Coca Cola Foundation has invested nearly $200,000 in an innovative project of the Hydraulic Engineering research group of ceiA3 Agrifood Campus of International Excellence at the University of Córdoba which aims to improve the sustainability of water irrigation use in the cultivation of strawberries.
The team, composed of researchers Manuel Martín , Pilar Montesinos, Jorge García , Emilio Camacho, Juan Antonio Rodríguez and Julio Berbel, aims to improve the efficiency of water use in strawberry farm through field tests of precision irrigation techniques and development of workshops to train farmers on the best irrigation water management practice. Overall, thw aim is to achieve a sustainable use of irrigation water in the strawberry sector.
To achieve this, the ceiA3 team has an experimental farm in Huelva for testing of new irrigation devices in order to choose those showing greater uniformity in water application and improved efficiency. Greater water control will jave a direct effect on reduction of the water footprint for this product (m3 of water used per tonne of strawberries) as only the strictly necessary amount of water will be used, resulting in reduction of Doñana aquifer pollution. This will reduce and mitigate environmental impact in the National Park of Doñana, an environmentally sensitive area.
The project, which will be completed in September 2015, is funded by the Coca Cola Foundation through its international program for society support in several priority areas. First area is the Management of Water (Water Stewardship), the main ingredient in Coca- Cola. This program supports activities aimed at promoting access to safe water and sanitation, watershed protection in regions with water shortages, the use of water for production and/or multipurpose systems that do more than just provide drinking water, education and awareness programs that promote water conservation within communities and industry.
Water conservation is a priority for Coca Cola, which aims at replenishing to the planet environment the water used in their finished beverages, with an ultimate goal of being water neutral by 2020 through projects intended, among other things, to protect or conserve water resources such as implementation of efficient systems for water use.
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Coca Cola Foundation has invested nearly $200,000 in an innovative project of the Hydraulic Engineering research group of ceiA3 Agrifood Campus of International Excellence at the University of Córdoba, which aims to improve sustainability of water irrigation in strawberry cultivation.The team, composed of researchers Manuel Martín Pilar Montesinos, Jorge García, Emilio Camacho, Juan Antonio Rodríguez and Julio Berbel, aims to improve efficiency of water use in strawberry farms. For this, they are performing field tests of precision irrigation techniques and organizing workshops to train farmers on optimal practices for management of irrigation water. Overall, the aim is to achieve a sustainable use of irrigation water in the strawberry sector.
To achieve this, the ceiA3 team is testing irrigation devices in an experimental farm in Huelva to check which devices show greater uniformity and improved efficiency in water application. Greater water control will have a direct effect on reduction of strawberry water footprint (m3 of water used per tonne of strawberries) as only the strictly necessary amount of water will be used, resulting in reduction of Doñana aquifer pollution. This will reduce and mitigate environmental impact in the National Park of Doñana, an environmentally sensitive area.
The project, which will be completed in September 2015, is funded by Coca Cola Foundation through its international program for society support in several priority areas. First area is Management of Water (Water Stewardship), the main ingredient in Coca-Cola. This program supports activities aimed at promoting access to safe water and sanitation, watershed protection in regions with water shortages, use of water for production and/or multipurpose systems that do more than just providing drinking water and education and awareness programs that promote water conservation within communities and industry.
Water conservation is a priority for Coca Cola, which aims at replenishing the environment with the same water amount that they use in their finished beverages, with an ultimate goal of being water neutral by 2020. In this context, they support projects which aim to protect or conserve water resources such as the implementation of efficient systems for water use.
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