-Tech and The Rest Of The World
SECTION 8: Conclusion
SECTION 1: Summary

Problems the world faces

There are a number of key global issues that are likely to get increasingly worse before they get better. Issues such as food and water shortages, leading to poor nutrition and premature child mortality around the world. As well as hundreds of millions of hungry adults that have poor health and low life expediencies, as a result of overpopulation and climate change.

The role of Agriculture Technology

Innovation in the agricultural technology (Ag-Tech) industry can offer, in some cases, complete solutions to alleviate and begin to reverse these problems. Not to say that many other factors don't play a key role, they do, but this post focuses only on Ag-Tech. It is not intended to be deterministic, but just to highlight one of the important components in the almost incomprehensible system that comprises the planet and its issues, and potential solutions.

Why Israel?

I have concluded, through researching this article, that Israel is the key country to lead an Ag-Tech revolution. Because of their history, identity, geographic positioning, political standing, access to capital, technical know-how, and world-class research, they are uniquely positioned to be the driving force behind Ag-Tech innovation and implementation. Providing they can continue on the right trajectory and are not hindered or ploughed off course because of political issues concerning deals and partnerships with the competing global superpowers of America and China. And, that they can continue to mature from their status as a start-up nation into a scale-up nation. All whilst being able to keep their citizens happy and are able to be more inclusive, so that it is not just a small minority elite working in their high-tech industries. Which is important in the pursuit to find talented engineers and entrepreneurs ripe for development. Lastly, it is imperative that they do not let conflicts with other countries impact, or even cease, their technological progress in agriculture if they really are to lead an Ag-Tech revolution.

The purpose of this case study

The main point of this post is to illustrate the importance of technological innovation in agriculture, and specifically the innovation and leadership required from the nation of Israel in that endeavour.

I will go into more detail on each aspect mentioned in the above paragraph, and outline why, I believe, the current state of these components and how they develop could determine how well we fare against the challenges humanity faces over the next 30 years. As the world population is projected, by that time, to reach 10 billion people, a figure that some scientists believe, with the current rate of progress, would be reaching the point of being unsustainable and eventually catastrophic.

SECTION 2: A definition of Ag-Tech

What is agriculture technology (Ag-Tech) anyway?

As the name suggests it is about the deployment of technological innovation and insights in the agricultural industry. It is an umbrella term that incorporates the developments sought by farmers aided by technology, backed by academic and commercial research, and fuelled by public and private investment. It refers to the specific devices, tools and software that are produced as well as the industry as a whole. Monsanto Australia technology boss James Nielsen says Ag-Tech is about:

"Smart farmers getting smarter using digital technology. "

Although using the latest equipment and machinery is nothing new to farmers, the new types of technology becoming available requires them to re-think ways agriculture has been traditionally done, and even learn new skills so they're not left behind.

The technology

The range of technologies within Ag-Tech is vast. Covering areas such as biotech, machinery and robotics, irrigation and water management, smart farming, and crop protection, to name a few. Common solutions are such techniques such as precision agriculture and drip irrigation. Companies have also been re-purposing military drones, that have specialist sensor that can be used to survey farm land and gather valuable data to help improve efficiency, save on labour and production costs, and result in higher yield. There is also a continual increase in the use of drones to cater for plants on an individual level, with the use of machine learning algorithms.

Ofer Haviv, CEO of Evogene, quoted that systems now are:

All types of advanced tech will soon be cropping up

This is the tip of the iceberg for these types of technologies and there are many more applications on the horizon involving big data, AI, Internet of Things, and autonomous vehicles. Indeed, the Israeli start-up IVO, can transform tractors into an autonomous vehicle within the space of five minutes. So you can be sure that a driver-less combine harvester is coming soon to a field near you.

SECTION 3: Global Issues

What are the issues we're facing?

Humans are causing climate change

Climate change is happening, and it does happen naturally regardless of what we do. Earth's climate does fluctuate and Ice Ages occur. However, there is strong evidence that the current trend of global warming is mostly caused by humans, because of all the dead dinosaurs we've been burning into the atmosphere. The evidence is compelling and abundant, as a UN body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said:

"Scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal. Taken as a whole, the range of published evidence indicates that the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase over time."

Things are hotting up

In a nutshell, what's happening is we're trapping a lot of extra heat inside the atmosphere because of the increased amount of greenhouse gases being produced as a result of human activity. This is bad. It causes rises in global temperature, shrinking ice sheets, ocean acidification and sea-level increases, amongst other things, such as more severe weather conditions. Intense hurricanes that cause mass devastation, for one, will become more frequent over time.

Temperature's rising

Earth's average temperature has increased approximately 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century, which is primarily attributed to emissions resulting from human exploits. Most of the warming has happened since the 1980s onward. The world is warming up, of that there is no doubt.

Water issues

Impacts of climate change on water

It is safe to say that there are many negative consequences of climate change. One of the main issues with climate change is that it has an impact on the water cycle . It changes rain patterns, causes floods, water shortages, as well as the ominous sounding ' Megadroughts .'

The UN reports that by 2050, as much as 5 billion people could be struggling with water shortages. That means half of the planet's population, at that point, will have difficulties with gaining access to fresh water.

A study led by NASA also points out that a lot of the world's fresh water supplies are being used up at a faster pace then they are being replenished.

Impending water crises

Israel is no stranger to this issue, they always seem to be in the jaws of a severe water crisis . They have had to become experts in water management, including using sophisticated techniques like 'desalination', which is turning seawater into potable water, of which they happen to be one of the leading exponents. But Israel's role in water-related issues will be discussed more farther down in the post.

Food issues

It all comes down to food

Connected to the above issues, the lowest common denominator, is that of food production. The agricultural industry gets dealt a harsh blow of adversity when climate change and water shortages occur. It turns out that floods and droughts are generally very bad for crops and livestock. Unless you can find a cow snorkel kit, that is.

A huge boost in food output required

It is estimated that food production will need to increase by 69% by the year 2050 in order to supply the expanding population with adequate sustenance.
We can't make food if we don't have water, and we're going to need a lot more food.

It is clear to see all of these systems are linked and that changes and disruption in one causes dangerous and negative effects in the others. And there is something that underpins it all. Something that exacerbates these issues, and in some way could even be said to be the primary cause. I'm talking about overpopulation, and that's what I'll come onto next.

Overpopulation

10 billion people by 2050

At the time of writing the world's population is approximately 7.6 billion, according to population.io. A UN report from 2017 estimates that by 2050 the population on our planet will be 9.8 billion. That's more than 2 billion extra mouths to feed. And that by 2100 it will be 11.2 billion. Some scientists even claim that 10 billion is the upper threshold of what Earth could actually sustain, after that we are at a level where people get so hungry, we go full zombie apocalypse.

I know what date I'm going to die

I don't think I'll get to see the year 2100 anyway, with its futuristic flying cars and mutant designer babies that grow to be 10 feet tall and have Herculean physiques, and its zombie apocalypses, because according to population.io I only have just under 58 years left to live:

For one thing, I'll be wrapping myself in bubble wrap and hiding in a basement on the 19th October 2076, in a vain attempt to avoid some Final Destination type prophecy (gulp).

But I'm using this calculator to make a more serious point. That so many in the world don't have anything close to a life expectancy of 86 years.
1 in 7 people in the world, already suffer from chronic undernourishment in the world, and 45% of deaths in children under five, 3.1 million, is the result of poor nutrition.
The likelihood is that this will only get worse, as population increase, without some significant improvements.

In this section the aim was just to highlight a number of issues, and set the scene of the challenges we're facing, and will be facing in future. Ag-tech is obviously not a silver bullet to solve everything. But it can help deal with problems of climate change as well as food and water shortages, by being more efficient, producing more, and wasting less. This will be further addressed in the Ag-Tech section of this post.

