Online crop management support platform

Agricultural systems globally, and especially in Latin America, must sustainably increase crop production (60%) and consider the possible effects of climate change (CC). This has driven the need for sustainable intensification of agriculture. Farmers must produce more with the same amount of land and using fewer inputs. This transition is both possible and necessary for food security. However, digital systems need to be developed with tools and information based on scientific knowledge to facilitate the decision-making of farmers and advisors of the main productive systems. This proposal aims to increase the productivity and sustainability of production systems through a free online platform to support decision-making in agronomic management in the context of CC.

A multidisciplinary team of researchers from the Austral University of Chile (Chile), the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina), the University of the Republic (Uruguay), and the National University of Agriculture (Honduras) will participate in the proposal. The components that will be executed are i) increase crop adaptation to CC through the use of phenological prediction models to select cultivars and sowing dates in the study regions, ii) identify management strategies to reduce both yield gaps and carbon footprints (kg CO2eq/ton) of farming systems in the study regions, iii) generate management strategies in response to CC through the application of crop simulation models in the study regions and iv ) transfer and disseminate the results of the project to farmers, advisors and students in the study regions. Farmers, professionals, technicians, and students related to crops in each country will receive training in the use of the platform and its contents, which will be free of charge and available on the website of the participating institutions.