García Tejerina resalta el valor de la investigación para una agricultura más productiva y eficiente
Last Wednesday, July 27th, Fertiberia held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MAGRAMA) the ceremony of its Awards for Best Doctoral Thesis on Agricultural Issues, in which the minister, Isabel García Tejerina , highlighted the value of research for a more productive and efficient agriculture. In that regard, she noted that these awards recognize the work of researchers whose works are aimed at promoting economic, social and mediambiental sustainability of agriculture.
During his speech, García Tejerina underlined the challenge facing the agricultural technology to adopt innovative strategies to increase production, increasing effectiveness and efficiency in the use of resources. A challenge for production technologies, she added, with the valuable contribution of the work of excellence in agricultural research that honors Fertiberia, through its Award for Best Doctoral Thesis on agricultural issues.
Similarly, García Tejerina stressed the importance of this work in supporting technologies that address the challenges of the future of agriculture. Some challenges posed by both the growth of the world population and its impact on food supply security, as forecasts on climate change, and that will influence the manner of exercising the activities on earth. An agricultural work, as declared by the minister, in which must prevail at all times floor care, “extracting its full potential, but avoiding erosion, pollution or loss of production capacity and correcting deficiencies in macro and micro nutrients to make them more fertile”.
In that direction of give priority to sustainable agriculture that respects the soil and other natural resources, said García Tejerina, are oriented the winning entries in the XVIII edition of the Awards, as in the case of the Doctoral Thesis of Juan Carlos Cañasveras , under the direction of Doctors Barrón and del Campillos which delves into the study of iron deficiency in the soil, the origin of the “iron chlorosis”. A work that won the first prize for his brilliant performance and interest of corrective solutions to prevent or reduce the problem.
Also the minister highlighted theses that have earned Accesit as performed by Francisco Javier Sanchez, under the direction of Drs López Piñeiro and Albarran, which has worked to bring about a culture system of alternative rice to the conventional system. A job that provides a viable solution, with water savings, improved soil properties and increased profitability of the crop, ensuring its sustainability and competitiveness.
García Tejerina also showed its appreciation to the thesis of Joao Paulo Gonçalves da Silva, under the direction of Dr. Mario Jose Gouveia, who has researched the use of techniques of conservation agriculture to avoid the risk of salinization in soils with poor drainage, in the irrigable area of the Alqueva dam, currently expanding. A job that, in the opinion of the minister, is of great interest to have information on the effect of water quality and contrast the improvement of the properties of these soils with the applied techniques, which will help to ensure the sustainability of putting them in irrigation.
Source: MAGRAMA
