Technology Atlas

3D printing uses computer-aided design (CAD) to create three-dimensional objects through a layering process. This technology is applied in agriculture to manufacture a wide range of objects necessary in agricultural processes.

Carbon nanotubes, composed of cylindrical carbon molecules with a diameter of a few nanometers (one millionth of a millimeter), have electronic, mechanical and chemical properties very applicable to new technologies for the treatment_11100000-0000- 0000-0000-000000000111_de water contaminated._11100000-0000- 0000-0000-000000000111_

Drones offer an alternative to satellite global positioning systems, being less affected by adverse weather conditions and more flexible to collect data on terrain and crops.

In aeroponics, the plants are placed on a structure that holds them, leaving the aerial part visible, so that it receives light, and on the other hand, the roots are placed, which remain hanging in a closed environment, leaving them free of soil, substrates or solutions. watery.

Digital technologies can be part of the solution since they allow for more efficient, productive and sustainable agriculture through the optimization of its processes to produce more quality food in a more sustainable way.

Cloud systems are essential for agricultural information management, as they allow remote storage and control of data, replacing the need for hardware and software. This saves resources and facilitates decision making by analyzing elements such as soil, plants and water in real time.

Aquadetect is a Chilean company, whose objective is to develop technological solutions for water management, for the most part, focused on agricultural land, they are specialists in the exploration and use of underground water resources for crops.

La acuaponía is a food production system that combines the breeding of aquatic animals (aquaculture) with the cultivation of plants in water (hydroponics), through the continuous recirculation of water through the two subsystems.

ArcGIS is a complete system that allows you to collect, organize, manage, analyze, share and distribute geographic information. In agriculture, ArcGIS can capture the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), crucial for estimating crop quantity, quality, and development.

Data-driven agriculture benefits from technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), which allows for agile prediction and response to unforeseen events. AI analyzes data from various sources, such as satellite images, to provide farmers with accurate, real-time information.

Constructed wetlands are water treatment systems that mimic the purification processes present in natural wetlands. These systems are part of non-conventional low-consumption wastewater treatment technologies. They are based on the interaction between phytoremediation (plant action) and microbiological processes.

Aqueduct Risk tools use peer-reviewed open source data to map water risks such as floods, droughts and water stress.

Biopesticides are developed from substances of botanical and microbiological origin. They provide natural protection for crops in the fight against pests and diseases, and allow food to be obtained without chemical residues.

Agricultural biotechnology contributes to the sustainable use of this resource through the development of transgenic crop varieties resistant to drought or with current crops whose characteristics, such as resistance to insects and tolerance to herbicides, preserve resources such as water and soil. floor.

The term “cut off” comes from the word “ajar” or “stop”. The shortcuts are small ponds dug into the ground to store rainwater and other sources. They have low construction costs and are appropriate for arid areas with rainfall concentrated in a few months of the year. Traditional technology is applied, which due to its size is suitable for family or multi-family units.

The breakwaters, also called breakwaters or breakwaters, are transversal works that advance from the existing shore to the new shore line, to reduce the excessive width of the bed, causing sedimentation of the area limited by them and generating a displacement in the axis of the channel. of a river; They channel, correct or control the natural course of water. These works have the purpose of directing the flow of the current, preventing the forces of the waters from impacting the banks.

El careo is the system of Muslim origin by which farmers guide water from snow-capped mountains to aquifer recharge areas. When the heat begins, through a system of ditches they transport the melt water so that it infiltrates into the aquifers and appears in the rivers and fountains after two or three months, in the middle of summer when it is most needed for irrigation._11100000 -0000-0000-0000-000000000111_

Gullies are ditches caused by soil erosion, with the presence of a slope, due to the concentration of water in the ground, generally due to rain. They can be ephemeral (depth less than 0.5 m) or permanent, if they exceed that depth and cannot be covered by conventional work.

Center pivot irrigation, an automated sprinkler method in a circular pattern, not only irrigates but also applies fertilizers and chemicals.

It is an Agroclimatic Information System for decision making in agriculture. It is based on stations that collect crop data to obtain value-added information, such as the risk of infection or the need for irrigation. The Cesens® agroclimatic stations are installed in the crop plots and send the data they collect in real time to the cloud platform.

The technology consists of the installation of multi-family microreservoirs connected to collective plot irrigation systems, which are managed by irrigation committees.

This practice consists of sowing grass species on the perimeter of the crop, or even other types of crops in a strip that ranges from 3 to 5 m wide. Its use can also be complemented with other buffering practices within and between fields. At the edges of the field, species of shrubs, grasses and grasses, adapted to the area, are established. To do this, a good sowing or planting process must be carried out, which implies paying attention to the preparation of the land, the density of sowing, the depth, management of dates, etc.

