Abanilla launches digital irrigation pilot project

The regional government has launched a pilot project to digitalize and technify irrigation in Abanilla, Spain. With a budget of 43,706 euros, the initiative aims to monitor soil and crop behavior in real time to optimize the use of water and fertilizers.

The project specifically targets the El Porvenir irrigation community, which includes approximately 1,100 members managing 1,850 hectares of land dedicated to citrus, olives, vegetables, stone fruits, and almonds. A key objective is to improve the control of agricultural leachates in an area declared vulnerable to nitrate pollution.

Technical installations will include volumetric measurement lysimeters, moisture and conductivity probes, meteorological stations, and flow control systems. Joaquín Buendía, the Minister of Water, Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries, stated that the project moves management away from estimates toward a model based on data and scientific certainty to reduce resource loss.