SECTION 4: The Ag-Tech Revolution

The first Agricultural Revolution

Humans step it up

And by all accounts, it was a game-changer. The crazy thing is that even today:

This new-found wealth, the surplus in food and the increased reliability of its production certainly led to population explosions, and it is debated as to whether it enabled more leisure time or just resulted in 'pampered elites'. But it could be argued, from one standpoint, that the agricultural revolution is partly responsible for the current size of the population, and how quickly and expansively humans have grown.

Population explosion

As Harari states, one thing was certain:

Most farmers lived in permanent settlements, and still do. This gave rise to civilisations that could live in one area, usually near a river, and make a lot of food to support bigger populations. This invariably gave rise to more people, working together, with more ideas, and ultimately meant that technology could be invented and improved at a faster pace.

The birth of civilisation

"The alluvial lowlands of Mesopotamia, fed by the Tigris and Euphrates, provided the basis for civilization itself - for it was in this region that the first towns and cities took shape. Systematised agriculture developed in Mesopotamia and across the whole of the ' Fertile Crescent ', a band of highly productive land with access to plentiful water, stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean coast."

A brave new farming world

Farmers were forced to use their imagination and ingenuity because rather than thinking in mere hours and days, like hunter-gatherers, they now had to start thinking and preparing in months and years.

Brushing over a few major empires this all eventually segued into the Industrial Revolution a few thousand years later, which paved the way for the digital revolution, and the hi-tech environment we find ourselves in today. It is this new highly digital, connected, data-driven world that will provide the ingredients for the Ag-Tech revolution.

Ag-Tech revolution clarification

Whether it is or is not a dictionary definition of revolution is not relevant here. I'm using the phrase 'Ag-Tech revolution' as a shorthand for the global effort and innovation that will be required to advance the agricultural industry, through new technology, to help offset some of the issues outlined earlier. The semantics of this phrase is not the linchpin of this argument.

Israel, it seems, is already spearheading this revolution, as you'll find out in the following section.

SECTION 5: Israel the Start-up Nation

A Start-up Nation primer

In this section I'll be explaining in more detail why Israel is uniquely positioned to lead the 'Ag-Tech revolution', and will be going into the reasons why this state has a desirable set-up due to its history of technology and innovation.

It is important to paint the picture of Israel as a start-up nation, and its global status in the realm of technology, in order to show why it's equipped to be a leader in the Ag-Tech industry far into the future.

How Israel became a startup nation

For a brief moment, let's go back in time to the mid 1980s. Perms and shoulder pads are all the rage, Madonna is topping the charts, Sylvester Stallone is exploding onto cinemas screens as John Rambo, and a few people are starting to catch onto this little thing called the Internet. I wasn't there, but it sounds like it was kind of fun.

Israel laid a foundation

Something less well-known about that decade, however, is that the Israeli government was laying foundations for their country to become a technological powerhouse. In the mid 1980s Shimon Peres (President at the time) readjusted Israel's trajectory and set them on a path to their current innovative and technological landscape they have today. On the back of Israel having 400% inflation per year, and being in an economic crisis, President Peres understood that technology was one industry that could lead to rapid and significant growth.

Israel's ecosystem

Yonatan Adiri, former CTO to President Peres explains that:

Forward thinking

It was pretty smart what they did, Yozma , a government initiative, effectively created Israel's venture-capital sector through a scheme that offered tax incentives to investors and entrepreneurs.

It is an amazing story of rapid progression. As Adiri also points out:

Israeli identity

This, I think, says something about the identity of the Israeli people. It highlights that throughout their relatively short history as a country they have, from the start, had an entrepreneurial disposition rooted in research and backed by strategic, long-term visions for improvement.

Technological Cluster: The Start-up Nation in more detail

A detailed study of Israel's tech background

Something to bear in mind

This report is of more historical importance and offers explanations on why Israel became a technology cluster in the later stages of the 20th century. The study was published in 2002, and generally provides information of events and statistics from the 1960s - 2001. Therefore should be viewed primarily as historical background setting the scene, rather than direct explanations of anything that has happened post-publication.

The study gives further objective detail and depth about the factors that built up Israel's technological cluster, and gave rise to their commonly stated moniker 'Start-up nation', which refers to the high amount of companies that are founded there. Israel, in fact, frequently holds the status of the country with the most amount of start-ups per capita.

Silicon Wadi

Israel is affectionally known as 'Silicon Wadi'. A nickname inspired by the Americans' own Silicon Valley, so called because of the pervasiveness of computing start-ups and companies in that area of California, with silicon being one of the main constituents of microchips, a core component inside computers. 'Wadi' is used in Hebrew and Arabic to mean 'Valley'.

What is a cluster?

Firstly, we can think of the process and result of Israel becoming a 'start-up nation' using a more technical term: 'cluster'.

Israel's tech boom

"In 2000, near the peak of the high-tech boom, Israel had more than 2000 high-tech firms and new ones were forming at the rate of about 500 start-ups per year."

History leading to take-off

The roots of Israel's technology cluster stem back to the 1960s, when a few big companies, particularly one called Elron Electronics, began to spawn and drive innovation and the technology industry forward. Toward the end of the 60s and into the 70s there was a military push for advanced tech, borne out of wanting an advantage over surrounding countries, amongst other reasons. Israel turned out to be rather successful in this domain, and eventually the inventions and breakthroughs started to feed into the commercial sector. Computing was a strong focus for the military and they established a centralised computer centre that housed a Philco Transac 2000 mainframe, 'one of the earliest transistor-based computers available outside the defense establishments in the USA, USSR and UK.' This worked out extremely well for Israel because, over time, hardware started to become a lot cheaper and the most valuable asset became software, an area which the resource-restricted Israel could excel. This was because software was dependent on people over machines, hard work and pioneering technical expertise over how much money you had for equipment. Throughout the 1980s Israeli software companies started to find their feet and get some traction on the global scene. Incredibly, in just seven years, from 1984 -1991, software exports jumped from a modest $5 million to a staggering $110 million. A drop in the ocean in relation to the wider market, but a healthy boost for Israel.

The military influence

The military was, and still is, a key organisation for developing scientific and engineering talent, with technical programs in science and engineering formulated for the cream of the crop talent to be nurtured. Historically the military has been the most prominent originator of ICT insights, playing a leading role in certain areas of research such as cryptography. There is no doubt that conflicts Israel has been embroiled in has been a significant driver of the innovation achieved by the military.

The Israeli military is different to many other countries with regards to hierarchy, having a relatively flat leadership culture. This encourages lower-ranked personnel to step forward and take leadership roles on projects. Even at a young age they are expected to take on serious responsibilities, with an emphasis placed on working hard and going to great lengths to complete tasks quickly. It is an environment that is extremely challenging but relatively informal. Recruits have to adapt quickly whilst being encouraged to foster and implement ideas as part of dynamic teams. These conditions have been said to be similar to how employees and entrepreneurs operate in a startup company. The emphasis is always on getting a working solution rather than a perfectly finished product, and in these ways, and many others, Israeli's are given an entrepreneurial type experience as part of a large organisation from a young age.

R&D in military is directly beneficial to the commercial market

Another way Israel's technology industry has benefited from the way its military operates is that it is not strict with intellectual property, and allows former personnel to work on things closely associated to their military projects. This means products and services can enter the commercial market based on military R&D, which in most cases the military wouldn't have been well positioned to release. This is an incentive for the teams that work on such endeavours, as it's easier to extend something they're already familiar with, something they know already works.

Influx of smart immigrants

Since its inception, waves of immigrants have entered the country, hugely benefiting Israel's technology industry with their contributions. In particular, a large number of ex-Soviets arrived in the country at the end of the 1980s, many of whom were engineers and scientist and brought with them a wealth of knowledge and experience in subjects such as mathematics. The USSR being well-known for its prowess in such disciplines. Indeed, ' they helped fuel the technology boom of the late 1990s, as their innovations and technical skills assisted both startups and established firms (Kaplan, 1998).' This contributed to Israel having a large amount of scientists and engineers per capita, as well as having a wealth of human capital at their disposal that could aid in engineering development and activities.

