The major challenges facing agriculture seek responses grounded in research, innovation, and sustainability. The application of innovative solutions translates into a field with greater capacity to adapt to changes, as well as being less vulnerable and dependent.
From the agro-food department at Funditec Research Sciences, the project PataFEST is being developed, an initiative that aims to integrate an effective strategy for pest control in potato cultivation in Europe, and that could potentially be applicable to other crops. The main challenges of the primary sector are water scarcity, climate adaptation, the reduction of phytosanitary products, and the need to achieve a more efficient and competitive industry. They acknowledge from the foundation that given the current challenges “there is not a single solution, but a set of tools that can maintain the quality crops and guarantee food production in the future.”
The project, led by the doctor in Food Science and Technology, Christian Ghidelli, “works to better understand how the plant and the pathogen interact, identify resistant potato varieties, and provide both digital and natural solutions for the pest control”. The project, funded by the European Union with €6 million and coordinated by Funditec, is currently in development. Its objective is to generate more sustainable and productive farming models, improving crop health and promoting efficient use of resources.
AI for Pest Control
Currently, pest control is a complex problem as a consequence of climate change, globalization and the development of resistance to phytosanitary treatments. Yet, the expert notes that “it is possible to control them.” In this context, the transformation of the field hinges on the incorporation and consolidation of artificial intelligence as a tool for the agricultural sector. “Artificial intelligence enables faster and more precise decision-making. In addition, it detects diseases, optimizes risk, reduces waste and improves productivity,” the researcher states.
Precision agriculture is making headway to make farming more efficient and sustainable in facing a changing context. From Funditec they stress the need to incorporate artificial intelligence in the agri-food sector and specifically in the PataFEST project, “real-time diagnosis solutions are being developed by evaluating the health of plants and potato tubers.” The research team uses portable high-performance sensors together with mobile apps that quickly detect the presence of possible pests or diseases. Ghidelli explains that the project’s great potential is to achieve “a portable, low-cost diagnostic system that helps farmers act with precision, efficiency, and sustainability.”
The Spanish agricultural sector accounts for between 2.3% and 2.8% of Spain’s Gross Domestic Product, which translates to almost €1.69 trillion, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics for the primary sector. Spain, according to Christian Ghidelli, remains a benchmark in European agriculture, but there is growing competitive pressure from imported products that affect national farmers because they compete “in many cases with different environmental or phytosanitary requirements.”
The combination of innovation and sustainability “is key to reducing the use of pesticides through biological control, as well as incorporating precision agriculture and digital tools capable of detecting problems early to maintain the competitiveness of the European agricultural sector,” concludes the researcher Ghidelli.
