Netafim/Amanco developed an irrigation system with a brain

Technology has arrived in the countryside and, in recent years, has profoundly transformed the forms and knowledge we had about rural activity. Software and equipment are being developed with intelligence and data storage in the cloud (Big Data), which enables the agile transfer of information collected at the production site to the producer, in real time.

These devices, which are part of what we today call Digital Farming, are capable of detecting, reading and recording a series of information, which can quickly be translated by people or computers, bringing greater convenience, precision and new possibilities in the management of rural production.

In the irrigation sector, the Israeli multinational Netafim/Amanco entered this market once and for all by bringing to Brazil an irrigation system with a brain, capable of offering precise recommendations to the producer, based on databases and dynamic crop models.

The NetBeat software updates everything that has been proposed to date in terms of automation and irrigation control. By eliminating any other type of complementary need, the technology brings together all the necessary functions on a single platform, making the daily lives of producers, managers and operators more agile and efficient.

“On a single screen, the farmer has access to climate information, weather forecast, soil and plant conditions, ongoing irrigation programs, activity calendar, technical recommendations and can program any irrigation or nutri-irrigation process in just a few steps. ”, explains the Digital Farming Manager at Netafim/Amanco, Bruno Toniello.

These functionalities are possible thanks to sensors that capture information in real time, which is processed and analyzed to offer recommendations, as well as automation devices that allow you to control everything through the program installed on desktops, smartphones or tablets.

The irrigation 4.0 platform aims to revolutionize the way producers carry out processes in the field. “NetBeat was developed to bring more convenience, but not only that, the objective is that the farmer can have – based on data and artificial intelligence – greater assertiveness in decision making, generating more profitability, productivity and better management of available resources”, highlights Toniello.

Combined with the drip irrigation system, the technology allows optimizing the use of water on the farm, as the platform indicates the correct period and quantity for each application. This factor also applies to other needs, such as electricity and inputs, which are also only activated according to the plants' needs.

Digital Farming technology also demonstrates more effectiveness by allowing the irrigation project to be segmented by plots, helping to ensure the precision with which all resources are used. “The system is divided into several projects, so for example, if only a portion of the crop is showing a greater need for water and nutrients, the operator can program irrigation for that specific project”, adds the Manager. “In this way, we are optimizing and ensuring that the plants develop properly, to express their full productive potential”, he concludes.

Innovation also meets the frequent needs of the countryside, to verticalize food production. According to projections by the United Nations (UN), the world population is expected to reach 9 billion people by 2050, which means an inevitable increase in demand for food, water and electricity. This means that rural producers, especially in Brazil, will need to be increasingly efficient and sustainable to promote an increase in supply, combined with good management of natural resources.