Emergence of a venture capital infrastructure

In the mid 1980s venture capital firms began to emerge in Israel. The first one, Athena, started with just $29 million. With some hefty incentives from the government, in an attempt to encourage more investment, the amount of funds grew to 35 by 1996, with approximately half a billion dollars in investments they were involved in. This sharply increased again, and by the year 2000 there was over 100 funds and the portfolios added up to a grand total of $7.3 billion. Not too shabby.

The government also had a number of other programmes that helped Israel's technology industry and economy swell. Offering incentives to multinationals, reductions in corporate tax, and the establishment of 'incubators' to assist entrepreneurs, particularly those that had hailed from the Soviet Union.

The 1990s: the transition to a cluster

It was in the 1990s when Israel really began to rise to prominence and garner attention and recognition as a developing industrial cluster within the sphere of technology. The rest of the world and its media (such as Forbes) began to take note and publish articles about the "Start-up Nation" the "High-Tech Miracle In The Desert". This recognition along with some company success stories led to what is known as the reputation effect, one of the attributes that signifies a cluster. What followed was a period of significant growth. And towards the end of the 90s successful ICT firms were being churned out at a frequency of about 10-20 per year, compared to just one-two at the start of the decade.

The nature of Israeli entrepreneurship

Amongst the accelerated growth, the government incentives, and military ignited innovation, there was a certain attitude that was cultivated in the fabric of Israeli entrepreneurship that is still prevalent in more recent times. As captured in this quote by the Israeli entrepreneur Eynat Guez :

" The Israeli emphasis is on ideas, speed and rollout. If that means the innovations are slightly unformed, so be it. If that means some entrepreneurs crash and burn, no problem."

This again reinforces the idea that there is a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit, in the present day, that reinforces the idea of action, of getting things done, of experimenting and not fearing failure.

Multinationals

As briefly mentioned above Israel have put in place programmes and incentives to attract multinationals. Huge companies have operations in Israel including, but not limited to, R&D centres. We're talking about the likes of Google, Facebook and IBM. It is not a fad, either. It is something that is expanding and growing.

Israel continues to expand

Israel did not go stagnant after the major surge that occurred throughout the 1990s. Below are some statistics highlighting how Israel's tech industry is performing in more recent times and how it is still looking good for the future.

Strong growth

SECTION 6: Israel's Ag-Tech landscape
A brief history of agriculture in Israel
In this part of the post I'll be surveying the Ag-Tech world of Israel, giving a brief history of agriculture in the country and how it has always been a hotbed for innovation. Then onto the strength of Ag-Tech research in Israel and finish up by outlining some issues that could hinder Israel's progress as a leader of Ag-Tech.

Israel, since it was established in 1948, has always been agriculturally innovative. It has had to be. "Necessity is the mother of invention", as the phrase goes. Israel's land, at that time, was mostly arable and with scarce water . Since then, the country has managed to vastly increase the amount of land that can be used for crops. This was all connected to the , which was a communal settlement based around agriculture. It gave Israeli's the opportunity to own land and become farmers in a protected environment.

People who know to make hay while the sun shines

Around the time the country was founded more than a third of Jewish resident in Palestine had Malaria. They changed the flow of water to interrupt the mosquitos' breeding and reduce their numbers. Less than 20 years after Israel was formed it was officially declared malaria free, as a result of their efforts. This is just one example of the Israeli's ingenuity and determination in unfavourable conditions.

Faced with such poor land for farming they set about work, coming up with ingenious ways to make it fertile, draining the swamps, creating irrigation systems and managing to transform desert land into fields of crops. They managed to boost Israel's cultivated land area by a factor of 2.6.

Since the beginning then, agriculture was a big part of Israeli identity, purchasing and developing land that was for the most part deemed to be 'unusable'.

Agricultural research in Israel

Assisting Israel's farmers to solve various problems.

Planning and executing research and development on new and strategic agriculture and food science subjects.

Organizing and implementing agricultural research in Israel.

The main roles of the ARO are:

There are also prominent universities such as The Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem , and Tel Aviv University , that participate in agricultural research. And this ecosystem of research centres, academic institutions and commercial R&D initiatives mean that Israel can continue to be a leader in world-class Ag-Tech research.

The Ag-Tech boom in israel

The Ag-Tech landscape in Israel has been developing strongly and at a rapid pace. It is an area in which Israel can excel and it is something that politicians can use as a driving force for economic growth and national pride, as seen in this impassioned presentation at the Aipac Policy Conference by Benjamin Netanyahu:

This sort of enthusiasm coming from notable public figures can only encourage and inspire more innovation in this industry.

Israel's Ag-Tech UN mission - 2015

Israel is at he forefront of Ag-Tech, and is asserting leadership in many aspects, not only with its technology, but politically also. In 2017 the Israel news site nocamels reported that:

" An Israeli resolution focused on using agriculture technology for sustainable development was approved this week at United Nations Second Committee, also known as the Economic and Financial Committee, by 141 countries and co-sponsored by 117 of them. It was the highest number of co-sponsors to date for any Israeli resolution, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement . Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said "Israel is proud to work with our friends around the world in promoting cutting-edge solutions to some of the world's oldest agricultural challenges. This is an issue that should bring all of us together."

Danon has also been quoted as saying, at another conference in 2015:

"Today's resolution is not only about agricultural technology. It is about improving the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across the developing world."

Israel a world-leader in Ag-Tech

These factors make it even more astonishing that Israel is a world-leader in Ag-Tech.

Israel home to many Ag-Tech startups

In 2018 Israel was home to around 530 Ag-Tech companies. 58% of these companies were founded at least a decade earlier. As of 2018 then, the Ag-Tech ecosystem in Israel was still in its infancy. But these Israeli companies are prominent on the world stage. In 2017 Israeli Ag-Tech startups accounted for 7% of all transactions in partnership deals.
Most important Ag-Tech industry outside US
This trend looks set to continue as Israel is was ranked #2 by the Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report, and is consistently ranked among the top two or three most important startup ecosystems in the world.

But in the next section, when we consider Israel in relation to the rest of the world in Ag-Tech, it could be the case that Israel is actually most important centre for Ag-Tech, at least for the well-being as the planet as a whole.

Internal issues for Israel's tech scene to contend with

In this part I highlight issues that could impact Israel's Ag-tech progression internally. There are, of course, myriad issues that can slow-down and damage innovation efforts, but I have picked some examples to outline the kinds of issues that could hamper Israel's development.

Disconnect between hi-tech and most Israeli people

Elitism bad for business

Limited talent pool

Israel has a relatively small pool of people to begin with, the population being approximately 8.5 million, without all the barriers to entry that exist. This elitism creates a very real problem for Israel's tech industry.

Zooming out

Israel as a Scale-up Nation

Scale-up Nation what now?

One of the issues surrounding Israel's startup scene is that most often the businesses are acquired by bigger companies outside of the country, and so whatever innovation, product or service was being produced is removed. In this way most of Israeli startups become fixated on 'the exit', on the buyout in which the founders and investors make a return. So the question has been asked whether Israel can be come a scale-up nation? That is to say that they can start and grow a company in a sustainable manner, and keep it inside Israel's borders.

Is it going to fail before it even really begins?

Some analyst are concerned that the startup nation is already declining, and so the Scale-Up Nation has no chance of success:
Israel-Palestine conflict
"Of the almost 100 Israeli companies publicly traded on Nasdaq (the majority of which are technology firms), only a handful have successfully grown valuation year over year, allowing them to deliver significant return on investment for their investors. One reason for this, I believe, is that the company does not possess the vision to set forth a clear mission as well as the know-how to execute that vision." Matthew Krieger, for the Jerusalem Post.

