The webinar “Artificial Crop Lighting: LED Light Technology,” led by FONTAGRO in collaboration with the Agricultural Innovation Institute of Panama (IDIAP), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the National Agricultural Technology Institutes (INTA) of Argentina and Costa Rica, the Colombian Agricultural Research Corporation (AGROSAVIA), the Center for Agroindustrial Production and Research (UTP), and the Technological University of Panama, focused on highlighting how LED light technologies have transformed agricultural production and the way food is cultivated.
During the event, experts from these organizations discussed how LED lights offer benefits for agriculture, including greater energy efficiency, the ability to adapt lighting to different crops and growth stages, and a longer lifespan compared to conventional lights.
Common applications of LED lights in agriculture include lighting in controlled environments, greenhouses, or grow houses, year-round stimulation of plant growth, control of flowering and fruiting, and optimization of crop quality and yield. Additionally, LED lights can help reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides by promoting healthier plant growth, which leads to significant benefits for agricultural sustainability.
Dr. Eugenia Saini, Executive Secretary of FONTAGRO and the webinar moderator, stated, “Thanks to the insightful presentations, we took an in-depth look into how LED lighting can optimize crop growth and development. Moreover, the ability to adjust light intensity and spectrum to influence the plant lifecycle is a powerful tool for improving crop quality and yield while reducing environmental impact. Special thanks to all the speakers and attendees for their active participation and for sharing their experiences. Interdisciplinary collaboration, as we saw today between agronomists and electronic engineers, is key to advancing more efficient and sustainable agricultural technologies.”
To access the webinar recording, visit: https://www.youtube.com/live/W3ctyuHGqvg?si=5yF8PjkajGAbpID5
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About FONTAGRO
FONTAGRO was created 1998 with the purpose of promoting the increase of the competitiveness of the agri-food sector, ensuring the sustainable management of natural resources and the reduction of poverty in the region. The objective of FONTAGRO is to establish itself as a sustainable financing mechanism for the development of agricultural technology and innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean and Spain, and to establish a forum for the discussion of priority topics of technological innovation. The member countries are: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela. In the last 21 years 167 regional agricultural innovation platforms have been co-financed for an amount of US $ 124 million, which has reached 452 institutions and 33 countries worldwide.