It is a platform of videos aimed at the agricultural community and disseminated through local social networks to encourage farmers to adopt new practices to improve their livelihoods and share knowledge with other agents in the sector.

CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center), in collaboration with Jamaican government agencies, is implementing an incentive program for small farmers. The objective is to promote practices that improve soil and water retention on their farms, such as natural barriers and agroforestry systems.

These hand pumps, made of PVC or polyethylene pipe, are easy to construct and adjust by cylinder diameter to control the pressure and amount of water pumped. Known as EMAS or Flexi pumps, they are adaptable and originated at the Mobile Water and Sanitation School (EMAS) in Bolivia.

The water storage tank bag is a flexible and portable solution made from a durable polyester canvas and PVC coated for protection. Its versatility allows it to adapt to different surfaces such as cement, earth or sand.

Flood irrigation is applied to plots surrounded by hills or copings to retain water in rectangular areas of abundant surface, adapting their shape to the slope of the land.

The Francis turbine is a type of reaction water turbine, that is, it uses the kinetic energy of moving water as pressure energy to rotate a water wheel. This turbine was developed in 1848 by the Anglo-American engineer James B. Francis and is the most widely used type of hydraulic turbine.

Furrow irrigation directs water through V-shaped furrows toward crops, allowing uniform infiltration and preventing erosion.

The Hydrological Modeling System (HEC-HMS) is designed to simulate complete hydrology processes in watershed systems. This software includes traditional hydrologic analysis procedures such as event infiltration, unit hydrographs, and hydrologic routing.

This platform will promote the development and adoption of technological solutions based on precision agriculture to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of family fruit systems (FFS) in LAC. The platform develops a collaborative computer tool called “OpenFruit” as precision agriculture technology for small producers and fruit advisors in the participating countries.

This integrated system simulates water flow in basins using a hydrographic database for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Hydrogel, also called solid water, is a potassium polyacrylate compound, which can absorb up to 268 times its weight in water through hydrogen bonds.

The hydroscrew is a turbine operated by the weight of water, acting as a gravimetric machine. Water fills the compartments of the screw, which descend due to its own weight and the helical surface of the propeller, generating the rotation of the screw and converting potential energy into mechanical energy.

Infiltration ditches are excavations in the ground 2 to 3 meters long and 1 meter wide and deep, useful for reducing surface runoff and erosion. They are also used as part of stormwater harvesting and treatment systems, as the soil and porous materials in the trench can retain and filter pollutants from rainwater before they infiltrate the soil.

The pulse irrigation system, also known as intermittent or discontinuous, consists of applying water to the furrows in short but frequent intervals during the same irrigation period.

Irrigation technology is a solution to problems derived from water management and seeks to optimize agricultural yields per unit of water used. Supplying the right quantity and quality of water to the crop at the right time improves production and agroecological conditions.

The Kaplan turbine, which was born in 1913 thanks to the Austrian professor Viktor Kaplan, follows the principle of a ship's propellers. The Kaplan turbine is an axial type turbine in which the flow of water causes the propeller blades to rotate in and out in an axial direction with respect to the shaft. of propeller rotation.

Living barriers are used by Central American producers to conserve soil and water, reducing erosion and maintaining soil moisture. In addition, they improve fertility with organic matter, increase biodiversity, and sometimes reduce pest problems.

The technology consists of the construction of small structures (5 m wide by 16 m long) in the form of tunnels that serve to protect crops, especially vegetables. In its manufacture, iron rods are used, which form an arch when embedded in the floor, supported by posts with round sticks and attached to galvanized wires to which a plastic cover is tied to protect against ultraviolet rays.

They consist of natural material that is transplanted, or artificial, for example, in the form of gabions, which is placed directly on the soil of the shore, so that it cannot be eroded and carried away by the current. To do this, the shore is outlined with a slope that allows easy and safe placement of the protective material.

Also known as minimal soil movement, this practice consists of intervening as little as possible on the land when cultivating it so as not to interfere with the natural processes that develop there. Minimum tillage is the smallest amount of tillage required to create soil conditions suitable for seed germination and plant development. The soil is prepared in the strips/strips constituted by the furrows where it will be planted (individual minimum tillage).

Mist irrigation is a technique used in greenhouses to provide water and humidity to crops evenly. It works by spraying water droplets at high pressure, creating a mist that is dispersed in the greenhouse environment, efficiently supplying the necessary amount of water to the plants.

The fog catcher, also known as a fog catcher, is a system that is used to capture the microscopic water droplets in fog to transform it into water that can be used. It is a creative way to collect water and thus avoid the droughts that plague the cities. parts of the planet where there is also fog. This system, technically, does not create water; on the contrary, water is collected through the microdroplets that are present in the fog.