It almost goes without saying that the on-going issues and conflicts with Palestine are more than enough to derail Israel's progress in various ways. The complexity of that situation is too vast to discuss in any detail as it would be beyond the scope of this post. It is safe to say however, this could be one of the biggest threats to progress and sustainable innovation in not just Ag-Tech, but the technology industry as a whole. Here's a crash course video on the conflict if you're interested to know more:

SECTION 7: Israel Ag-Tech and The Rest Of The World

Israel in relation to the global scene

This is where things get interesting. Here I look the ways in which Israel's Ag-Tech industry interfaces with other countries around the world. This is key for two main reasons in relation to the present analysis. Firstly it is important because in a symbiotic way it exchanges innovation and development. It passes on innovation and learns from innovation, and in this way is involved in the progression of the industry as a whole in a global sense. The second reason is that the relations it has with other countries and its geographic location is significant as it becomes a political and economical bridge, in particular between the East and the West. Something that is crucial for the future of Ag-Tech.

China

Trend of increasing ties between China and Israel

In the decade preceding 2018 there was a steady increase in cooperation between Israel and China with regards to technology. It is something that both countries want to continue to strengthen.

As of 2014 China and Israel have been partnered in an intergovernmental committee. The aim of this collaboration is to enhance technological development for both parties. So there has been a serious commitment to establish stronger ties with each other and encourage innovation through an official partnership.

Avi Luvton, director of Asia Pacific Operations at the Israeli Innovation Authority has been quoted saying that China is powerful with regards to its population size and technology, and that:

"China is one of the most important and strategic countries that we would like to cooperate with,"

Boost in Chinese investment in Israel

All of this is being translated into action, as in 2016 the amount transacted between the two countries was in excess of $11 billion, this put China in third spot on Israel's list of biggest trading partners.

This is off the back of two previous years of increased Chinese investment in Israel tech startups. And, also in 2018, China Minsheng Financial ploughed $100 into an Israeli trading company, eToro, which infuses a large social aspect into its platform, enabling traders to follow each other and replicate trades. These are all signs of what has been happening and what is to come.

The Israel innovation summit

The Innovation Summit held in Israel in October 2018 was a very important event for a number of reasons, but one being that it was the first time in a decade a senior Chinese government official had made an official visit to Israel.

Omer Dostri, an expert on Israeli foreign policy said this:

Jack Ma, chairman and founder of the huge Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba, was also in attendance at the Innovation Summit. He went on record to say:

Reading into the subtext, it is evident that Chinese investors and CEOs see great potential in Israel and understand the country is, and will be, a big part of China's growth strategy.

Examples of projects

Joint Ag-Tech Incubator

In 2014 Israel and China joined together to create an Ag-Tech incubator in Anhui Province, China. One of the key purposes of the incubator was to 'expand applications of Israel's advanced technologies in China'.

Israel and China Strike $300m Deal to Bring Agtech East

A huge boost to Israel-China relations occured in 2017. The two countries penned a $300 trade agreement. The aim was to increase environmentally-friendliness and agricultural exports from Israel to China. It was a way China could tap into the insights and expertise that Israel had learnt in these fields.

The US

US-Israel relations

For some time Israel have had strong and important relations with America . It is no secret America is a technological powerhouse, and Ag-Tech is no exception. Israel invested more than $150 billion over a five year period between 2010 - 2015 in American companies. And, many important agreements and deals have been struck between the two nations to aid mutual development in areas such as technology, enterprise and security. So, without any doubt Israel-US relations are of vital importance to both countries. But, in light of recent developments with China, these relations could be in some jeopardy, or at the least, could come under some pressure and cause political tension. The financial might and technical prowess of the US is something that makes the strategic partnership essential for the progression of Israel's Ag-Tech sector and technology industry as a whole.

Trump pressure

Donald Trump has been exerting pressure on Israel over its relations with China, with the background being that America and China have been embroiled in a trade war. Historically Israel's tech industry has been heavily reliant on American investors, but this could be put on ice with the US president's battles with China.

"Israel is just one of many moves the U.S. government is taking to pressure its allies not to use China's technology over concerns for national security," said Wang Dong, an international relations professor at Peking University and secretary general of the Pangoal Institution, a Beijing-based research group. "China and Israel have very good bilateral relations and I don't think that should be politicized.

Political games?

It is difficult to know the extent to which these are just political games, designed to scare Israel into slowing or ceasing partnerships with China, not wanting their own power and influenced to be diminished or reduced at the expense of China's increasing.

Israel Will Have to Choose Between America and China

There has been pressure from the US with regards to Israel's growing relationship with China. Some commentators have began to declare that ultimately Israel, at some point, will have to pick one way or the other. To clearly show where its loyalties lie and which super power, America or China, it will want the strongest partnership with.

Israel could benefit from the US-China beef

It has also been noted though, that these murmurs may be getting blown out of proportion, and that actually Israel could benefit from the tensions between the US and China, in some scenarios. Shmulik Zysman, managing partner at Zysman, Aharoni, Gayer & Company, which co-sponsored the fundraising survey with IVC, said he believed that the trade war would benefits Israel's technology sector.

"When [the United States and China] are quarrelling, Israeli companies are the ones that profit. Israeli high-tech companies have become the indirect route of Americans to China, and of the Chinese to the United States," he said.

And, ironically, it could end up having a wider advantages for the planet in general as Israel becomes an interface between the US and China.

Israel and developing Ag-Tech industries

Israel is already helping the world through Ag-Tech

Israel has become and important benefactor for other countries who have farming difficulties due to droughts, arid conditions or other climate-based factors. It offers important insights and technology, setting up partnerships and schemes to improve agriculture industries around the world. Although there are many, such as countries in Latin America, I will use Africa and India for purpose of illustration.

Africa

Israel can have great impact on Africa

It is important to note that Africa suffers some of the worst effects in the world of the issues discussed in this post. Just as a single example:

" Africa has the second largest number of undernourished, after Asia who has 512 million people facing hunger. This is largely due to the vast population size of Asia: 4.4 billion versus 1.2 billion in Africa."

Projects in which agriculture technology is exported to Africa, and ones involving farming improvements learned in Israel are especially poignant, as often, on a lot of metrics Africa are at a disadvantage. In this part I will detail some of the ways in which this relationship is forming.

Agricultural conference held in Israel

2016 saw the inaugural Israeli-African summit for agriculture. The conference was titled " Enhancing Sustainable Agricultural Productivity in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions'. Quite a mouthful. As the wording suggests the conference was based around Israel teaching the African officials, of which 13 attended, about technology produced in Israel to deal with certain unfavourable, climatic farming conditions. It also served a higher purpose of forging political and economic ties between Africa and Israel.

New fund utilises Israeli tech to help small farmers in Africa

Ethiopia depends heavily on agriculture, with a few high proportion of its population, 70%, involved in the industry. The country is still overwhelmingly poor however, with estimates purporting the figure to be 30% of the population are classified as in poverty.

Irrigation hugely improves production for Ethiopian farmers. Land with an irrigation system can be harvested twice a year rather than once. Without irrigation the problem is that farmers only get a single rainy season in the summer months, which has been increasingly impacted by irregular rain patterns due to climate change.

Israel Ag-Tech exported to Africa

In some cases African countries have a reliable water supply, but what they lack are the means to get it where it is required. And so it becomes a water management problem, as opposed to one of scarcity. Israel, being based on a lot of desert land, has faced and solved similar issues. And so in 2015 A frican farmers and residents went to Tel Aviv to be educated in water management concepts and practises. One of the things the Israeli farmers taught was a technique called drip irrigation. Ovadia Keidar explained the process as such:

One of the African farmers, Sylvanus Malungo was commented as saying the insights he had gained in Israel would enable him to increase food production in his home country of Angola.

