Gáldar Town Council has presented AGALDAT (Sustainable Digital Transformation of the Banana-Growing Agricultural Sector in Gáldar), a project supported by a €3.2 million grant to introduce digital technologies into banana production and improve the efficient use of irrigation water.
The initiative has secured funding from the RedCyTI (Smart Economy) programme, run by the public body Red.es and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Its aim is to move towards a more efficient and competitive agricultural model through the use of data, sensors and artificial intelligence.
According to the forecasts presented by the Town Council, the project aims to achieve water savings of between 40% and 60%, an estimate that will need to be validated during implementation.
Artificial intelligence and predictive irrigation
AGALDAT envisages an initial implementation phase on eight banana farms in Gáldar belonging to the Llanos de Sardina and Costa Caleta cooperatives, selected to represent different growing conditions across the municipality.
Soil moisture sensors, weather stations and plant identification systems will be installed on these farms to collect information on crop conditions.
The data will feed a central artificial intelligence platform and a digital twin, with the aim of anticipating plants’ water requirements and adjusting irrigation to actual demand.
The system will also seek to coordinate farms’ water requirements with production and storage at desalination facilities, helping to reduce inefficiencies and supply costs.
Collaboration between the primary sector and the technology ecosystem
The official presentation was attended by the Mayor of Gáldar, Teodoro Sosa, and the First Deputy Mayor, Julio Mateo Castillo, alongside representatives of agricultural cooperatives, public authorities, the university and companies from the innovation ecosystem.
Clúster Agrotech Canarias was represented by Mario Pérez, its project manager. Also taking part were Laura Santiago Aguiar, Vice-President of the Clúster and Chief Executive of Grupo Félix Santiago Melián, and Néstor Santiago Ávila, founder of Fibras Naturales Canarias. Both organisations are linked to the Clúster.
The initiative also involves participation and collaboration from organisations such as the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the Mancomunidad del Norte de Gran Canaria and bodies involved in water management.
AGALDAT is an example of digital technologies being applied to a specific challenge in the Canary Islands’ agricultural sector. Its development will make it possible to assess the potential of these tools to improve irrigation management and generate knowledge that can be applied to other farms in the archipelago.
Source: Gáldar Town Council — AGALDAT and the digitalisation of the banana-growing sector.
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Presentation of the AGALDAT project, led by Gáldar Town Council to modernise the banana-growing sector through artificial intelligence, sensor technology and water management technologies. The initiative has received a €3.2 million grant from the RedCyTI (Smart Economy) programme run by Red.es, co-financed by the ERDF, and aims to improve irrigation efficiency and the competitiveness of farms.
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