Water as a precious resource: Smartland project

Water management is currently one of the key sustainability issues. In South Tyrol, water scarcity is more present than ever. Due to 18 months of persistent drought, the outflow of South Tyrolean rivers is close to a historic low. Governor Arno Kompatscher has signed an ordinance calling especially on agriculture to save water.

In our sustainability strategy sustainapple, water management is defined within the action area Nature as a partner. The vision states: A respectful relationship with nature is our legacy. This means that in terms of water use and management we want to remain pioneers. Our concrete target for 2030 is: Water use corresponds exactly to the needs for optimal plant and fruit growth. For agriculture, this means further expanding drip irrigation as well as developing innovations in water treatment and storage. The water circulating in fruit-growing systems and facilities should reach the highest quality.

A concrete example of this vision in sustainapple is the Smartland project. The Laimburg Research Centre, together with the Advisory Service for Fruit and Wine Growing and Alperia, has developed a system that uses high-quality sensors to measure soil moisture in orchards and combines it with current weather and temperature data. The collected data are systematically transmitted and displayed in real time via an app, allowing irrigation to be adjusted according to actual needs. Depending on the initial situation, water savings of 50% or more can be achieved. So far, 141 sensors have been purchased for fruit growing, with another 40 provided by Alperia for testing.