India

Agriculture is kind of a huge deal in India

India is another geography that Israel have been extending a helping hand from Israel. It is a country that could certainly benefit from extra innovation considering how large the industry is there, nearly 58% of the population have agriculture as their main employment source. The reason India is forming connections with Israel is because the government is focusing a large amount of capital on projects to expand the industry and ultimately boost exports. Israel's role is to help with the implementation of technology in their efforts, something they are vastly more experienced at, with literally hundreds of startups ready to be involved in such programs both nationally and internationally. Finding ways to combat and offset the negative effects of unpredictable and adverse weather that impacts production, is just one of the areas Israeli companies can bring value.

Israel PM establishing new partnership with India

"Both sides are working together on a Five Year Joint Work Plan for strategic cooperation in agriculture and water"

Israel-India Action Plan

Israel can help with water issues in India

Israel have also helped many cities in India with water management issues, as they frequently face problems around clean, fresh water for drinking as well as water for irrigation. Techniques brought in by Israel helped Indian farmers adopt the latest innovations at affordable prices. Being a world leader in water management Israel were able to show farmers how to recycle wastewater for use in agriculture, and introduced drip irrigation which helps farmers in developing countries to decrease water wastage.

SECTION 8: Conclusion

So then, it seems that Israel has a mission, a responsibility, not just to use technology to improve agriculture for its own population, but to lead the way and be a global innovator and pioneer, to help the world with the potential impending overcrowding crisis.

Zooming out a little from Ag-Tech, the wider issue is that of Israel having to mature in to a 'scale-up' nation. In this way it will benefit its local citizens more than it may have done in some ways previously. This maturation will help its cause in continuing to be an attractive nation to invest in.

What I really mean, then, when I saw we need an 'Ag-Tech revolution', is not that we need one over-arching revolution, one silver bullet that will solve everything. But, instead, we require a series of revolutions, particularly in countries most in need of Ag-Tech innovation. A series of revolutions, in which the solutions and technology required to achieve them are tailored specifically to their a unique set of local needs and challenges. Because the advancement required is far greater from what current projections say the world is capable of in the next 5-10 years. I think Israel will be, should be, at the forefront, providing valuable, hard-won, technical expertise and knowledge to help in adverse conditions against some of the biggest issues we'll all be facing. They will of course need the cooperation and support of bigger nations, and to balance their own internal issues in order to have a steady platform from which to launch the Ag-Tech revolution.

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The Agricultural Technology Revolution and how Israel are uniquely positioned to lead it | Pixel Kicks

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SECTION 2: A definition of Ag-Tech SECTION 3: Global Issues SECTION 4: The Ag-Tech Revolution SECTION 5: Israel the 'Start-up Nation' SECTION 6: Israel's Ag-Tech landscape SECTION 7: Israel Ag-Tech and The Rest Of The World SECTION 8: Conclusion There are a number of key global issues that are likely to get increasingly worse before they get better.

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Hasta hace unos cuantos años, la agricultura en México se limitaba a la forma de riego tradicional, es decir que los ciclos de agricultura se adaptaban a las distintas estaciones del año y a lo que el medio ambiente les ofrecía. Dependiendo de la cantidad de lluvia era la hortaliza que se sembraba, y aunque efectivamente se puede lograr una buena cosecha al depender solamente del clima, con este método se corre siempre el riesgo de que ocurra una variación en la temporada, lo que afectaría seriamente cualquier cultivo.

Poco a poco, con el pasar del tiempo, en nuestro país se comenzó a aprovechar de manera eficiente los recursos acuíferos usando la tecnología necesaria para saber cuándo, cómo y cuánto regar. A esto se le llama "riego tecnificado" o "tecnificación de riego". Este progreso permite aplicar el líquido de forma localizada y de manera oportuna, además de que hay un sistema de riego distinto para cada tipo de suelo o condiciones topográficas.

En esta ocasión te contaremos sobre los distintos métodos de riego agrícola, entrando más a detalle en el sistema más eficiente y moderno: el riego por goteo.

Los sistemas de riego no sólo mejoran la producción en regiones difíciles, como zonas semi-áridas o secas, sino que también tienen ventajas ambientales, pues se suministra la cantidad de agua necesaria a los cultivos minimizando el desperdicio. También con ellos se ahorra tiempo, porque el riego tecnificado puede cumplir con diversas tareas en pocos jornales, como regar, fertilizar, controlar plagas, combatir enfermedades, etc.

En nuestro país, aproximadamente 22 millones de hectáreas agrícolas se siembran cada año, pero sólo 6.5 millones cuentan con algún tipo de sistema de riego. Y aunque esta cantidad sea pequeña, las hectáreas que cuentan con riego tecnificado producen más de la mitad de la producción agrícola nacional, pues una hectárea con estas herramientas y métodos puede ser hasta tres veces más productiva que una con riego de temporal.

Según sus características, los tres tipos más importantes de sistemas de riego son los siguientes:

El riego por gravedad tiene distintas formas de implementarse, como el riego por surcos, en el que el agua se transporta a través de canales. Este sistema utiliza la diferencia de altura entre el punto de captación y el área de regadío, lo que permite que el líquido se mueva, como su nombre lo indica, por efecto de la gravedad. Este método tiene una eficiencia de riego de 40-65%, pues no es tan fácil controlar la cantidad de agua utilizada -llegando incluso a desperdiciarse debido a filtraciones o fugas durante la conducción-, además de que la corriente puede transportar patógenos o semillas de maleza.

Como segundo sistema tenemos el riego presurizado, que se divide en dos métodos principales: aspersión y micro aspersión.

La aspersión consiste en simular la precipitación natural, pero controlando tiempo e intensidad. Los aspersores se diseñan para operar de acuerdo a los requerimientos de cada cultivo, con diferentes presiones, espaciamientos y tamaños, humectando no sólo las raíces de la planta, sino también sus hojas y tallos. Su eficiencia de riego es de 80-85% pues aunque es sencillo de controlar, si la presión entre los aspersores es desigual, la distribución de agua puede dejar de ser uniforme.

Por otro lado, la micro aspersión consume aún menos agua pues se aplica como una lluvia fina directamente en la zona radicular de la planta, con un riesgo menor de que propague enfermedades. Aunque su eficiencia es de 85-90%, requiere un poco más de mantenimiento, pues se debe evitar que los pequeños orificios de los micro aspersores se bloqueen.

Por último, el riego por goteo distribuye el líquido gota a gota directamente a las raíces de la planta a través de mangueras o pequeños reservorios. Es el sistema más eficiente en términos de uso de agua, con una eficiencia de 90-95%, debido a que se puede controlar eficazmente la cantidad y el momento del riego, con un peligro mínimo de dispersión de plagas o enfermedades.

Este sistema superior se puede implementar en cultivos de cualquier tamaño, ya sea en campo abierto o cultivos hidropónicos. Resulta ideal para regiones áridas donde escasea el agua, pues ayuda a mantener un nivel constante de humedad en el suelo, evitando la evaporación y asegurando que la planta tenga líquido disponible todo el tiempo, de manera uniforme.

El riego por goteo es muy adaptable, pudiendo complementarse con otras herramientas o sistemas. Por ejemplo, puede ser automatizado mediante sensores de humedad y programas de control de riego para aumentar el rendimiento, o combinarse con fertilizantes o nutrientes para implementar en los campos, llevando a cabo la fertirrigación.

En cuanto al medio ambiente, el riego por goteo evita la contaminación de los mantos freáticos, conserva la composición del suelo, y reduce la presencia de malezas no deseadas. Además, si el agua utilizada se extrae de pozos profundos, el uso de electricidad y combustible se reduce.