These are terraces or agricultural platforms built in depressions or gigantic natural holes. These terraces are superimposed concentrically, taking the shape of a gigantic amphitheater. The largest hole has a depth of 150 m and the average height of the platforms is 1.80 m.

Multi-gate irrigation uses portable pipes to distribute water through adjustable gates in ditches or furrows, minimizing infiltration losses and achieving high efficiency by directing water directly to crops.

It is a free access App that captures and analyzes climatic data from the producing areas of the countries, to reduce the vulnerability of small producers to climatic events, and supports decision making for efficient, resilient agronomic management, increasing productivity and the reduction of losses caused by delays in growth, flowering and fruit harvest.

The aqueducts of Nazca carry water from the snow-capped mountains and from the seepage of the rivers, Aija, Tierra Blancas and Nazca through underground sections (galleries socavón) and through uncovered sections (gallery ditch).

This soil-isolated system supplies nutrient solutions through water, with the possibility of reusing the resource several times through feedback.

The PES (Payment for Environmental Services) program grants financial recognition to owners and holders of forests and forest plantations for their contributions to environmental protection and environmental improvement, especially for the conservation of water resources.

A Pelton turbine is an impulse hydraulic turbine used in hydroelectric plants with high vertical head. The turbine was introduced in 1879 by the American carpenter and inventor Lester Allan Pelton, hence its name.

The amunas, a word of Quechua origin from Peru that means "to retain", are a pre-Hispanic system of artificial recharge of aquifers through the planting and harvesting of water, which is still implemented by some Andean peasant communities of the aforementioned country, between the Puna area and Quechua.

It is an irrigation system in which water from the river or stream is redirected through a main ditch. Every certain distance, a part of the flow is conducted to a secondary ditch, which is subsequently divided in two by the use of champones, forming an inverted “Y” figure that resembles a bird's foot. The water, at the end of its journey through the tertiary irrigation ditches, begins a movement by gravity and covers the surface of the land by flooding, thus facilitating the development of crops.

Terraces are technologies that, through the action of man, modify the topography of sloping lands, with the purpose of making better use of resources, soil, water and climate, to carry out agricultural tasks. It is made up of a platform (terrace), which is filled with hauled and selected material (gravel, soil and organic matter), and supported by walls, usually made of stones.

QGIS is a free and open source Geographic Information System (GIS) software. It allows you to process, analyze, model and make decisions based on geographic and territorial data. In agriculture, QGIS can capture the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which measures the health of crops.

Las qochas o microrrepresas rústicas son reservorios de agua que aprovechan la depresión natural del suelo para construir un dique que permite captar y almacenar el agua de la lluvia, de manera que incremente la infiltración de agua y para su posterior uso, principalmente agrícola.

Robotics is revolutionizing agriculture by improving productivity and working conditions. Autonomous systems and artificial intelligence drive precision agriculture, enabling operations such as automated planting, harvesting and irrigation. Agricultural robots guide themselves and execute complex tasks, such as detecting weeds, using advanced technology.

The roofs of houses and buildings, with areas of 20 to 200 m², can be transformed into urban gardens to grow family food, promoting self-sufficiency. In addition to improving air quality and contributing to thermal and acoustic insulation, this initiative provides a connection with nature in urban environments.

Rainwater collection and use systems (SCALL) intercept, collect and store rainwater, being applicable in small agriculture from the roofs of houses and warehouses.

The Drought Information System for Southern South America (SISSA) uses data from the CHIRPS (Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station Data) product to estimate precipitation. CHIRPS is produced by the Climate Hazards Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara and the United States Geological Survey.

This technology consists of a turbine with three blades each one meter in diameter, linked to an electrical generator. Driven by the flow of water, the design increases the speed of the water as it passes through the device, optimizing production thanks to the curved shape of the blades.

Covers are an effective solution to counteract losses due to evapotranspiration, since they conserve moisture and reduce the influence of solar radiation and wind on plants and soil. Likewise, they optimize irrigation efficiency.

TaKaDu is a cloud-based central event management (CEM) solution that enables public and private utilities to detect, analyze and manage network events and incidents, such as leaks, explosions, faulty assets, operational failures, telemetry and data, and more.

Models developed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) are widely used to predict the responses of hydrological systems to changes, such as increases in precipitation or groundwater pumping rates, and to anticipate the movement and fate of solutes and contaminants in water, crucial aspects in agricultural production.

It is a subsoil water storage technology that consists of the generation of small, artisanally confined aquifers (volume of underground land saturated with water).

Underground irrigation, an agricultural technique, supplies water and nutrients locally and underground, improving crop growth.

A bioindicator is a living organism that can be anything from a microbe, an insect or a fish, to a plant or algae, which allows us to quantify and qualify the level and evolution of pollution present in an aquatic system, determining by virtue of its differential sensitivity. to various toxic substances. The sampling of macroinvertebrates joins the sampling of the chemical quality of the water.

