HUB SmartFruit-ALC: Smart Solutions for LAC Family Fruit Systems facing Climate Change

The initiative is aimed at promoting the transfer of knowledge, the generation of social capital, and links with key actors that support the adoption and creation of AgTech solutions applied to the fruit sector (OpenFruit)

Context of the story

The impacts of climate change in LAC include an increase in temperatures, both minimum and maximum, and a reduction in rainfall, which has led to a water deficit in several locations. In Chile, these changes have caused a displacement of the fruit frontier towards the southern zone, which is characterized by the occurrence of extreme weather events (spring frosts, heavy rains during flowering and pre-harvest periods), which can drastically affect agricultural production. Remote sensing is an AgTech tool to support decision-making for agricultural producers, which facilitates the efficient use of resources and, therefore, the sustainability of production systems.

A regional innovation platform between Argentina, Chile, and Costa Rica, called Hub SmartFruit-ALC. The platform will develop a collaborative and freely accessible computer tool

The Implemented Initiative

This initiative proposes to form a regional innovation platform (RIP) Hub SmartFruit-ALC promoting the transfer of knowledge, the generation of social capital, and the development of links with the entrepreneurial ecosystem that support the creation of new AgTech solutions, and develop a free access technological tool called OpenFruit . This tool allows family fruit system (FFS) producers and fruit advisors to monitor their fruit orchards and increase their adaptive capacity against climate change. To promote the adoption of OpenFruit, workshops will be held for the implementation and validation of agronomic strategies applied to the FFS, also strengthening the use of precision agriculture ICTs.

Create integration and coordination spaces for producers, AgTech entrepreneurs and other actors in the fruit value chain, promoting the production of social capital and the commitment to the aim of the Project.

The technological solution

This platform will promote the development and uptake of technological solutions based on precision agriculture to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of LAC's Family Fruit Systems (FFS). The platform develops a collaborative computing tool called "OpenFruit" as precision agricultural technology for small producers and fruit advisers in participating countries. This tool will support agricultural management decision making, increase the fruit yield and promote efficient resource use. Chile and Costa Rica will lead the technological development, validation, training and transfer activities, under the coordination of the University of La Frontera and the University of Costa Rica.

“The low use of precision agriculture tools in LAC FFS is associated with a deficient technology transfer and adoption strategy, which responds, among other things, to a significant digital divide. ”

— Dr. Alejandra Ribera, agronomist, Project Director

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Type of project

Results

A regional innovation platform (RIP) called Hub SmartFruit-ALC, between Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica and Colombia, where 26 organizations from the public-private area of the fruit sector have joined this initiative. In addition, the OpenFruit Platform was developed, a tool for remote crop monitoring, which has made it possible to advance in the generation of data and tackle the digital gaps present in the FFS, supporting decision-making at the field level based on OpenFruit. In this context, induction workshops "Use of ICTs and Precision Agriculture applied to Fruit Growing" have been carried out, a Base Line was generated, Reports on Digital Divide of Family Fruit Systems in Chile and Costa Rica, a Proposal for a Vulnerability Index to Climate Change, Territorial Roundtables were formed in Chile and Costa Rica, and spaces have been created to promote the search for AgTech solutions in an entrepreneurial ecosystem.