Para incrementar la productividad de tus cultivos y aprovechar el potencial de tus campos, es vital que te mantengas al tanto sobre las innovaciones que surgen en la tecnología agrícola. Y si accedes a este enlace, podrás revisar nuestro catálogo de variedades para obtener más información sobre ellas, ¡esperamos que este blog te haya sido útil en tu trabajo!
Las recomendaciones en este artículo están basadas en información obtenida de las fuentes citadas y deberán ser usadas como una referencia rápida para información acerca de: https://www.gob.mx/senasica/articulos/existen-diferentes-sistemas-de-riego-en-la-agricultura?idiom=es https://www.gob.mx/firco/articulos/tecnificacion-del-riego-en-el-campo-mexicano?idiom=es https://agua.org.mx/tipos-de-riego/ https://agua.org.mx/actualidad/tipos-riego-disponibilidad-del-agua/ http://hidroponia.mx/cual-es-la-importancia-del-riego-por-goteo/ https://www.intagri.com/articulos/cereales/introduccion-al-cultivo-de-maiz-en-riego-por-goteo Imágenes obtenidas de lo siguientes sitios de internet, por orden: http://rockymountaincompost.com/drip-irrigation-2/ http://www.infocampo.com.ar/riego-por-goteo-propuestas-y-beneficios-de-armar-un-sistema-propio/ El contenido de este artículo no debe ser sustituido por la opinión profesional de un productor, cultivador, agrónomo, especialista en fitopatología, y profesiones similares relacionadas con este cultivo específico.

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Innovación en el riego tecnificado: Riego por goteo | Seminis

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Si un productor desea incrementar la producción de sus cultivos, debe conocer las innovaciones que van surgiendo en la tecnología agrícola. En este blog revisaremos los distintos tipos de riego que se utilizan en México, detallando las características del riego por goteo.

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Mycorrhiza & Biological Inoculants

The symbiotic association known as mycorrhizae has been around for over 450 million years, becoming a fundamental support system that enables most plants to survive and thrive in a terrestrial setting. Mycorrhizal fungi make up over 90% of the living microbial biomass that is present in most soils.

Transplant

Fertilizer Packs

Fertilization at planting with RTI Planter Paks is part of a successful silviculture regime. Properly implemented, using RTI's Planter Paks at the time of planting will eliminate "Transplant Shock" by providing a supplemental source of plant nutrients that are readily available to the seedlings.

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Providing the world with advanced biological inoculants and fertilizer products for over 26 years. RTI is best known as the oldest, most renown producer of pure arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and the first company to produce biodegradable transplant fertilizer packs. RTI produces a variety of transplant fertilizer packs and land regeneration products for forestry, habitat restoration, and mine reclamation projects.

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BBVA está movilizando hasta 100.000 millones de euros para apoyar proyectos u operaciones en los mercados que generen beneficios para el medio ambiente, infraestructuras sostenibles, emprendimiento social e inclusión financiera. Para conseguir financiación sostenible es importante identificar los puntos débiles y fuertes del negocio, investigar las opciones en el mercado y contactar con un asesor especializado, entre otros.

El cambio climático o la transición hacia una economía circular son algunos de los principales desafíos medioambientales del siglo XXI. Si tu empresa tiene un proyecto que persigue estos u otros retos sostenibles, puede tratar de conseguir apoyos por diferentes vías. BBVA movilizará hasta 100.000 millones de euros destinados a financiación sostenible en el periodo 2018-2025. Te contamos qué pasos puedes seguir para conseguir esta financiación verde.

Identifica la capacidad de mejora de tu estrategia de sostenibilidad

El primer paso para alcanzar la financiación sostenible es identificar los puntos débiles del proyecto o en los que existe un margen de mejora. La mayoría de empresas ya están diseñando y ejecutando estrategias de sostenibilidad y son conscientes de que es una dimensión que no puede separarse del negocio. Cada empresa debe implementar una estrategia adaptada a su situación y necesidades en función de su tamaño y sector. Las preguntas que la compañía debe hacerse pueden estar relacionadas con la mitigación y adaptación al cambio climático, el ahorro ambiental de los recursos energéticos, la gestión de los residuos, la transición a una economía circular, la prevención o el control de la contaminación. ¿Cómo pueden las actividades de la empresa ser medioambientalmente sostenibles? ¿Existe alguna forma en la que pueda reducir la huella de carbono? ¿De qué manera puede contribuir a la transición hacia una economía en la que se reutilicen o reciclen más materiales? Una estrategia exitosa debe ser financieramente rentable y por eso, las inversiones que al mismo tiempo mejoran la eficiencia de la empresa y su huella medioambiental, se posicionan mejor a la hora de obtener este tipo de financiación.

Investiga algunas opciones en el mercado

Después es aconsejable investigar las opciones en el mercado. Las entidades financieras suelen ofrecer, por lo general, dos modelos de financiación diferentes. Por un lado, los bonos, que levantan capital de los mercados financieros. Por otro, los préstamos, que son financiación bancaria y que se pueden presentar en diferentes formatos. BBVA apuesta desde hace tiempo por las finanzas verdes. En la actualidad se encuentra entre los cinco primeros bancos europeos con un mayor compromiso en la financiación sostenible, según un informe del World Resources Institute (WRI). De hecho, ofrece un amplio abanico de producto sostenible a los clientes que están interesados en financiar proyectos respetuosos con el medio ambiente: desde préstamos bilaterales a préstamos sindicados, pasando por préstamos sostenibles en formato 'project finance'.

Contacta con un gestor de BBVA

Una vez explorados los puntos en los que se puede mejorar y las opciones en el mercado, es el momento de contactar con un gestor de BBVA que guiará a las empresas en este camino. BBVA ha sido el primer banco en utilizar la analítica de datos para calcular la huella de carbono de las empresas (i). Esto permite a la entidad ofrecer recomendaciones prácticas a sus clientes para que mejoren su eficiencia energética, lo que contribuirá a una reducción de sus gastos y tendrá un impacto positivo en el medioambiente.

Cuéntale con pasión en qué consiste tu proyecto

Para conseguir financiación y captar la atención de inversores o gestores, suele ser recomendable transmitir la pasión que sientes por tu proyecto. También en este caso es aconsejable que le cuentes al gestor de BBVA con el mismo entusiasmo en qué consiste el negocio y cómo podéis avanzar juntos en tu transición ecológica. La presentación tiene que ser creíble y atractiva. Además de presentar un proyecto con un plan de negocio sólido, se trata de mostrar por qué ese proyecto es necesario y qué aporta a la sociedad o qué problema soluciona, especialmente si hablamos de emprendimientos. Del mismo modo, es conveniente resaltar quiénes son los miembros del equipo y qué aporta la formación de cada uno de ellos al proyecto.

"El proceso de financiación fue ágil y sencillo"

Estos pasos los conoce bien la empresa albaceteña El Conchel Original Food, que ha instalado más de 800 paneles fotovoltaicos en los tejados de sus naves. Situada en el municipio de El Ballestero, esta compañía manchega, con larga tradición en la industria alimentaria, se dedica a la elaboración de productos cárnicos fieles a las recetas heredades desde hace más de tres generaciones, y al saber hacer de sus orígenes.

El elevado consumo eléctrico fue el motivo que impulsó a El Conchel Original Food a plantear un proyecto de ahorro económico y energético. "Procedimos al estudio de las opciones disponibles en el mercado para buscar el punto máximo de rentabilidad, evitando entrar en vertidos a red para simplificar tanto la instalación como la gestión", apunta Antonio Cano, CEO de la compañía. Finalmente se decidieron por el autoconsumo fotovoltaico.

Una vez definido el proyecto llegaba el turno de buscar financiación. "Aunque podíamos disponer de los recursos para acometer la inversión, el planteamiento era tratar este proyecto como algo independiente de nuestra actividad y tener siempre visible el retorno de dicha inversión", señala Cano. Esto les llevó a ponerse en contacto con BBVA, donde encontraron una solución adaptada a sus necesidades.