The vigiñas are excavations in the soil with diameters of approximately 10 to 20 meters and a depth of 1 to 2.5 meters. These technologies allow us to have water for the dry season and help the regrowth and growth of forage species. Likewise, the vigiñas or qotañas can be of different sizes and storage capacities, depending on the water requirement and availability of areas for their construction.

Virtual reality overlays digital information in real time using devices, improving efficiency. In agriculture, it benefits productivity and water management, allowing precise measurements, crop analysis, water flows and irrigation optimization.

Electrical power is essential in agriculture for tasks such as automated irrigation, machinery, heating, transportation and processing. One way to generate electricity is through the gravitational flow of water.

The French doctor in physics Alain Gachet worked on hydrocarbon exploration in Libya with the Watex technology that he had created through his company RTI Exploration. That was its field of development: oil. Searching for this fuel, he accidentally found a deep water leak in an underground aqueduct in the middle of the desert.

FAO's portal to monitor water productivity through open access to remote sensing data 00-0000-0000-000000000111_Productivity through Open access of Remotely sensed derived data) monitors and reports on water productivity in agriculture in Africa and the Middle East. Provides open access to the water productivity database and its thousands of underlying mapping layers.

Albarradas are artificial wetlands with slow waters, long recognized in South America under various names such as jagüeyes, swamps, dams or lagoons.

The waru waru are an ancient practice of the ancestors of the Tiahuanaco culture, which was located on the plateau between Bolivia and Peru, above 4000 meters above sea level. n. m.

The WaterLoc underground structure is a modular system designed to retain large volumes of stormwater. It is especially designed for the construction of buried retention tanks that effectively manage stormwater.

The project will implement pilot plots with technologies such as satellite images, field sensors and specialized software to improve irrigation management. The aim is to modernize irrigation techniques and strengthen the monitoring and analysis of information at the plot and hydrographic basin level.

Coil or zigzag irrigation are indentations made in the ground to give controlled (directed) passage to water, below the surface of the crop. The type of furrow will depend on the slope of the land: if it is low-slope, linear furrows are used, but if there are relatively steep slopes, an option to use is “S”-shaped furrows or borders, which are also used. on low slopes, in order to have greater control over the conduction of irrigation water.

Water and nutrients are delivered to the field through a system of pipes called drip lines, which contain 000-0000-000000000111_small devices called “droppers”. Each dripper emits a controlled flow of droplets containing water and fertilizer, resulting in a uniform application of water and nutrients directly to the root zone of each plant throughout the entire field._11100000-0000- 0000-0000-000000000111_

This is a floating solar plant that uses high-density polyethylene floats instead of a standard steel structure. This installation also reduces evaporation and algae growth by decreasing sun exposure and limiting photosynthesis processes in the water.

Floating spheres are devices used to reduce evaporation and regulate water temperature in reservoirs. Made of high-density polyethylene, they contain water inside and are placed on the surface of the water.

Filter galleries, also called underground tunnels, are ancient techniques for taking advantage of groundwater in regions with a shortage of surface sources. These structures transport water over distances and have been used for agricultural irrigation over time.

Dams are structures that allow the control and effective use of water resources. A levee is an artificial structure made of earth, rocks or other materials (mainly concrete) that is used to prevent flooding. It is usually built near or on rivers, streams, lakes or wetlands.

This type of pump uses hydraulic and vacuum absorption principles, powered by pedals, to extract water at depth, even through hard rock, without the need for fuel or electrical power.

This device is a turbine built with interchangeable blades and a stainless metal frame. It is placed in a flow of water, where the movement of the water activates the turbine to generate energy. It is effective in shallow water and low speed.

They consist of dams made of stone and clay, which were built by the ancient Peruvians (pre-Incas) with the purpose of storing water to regulate the streams and, at the same time, allowing infiltration to recharge the aquifers and thus have water in the springs and wetlands.

The hydraulic ram pump is a piece of equipment that uses the energy of water located at a certain height (slope of a river, dam or other reservoir), which allows the water to be raised to a higher height than the initial one through the physical phenomenon known as “ water hammer.” The equipment pumps water continuously and works without the need for electricity or fuel.

This system uses a rope with polyethylene pistons attached at intervals, a semi-submerged PVC tube and a pulley with a crank.

The “sponge city” concept represents a good example of improving urban water supplies on a large scale, largely based on the application of green infrastructure approaches in urban landscapes, primarily to improve water availability.

Automated weather stations, with electronic sensors, collect real-time data on the weather, vital for agricultural decisions.

This pump consists of a hydraulic wheel with blades and a flexible spiral pipe, attached to the wheel.