Trifylia was chosen by the Agricultural University of Athens, the TEI of the Peloponnese and private companies, for the implementation of a research project that will be directly related to the saving of water in crops. In order to achieve the best possible result, the Directorate of Rural Economy & Veterinary of Trifylia will participate in the research project with the agronomist Antonis Paraskevopoulos, as well as four producers, in whose lands the project will be implemented.

Panagiotis Philippopoulos, assistant professor at the Department of Computer Engineering of the TEI of Peloponnese, stressed that "worldwide, 60% of water resources are spent on irrigation, while in Greece this percentage reaches 80% -85%. In the Western Peloponnese, the total annual water demand is 252 hectometers and of these 201 are consumed for irrigation. In irrigation there is now an issue, to find good quality water, since the problem with salinization is intense, given that we are over-pumping, while drought increases water requirements ".

High value research ...

The need to save water is evident and this is the need research comes to save. Trifylia was chosen given the size of the vegetable crop, which consequently means large-scale irrigation, while the local producers, estimated at 4,000, are charged with 7.5 euros for one hour of irrigation, that is 15 cents per cubic meter. Through the implementation of the research project, the importance of innovations is highlighted, via which, at regular intervals, the need for irrigation will be recorded.

Stavros Alexandris, Associate Professor at the Agricultural University of Athens, in the Department of Water Resources, explained to us:

"The innovation lies in the fact that we do not use a traditional way of estimating the crop’s water needs, but infrared thermometers and a flying drone, which will be able to see the water status of the crop directly."