"El proceso fue ágil y sencillo. El proyecto se planteó con la fórmula del renting. Sin desembolso alguno, pusimos en marcha nuestra instalación en un tiempo récord y sin imprevistos", explica el CEO de la empresa manchega. Tras contactar con su gestor de BBVA, El Conchel comprobó la facilidad para avanzar. "Tuvimos a nuestro lado a todas las personas que estaban trabajando en esta línea de negocio, tanto en la parte financiera, como incluso con apoyo técnico".

La instalación se puso en marcha a finales de 2019 y se prevé que al término de 2020 la factura eléctrica se reduzca en un 32%. Con el paso de los años el ahorro aumentará debido al aumento del precio de la electricidad y del IPC. En cuanto al medio ambiente, El Conchel dejará de emitir a la atmósfera 153 toneladas de CO2, que equivale a plantar 6.173 árboles.

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Cómo conseguir financiación sostenible para tu negocio

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BBVA está movilizando hasta 100.000 millones de euros para apoyar proyectos u operaciones en los mercados que generen beneficios para el medio ambiente, infraestructuras sostenibles, emprendimiento social e inclusión financiera. Para conseguir financiación sostenible es importante identificar los puntos débiles y fuertes del negocio, investigar las opciones en el mercado y contactar con un asesor especializado, entre otros.

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Cada vez hay más árboles en el mundo. Como vimos en este artículo, parte del proceso obedece a causas naturales, como el aumento global del CO2 derivado de la contaminación industrial. Pero otra parte sustancial de la creciente prominencia de los bosques del mundo es directamente atribuible al ser humano. A sus proyectos de reforestación. El último gran plan, de espectaculares dimensiones, ha sido el desvelado por el actual gobierno indio: una inversión de más de 6.000 millones de euros para que los árboles pasen de cubrir el actual 21% de la superficie total del país al futuro 33%. Una tarea de dimensiones titánicas.

En un país como la India, cuyos índices de contaminación (en rápida industrialización y con una población de más de mil millones de personas) son tan altos, es una buena noticia. El crecimiento demográfico y económico del país, al igual que en Europa en su momento, se ha realizado a costa del medio ambiente. Dada su escala, el plan es espectacular, pero no es el único de semejantes características en poblar la geografía mundial. Hay otros de igual calado, de semejantes intenciones y de éxito probado. Repasemos cuáles han sido algunos de los proyectos de reforestación más grandes de la historia hasta el momento.

1. La otra muralla china

China tenía un problema: el desierto del Gobi, situado en el norte del país y uno de los más áridos de Asia, estaba ganando terreno a espuertas. Con anterioridad a la creación de la Gran Muralla Verde, en 1978, el Gobi estaba ganando alrededor de 3.000 kilómetros de superficie anual. Para evitarlo, las autoridades decidieron emprender el mayor proyecto de reforestación del mundo: un gigantesco muro de árboles que ponga cerco a los límites del desierto. Gracias al proyecto, y a otros desarrollados en diversos puntos del país, China había logrado replantar unos 500.000 kilómetros cuadrados hasta 2009.

La Gran Muralla Verde no ha estado exenta de críticas: desde su relativa débil resistencia a las tormentas de arena hasta sus preocupantes efectos en la biodiversidad de la región.

2. La recuperación forestal de Filipinas

1.500 millones de árboles en 1.500.000 hectáreas. Ese era el objetivo último del programa nacional de reforestación de Filipinas, introducido por el gobierno asiático en 2011. Durante la década anterior, el archipiélago había perdido masa forestal a un ritmo de 47.000 hectáreas por año. Desde la implantación del programa, uno de los más extensos y notables del mundo, Filipinas no sólo ha recuperado sus árboles perdidos, sino que los ha multiplicado: 240.000 nuevas héctareas de bosques se han regenerado de la mano del plan (que no ha estado exento de críticas y problemas por su selección de especies, exóticas, de rápido crecimiento pero no endógenas).

3. Madagascar: de la nada al todo

Los bosques de Madagascar, la isla nación africana ubicada en pleno Océano Índico, son un vivero de especies naturales. O mejor dicho: habían sido. Los usos extensivos de la tierra, la quema de madera, la tala sistemática y la contaminación han reducido la masa arbórea original de Madagascar al 10%. Desde 2007, sin embargo, la acción de organizaciones no gubernamentales como Eden Projects ha permitido recuperar parte del terreno perdido: se han plantado alrededor de 80 millones de árboles a lo largo de la isla, recuperando parajes, ecosistemas y generando puestos de trabajo locales a través del plan.

4. Corea del Sur y sus árboles de posguerra

La ocupación japonesa durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, la posterior guerra civil y el uso intensivo de la tierra, fundamentalmente para satisfacer las necesidades de una economía aún agrícola, habían dejado a Corea del Sur casi sin bosques. Tras los conflictos, el desarrollo económico y la estabilidad gubernamental, la reforestación recuperó con cierta velocidad la masas forestal del país: a día de hoy alrededor de dos tercios de Corea del Sur son bosques, y desde los cincuenta se han plantado 11.000 millones de árboles. Un esfuerzo de medio siglo que se cuenta entre los más notables de la historia.

5. El resurgir de La Mixteca, en México

La historia arbórea de La Mixteca, en México, se enmarca dentro de las diversas actuaciones del Centro de Desarrollo Integral Campesino, liderado por Jesús León Santos. La región había sufrido una alta degradación del suelo dados los usos económicos (pastoreo), la pobre utilización del terreno y las consecuencias inmediatas de la revolución verde. Antaño cubierta de árboles, aún hoy parece un páramo desértico. Pero no en todas partes. Entre otras actuaciones orientadas a la sostenibilidad de su agricultura, el proyecto ha plantado más de cuatro millón de árboles desde los ochenta (pino y aliso), reverdeciendo el área.

6. 60 millones de árboles para los Apalaches

No sólo la agricultura ha terminado con amplias masas de bosques. También la minería. Los montes Apalaches, en la costa este estadounidense, fueron durante siglos fuente de riqueza minera, contribuyendo a espolear el crecimiento industrial de Estados Unidos gracias a sus amplias reservas de carbón. El precio a pagar fue la degradación de tan especial paraje natural, acabando con miles de bosques. Desde 2005, la Appalachian Region Reforestation Initiative, formada por distintas organizaciones conservacionistas, ha implantado programas de reforestación. El resultado, más de 60 millones de nuevos árboles en apenas 35.000 hectáreas.

7. El muro verde subsahariano

Hablamos de ello en su momento aquí. Inspirados por la experiencia china en el Gobi, un largo número de países subsharianos están decididos a plantar una gigantesca barrera arbórea que frene la grave desertificación del Sahel y que permita a miles de comunidades locales seguir viviendo de su suelo. El muro tendría unos 7.000 kilómetros de largo y unos 20 de ancho, y el proyecto busca promover usos del suelo sostenibles que prevengan al Sáhara de seguir ganando terreno hacia el sur.

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Los 7 proyectos de reforestación más espectaculares de la historia

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Cada vez hay más árboles en el mundo. Como vimos en este artículo, parte del proceso obedece a causas naturales, como el aumento global del CO2 derivado de la contaminación industrial. Pero otra parte sustancial de la creciente prominencia de los bosques del mundo es directamente atribuible al ser humano.

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Tras cinco años de trabajo, los socios del proyecto europeo LIFE+ The Green Deserts (Los Desiertos Verdes), coordinado por la Universidad de Valladolid (UVa), presentan los resultados en una Conferencia Internacional que tiene lugar hoy miércoles y mañana, 18 de junio, en el Palacio de Congresos Conde Ansúrez de Valladolid. El evento coincide con el Día Mundial de la Lucha contra la Desertificación, que se celebra anualmente el 17 de junio.

El proyecto ha conseguido demostrar la eficacia de una innovadora tecnología, denominada Groasis Waterboxx (WB), para la plantación de árboles en zonas desertificadas, pobres o rocosas. Con este sistema, que no necesita riego, se ha logrado un 80 por ciento de supervivencia media de estos árboles frente al entre 5 y 20 por ciento obtenido con los medios tradicionales.

