Operating Group: Smart Almond

Increased irrigation efficiency. The technology developed in the project will allow farmers to schedule irrigation more efficiently, which should translate into reduced water waste and better use of available water resources. This milestone will be measured by calculating the kilograms of kernels per cubic meter of water applied. Increased almond productivity. The improved irrigation efficiency should also lead to increased crop productivity and is therefore expected to have a positive impact. This milestone will be measured as the quantity of almonds produced per unit of surface area, also taking into account quality parameters such as size and number of almonds (almonds with the cap unopened). Reduction in energy and water costs.

The technology developed in the "Smart Almond" project also aims to help farmers reduce the costs associated with irrigating almond crops. Metrics for measuring this impact could include energy savings or reduced billed water consumption, in the case of irrigation communities, compared to the cost of implementing the technology on each farm. Improved technology adoption. The technology developed in the project (platform, sensors, IoT, remote sensing) was designed to be easy to use and accessible to farmers. A key metric for measuring the project's impact in terms of farmer training is the level of technology adoption by end users, especially considering the number of farmers requesting to join the platform beyond the initial pilot farms. Improved trend toward efficient irrigation.

One of the project's goals is to generate a positive impact by inducing changes in farmers' attitudes toward efficient irrigation and sustainable water resource management. This will be measured through surveys conducted before and after project implementation to assess farmers' perceptions of the use of smart irrigation technologies and the importance of efficient water use.