Aquafeed: sustainable optimisation in agriculture and tree nurseries
Aquafeed is an organisation dedicated to optimising the growth of crops in agriculture and tree nurseries. It is the expert in water and fertigation.
Through the system applications they produce, water and, if required, fertiliser is added to the soil at the right time and in the right amount. The combination of installing the entire system and transferring knowledge means that water, energy and fertilisers are used responsibly.
Drought and water efficiency
Michiel, Aquafeed's irrigation specialist, knows that water efficiency is becoming increasingly more important in the market. Due to drought, several countries in Europe are implementing a spraying ban by the Government. This means that water from ditches and other watercourses cannot be used for irrigation purposes. The ongoing drought is making it more and more necessary to use available water resources efficiently.
Drip irrigation: efficient water use
The switch from reel irrigation to drip irrigation is a logical choice. The advantage of drip irrigation is that it allows targeted irrigation according to the needs of a particular crop. Moisture can also be monitored through moisture sensors in the field. This allows the crop to be supplied with water as efficiently as possible. The risk of drought stress or water wastage in the crop is significantly reduced because the crop needs can be precisely controlled.
Energy saving: sustainable and lower costs
Besides water efficiency, energy saving is also very relevant. Aquafeed is constantly looking for new ways to meet this issue as well. For example, Aquafeed has a project which runs entirely on solar energy. The solar energy is used to run the water pump. The entire field is supplied with renewable energy. This system is also portable, so it can be applied to another location or crop. Aquafeed has already applied this concept at four other locations in the Netherlands. It is not only sustainable but also cost-saving.
