MAJOR BASIN:
Minor Basin:

Precision Agriculture in the Maipo Basin

Agriculture consumes 70–75% of the Maipo Basin’s water supply, making precision irrigation a key strategy for improving productivity, reducing water demand, and protecting groundwater. While adoption is growing, financial incentives are needed to expand farmer engagement and achieve large-scale water resilience. This project will focus on signing on farmers in the Maipo Basin to utilize Kilimo precision agriculture technology. The Kilimo team is deploying a Big Data solution—including satellite data, soil moisture tests, and real-time irrigation scheduling—to help farmers optimize water use for orchards, blueberries, and other high-value crops. Pilot analyses show that Kilimo systems improve water efficiency by at least 13%, reducing both pumping costs and carbon emissions, as over 40% of Chile’s electricity comes from fossil fuels. Farmers are eager to scale up this technology to advance sustainable agriculture.