Inkoa Engineering Systems will lead the European Ecolture project, within the remit of the first Call by the European Commission in the Eco-Innovation programme, the aim of which is to introduce new eco-efficient technologies for intensive crop farming.Today, intensive farming is projected as the most viable solution to the high demand for food and the exigencies of the consumer for high quality and safe products. Nevertheless, intensive farming has brought with it important environmental impacts which has obliged various government bodies to set out legal limits aimed at reducing these negative effects.Thus, the agricultural sector has had to face up to its contaminant activities, such as the dumping of nutrients, the emission of pesticides and waste material, through the application of new eco-innovation technologies and concepts.
In the Ecolture project, Inkoa, in conjunction with National Centre for Microelectronics (CNM-CSIC) and the Barrenetxe Cooperative, aims to launch on to the market an innovative system for the eco-efficient and sustainable management of greenhouses at a European level. The proposed solution involves the introduction of wireless networks of expert sensors and software systems that will enable the integrated and sustainable management of the productive processes in greenhouses. The target of this new system, based on the latest computer and microelectronic technologies, is to promote more sustainable agricultural practices.
The Ecolture project responds to the demand of cleaner and more efficient production processes by means of the following:
- Reducing water consumption by 25-30 per cent in greenhouses through a system of on-line monitoring of irrigation and fertilising and which incorporates microsystems for the chemical detection of specific ions (potassium, nitrate, chlorine and sodium) that enable the direct measurement of the crop parameters without soil.
- Improving the energy efficiency in greenhouses, reducing the consumption by 20-40 per cent, through the precision control of microclimatic conditions (illumination, temperature, humidity, CO2, etc).
- Reducing the quantity of waste and chemical products through the eco-efficient use of external components. The precise supply of nutrients as a function of the demand will enable the reduction by 30-35 per cent in the generation of waste water and by 40-50 per cent in the dumping of waste nutrients and fertilisers into subterranean waters.
The Ecolture project was approved at the first call for nominations by the European Eco-Innovation 2008 – 2013 programme, the aim of which is to promote the environmental and competitive position in Europe, supporting innovative solutions that protect the environment. To this end, the Eco-Innovation programme seeks to support the first applications and the entrance on to the market of innovative technologies and practices.