En la presentación de la Jornada han intervenido la directora general de Desarrollo Rural y Política Forestal del Ministerio de Agricultura, Begoña Nieto Gilarte, y el rector de la Universidad de Valladolid, Daniel Miguel San José, quien ha destacado este proyecto internacional cuyo fin último es buscar soluciones para paliar la desertificación y el cambio climático, "un problema especialmente importante para España, en general, y para Castilla y León, en particular, donde existen muchas zonas necesitadas de árboles". El rector ha subrayado que este tipo de iniciativas ponen en valor la investigación, el desarrollo y la innovación que se lleva a cabo desde la Universidad de Valladolid y, concretamente, en el Campus de Palencia.

Por su parte, la directora general Desarrollo Rural y Política Forestal del Ministerio de Agricultura ha hecho hincapié en que la Conferencia Internacional coincide con la celebración del Día Mundial de la Lucha contra la Desertificación, cuyo objetivo es concienciar a la sociedad de la relevancia de este problema. "En España las tierras áridas constituyen un 74 por ciento del total de la superficie y en el mundo se destruyen tres toneladas de suelo fértil por habitante al año", ha incidido.

En la Jornada se han abordado tres temáticas: el desarrollo y los resultados del proyecto Los Desiertos Verdes, el Día Mundial de la Lucha contra la Desertificación y la cooperación con otros proyectos relacionados; mientras que mañana se realizará una visita a las zonas de plantación de árboles en Soto y Matallana, dos de las cinco áreas reforestadas durante el proyecto LIFE+.

Lucha contra la desertificación

El proyecto LIFE+ Los Desiertos Verdes surge en el contexto de las condiciones medioambientales de la Península Ibérica (altas temperaturas, suelos pobres, alta radiación, alta evaporación y pocas precipitaciones), que limitan el éxito de las acciones de reforestación. Sumado a esto, el riego no es una solución viable en la mayoría de zonas mediterráneas. La escasez de agua en la tierra produce estrés hídrico en las plantas, lo cual acelera el proceso de desertificación. Todos estos factores restringen la supervivencia de los plantones o plantas que se utilizan en la reforestación.

En este sentido, el cambio climático supone un gran reto para la agricultura y la selvicultura tanto en países desarrollados como en vías de desarrollo. A nivel nacional, se estima que la desertificación crece un 8 por ciento al año.

El fin último del proyecto europeo ha sido demostrar la viabilidad técnica y económica de la aplicación a gran escala de la tecnología Groasis Waterboxx para que sea implementada como herramienta de reforestación y en la lucha contra los efectos desastrosos del cambio climático. Para ello, se han reforestado áreas de cinco provincias españolas que se caracterizan por incluir en su territorio zonas secas, con diferentes climas, tipos de suelo, usos de tierra y presencia de árboles autóctonos.

Cinco zonas degradadas

Concretamente, los trabajos se han llevado a cabo en la estación de esquí de San Isidro (León) en un área con baja capacidad de retención de agua en la que la nieve está presente durante gran parte del año; en Riofrío de Aliste (Zamora), donde se ha reforestado una mina de pizarra, en una zona que presenta vientos fuertes, un suelo ácido y una sequía extrema en verano; en Matallana (Valladolid), en unos terrenos abandonados, usados como vertederos ilegales y muy difíciles de reforestar por falta de capa vegetal; en San Mateo de Gállego, en Los Monegros (Zaragoza), una zona caracterizada por una desertificación extrema, debido a la escasa precipitación y a sus suelos muy pedregosos y arcillosos; y en Viladecans y Sant Boi de Llobregat (Barcelona), en un área muy inclinada, susceptible a incendios forestales, con un suelo muy pedregoso y con baja capacidad de retención de agua.

En total, se han reforestado 63 hectáreas en un plazo de cinco años (2010-2015) mediante cerca de 28.100 Groasis Waterboxx. Se seleccionaron 25 especies de plantas nativas en función de su aporte a la preservación del paisaje y sus beneficios económicos y ecológicos y se plantaron 56.200 árboles.

El peso de la parte investigadora ha recaído en un equipo de la Escuela de Ingenierías Agrarias de Palencia encabezado por el profesor del Departamento de Ciencias de los Materiales Zacarías Clérigo, aunque también están involucrados científicos del Área de Ingeniería Cartográfica, Geofísica y Fotogrametría y del Departamento de Producción Vegetal.

Como explica Zacarías Clérigo, el equipo no solo se ha encargado del diseño de las áreas de experimentación, la selección de las plantas y la monitorización de las actividades de reforestación, sino que también ha optimizado el sistema. "Hemos mejorado el diseño del prototipo inicial de Groasis Waterboxx, su estructura y también el material, ya que el primero era de plástico (polipropileno) y hemos evolucionado a uno de cartón reciclado que supone un abaratamiento del coste, es biodegradable e inocuo y además aporta nutrientes a estos suelos degradados", apunta.

Control de la supervivencia mediante drones

Para el seguimiento de la tasa de supervivencia de las plantas los investigadores han utilizado drones con sensores optimizados para capturar longitudes de onda del espectro visible y del infrarrojo cercano, lo que ha permitido reducir costes en los muestreos. "Lo que hacemos con los drones es evaluar la cantidad de biomasa que va creciendo y además las cámaras de infrarrojo nos permiten detectar los árboles que tienen ciertas enfermedades y conocer cuáles son", agrega el coordinador del proyecto.

Además de una supervivencia media cercana al 80 por ciento, los investigadores han comprobado que la utilización del Groasis Waterboxx durante el primer año es fundamental para la supervivencia y consolidación del árbol y sus raíces en el subsuelo. También han determinado que es imprescindible utilizar plantones de alta calidad, una correcta gestión de la plantación, además de un mantenimiento adecuado posterior. Asimismo, se ha detectado un aumento de la biodiversidad en las áreas reforestadas durante el proyecto.

A pesar de ser muy efectivo en términos de supervivencia, el Groasis Waterboxx es aún demasiado costoso para ser viable. No obstante, el prototipo de cartón de pulpa biodegradable aparece como una interesante oportunidad para ser producido a gran escala en el futuro y competir realmente como una alternativa a los métodos tradicionales de reforestación.

"En aquellas zonas secas donde es difícil la explotación agraria tradicional y el agua es muy cara, este sistema permite introducir ciertos cultivos que de otra manera sería imposible, como maderas nobles, cultivos de almendro o pistacho, e Incluso se podrían producir hortícolas, como tomates, convirtiéndose en una herramienta fundamental para la agricultura ecológica", señala Clérigo.

Los socios del proyecto han organizado diversas sesiones de capacitación, jornadas técnicas y conferencias, tanto a nivel nacional e internacional, sobre temas como la desertificación, el uso sostenible del suelo, la reforestación y el cambio climático. En esta línea, se han celebrado varios eventos de difusión de información y concienciación con visitas a las plantaciones en las que participaron activamente sectores locales, organizaciones internacionales y voluntarios. Por otro lado, se han realizado varios videos sobre el proyecto y su efecto en la lucha contra la desertificación y el cambio climático

Los datos:

Proyecto: LIFE+ The Green Deserts (LIFE09 ENV/ES/447). New planting techniques for tree cultivation in desertified environments to face climate change.

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Desarrollan novedosa tecnología para la reforestación - Ambientum Portal Lider Medioambiente

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Tras cinco años de trabajo, los socios del proyecto europeo LIFE+ The Green Deserts (Los Desiertos Verdes), coordinado por la Universidad de Valladolid (UVa), presentan los resultados en una Conferencia Internacional que tiene lugar hoy miércoles y mañana, 18 de junio, en el Palacio de Congresos Conde Ansúrez de Valladolid.