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Restoring and preserving the core elements like water, air and land has to be at the heart of the new agricultural production models, with the sights always focused on the well-being of populations. Feeding more people while ensuring a balanced diet for all and greater respect for the environment requires an agriculture that consumes less energy and water, preserves soil quality more effectively and recovers more of its co-products.

To meet these challenges, we will rely on farmers, who will play a key role in the transition towards a global circular economy. As said by Juan Antonio Guijarro, CEO of SUEZ Agriculture It is essential to deploy models and circular solutions. At SUEZ Agriculture, our objective is to take into account the expectations and needs of farmers in order to

There will be no sustainable human food without a circular economy.

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achieve better productivity levels while respecting the environment, biodiversity, soil and water in the context of demographic growth.

Technology to enhance irrigation

Food security depends first and foremost on the availability of water resources essential for agricultural production. However, agriculture currently accounts for 70% of the world s water consumption. The figure is as high as 90% in some countries. While many of them are facing increasingly severe water stress, more efficient use of water for irrigation is an urgent requirement.

Only 20% of the world s land is irrigated1, explains Juan Antonio Guijarro. Of this 20%, 80% is flooded, which is a very inefficient technique2. Of the remaining 20%, only 5% uses technology, which enables optimum water use. The total amount of water wasted is enormous. There is huge potential for improvement in this area. According to the expert, the most important way to really improve irrigation systems is to work closely with farmers. Indeed, to him, they have little economic incentive to save water due to its low cost. Farmers are aware of the need to protect the environment, but production imperatives often take priority. We need to prove to them that better irrigation techniques not only protect the environment; but also and above all, increase yields efficiency. To this end, SUEZ has developed a smart irrigation technology based on the use of meteorological, cartographic and hydrological data.

Reuse of treated wastewater for irrigation in Tenerife (Spain).

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