FIGARO was a European research project on water productivity in irrigated agriculture. Its main aim was to cut fresh water use on farms by developing a precision irrigation management platform that is affordable and suits different crops.
The consortium built a platform with a decision-support system (DSS) that tells growers when and how much to irrigate and fertigate. The platform relied on:
- field sensors and weather stations;
- weather forecasts;
- crop models.
Beyond water, the project aimed to save energy and fertiliser and to help farming adapt to a drier climate.
Key facts
| Programme | EU 7th Framework Programme for research (FP7), grant agreement 311903 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1 October 2012 – 30 September 2016 |
| Coordinator | Netafim Ltd (Israel) |
| Consortium | 17 organisations: companies, universities and research centres, FAO and a Greek regional authority (list) |
| Test crops | Tomato, maize, potato, citrus, cotton, vines and table grapes |
| Official record | CORDIS project page |
Vision: why precision irrigation
The project summed up its ambition this way: reduce the fresh water used in irrigated agriculture, for the environment and to help farming adapt to climate change.
The argument behind it:
- Irrigation is the main use of water in southern Europe.
- Population growth, scarcer fresh water, rising energy prices and climate change all increase the pressure on it, and push environmental and farm policies to change.
- Every cubic metre pumped also has an energy cost.
Precision irrigation means giving each field the water it needs, when it needs it, based on measurements and forecasts rather than habit. FIGARO wanted to give growers a tool that lowers water, energy and fertiliser use while keeping yields as high as possible, and that helps them meet water regulations.
Objectives and expected beneficiaries
The central objective was to significantly reduce fresh water use at farm level with an affordable precision irrigation management platform.
The platform combines:
- real-time data from field sensors;
- satellite data and weather forecasts;
- simulation models calibrated for each crop, soil and climate.
From these it gives precise advice on when and how much to irrigate, and helps reduce fertiliser use.
Who was expected to benefit
- The environment: less fresh water drawn for irrigation and a smaller water footprint.
- Farmers: an easier way to meet European rules that increasingly require managed irrigation.
- The food industry: better regulatory compliance and a credible claim to a lower water footprint.
- Policy makers and water managers: tools to monitor irrigation, fertigation and the use of saline or brackish water.
- Consumers: food grown with less fertiliser and water.
Contact and official information
The project ended on 30 September 2016 and its consortium no longer runs a shared website, contact desk or partners' extranet. This site is independent: we cannot answer on behalf of the partners and we do not publish their personal contact details. For official information, see the CORDIS project page; to reach a partner organisation, use its own website (see the consortium list).
See also: project timeline, the platform, results and deliverables.