TOMATO WATER

The main aim of the project is to develop tools to optimise the way in which water resources are monitored and managed during the course of a single production campaign and at basin level, thus enabling a positive response to the major emergency resulting, for this sector, from the current climate change.

The availability of up-to-date information on water needs, on the one hand, and on availability on the other, can provide farmers, and especially the supply chain as a whole and water resource managers, with a tool to optimise the timing and methods of both water withdrawal and use for irrigation, while also adequately assessing the economic impacts and related costs.

The project aims to develop an advanced analysis tool capable of providing accurate information to support decisions on the use of water for irrigation of processing tomatoes. This will be possible thanks to the integration of remotely sensed data with information provided by the IRRINET model. The tool will make it possible to cross-reference water requirements with water availability, with real-time updates during the growing season.

In parallel, a second analysis tool will be developed, aimed at estimating the economic value generated by the use of water for irrigating processing tomatoes. The analysis will consider the different irrigation areas and the dynamics of the production campaign, offering concrete support for strategic decisions regarding structural investments, such as the construction of reservoirs and dams, in specific irrigation districts.

The resulting analytical and management model will enable a more efficient management of water resources, while helping to ensure the competitiveness of a sector that is crucial to both the regional and national economies.