Los Paltos, Agricultural irrigation systems, Peru
Location: Peru
Application: Agricultural irrigation
Water source: Wells/Reservoirs
Solution: Automated irrigation system
Background
Los Paltos, a privately owned company, operates three farms across Peru. The Casma farm in west Peru consisted of 180 hectares for the production of avocados, grapes and mangoes. Located in north-west Peru, both the Hualtaco and Roso Nuevo farms grow mangoes. Roso Nuevo was a 50 hectare site, while the Hualtaco farm covered 11 hectares.
Challenge
Los Paltos wanted to increase the amount of fruit they could produce at the three farms for export to the USA and Europe while also reducing manpower. With the farms experiencing different climate and soil conditions based on their locations, better irrigation was key to achieving this goal.
Located in an area with little rain, the Casma farm drew water from a well. It had an existing irrigation system that was manually operated and no longer fit for purpose.
Neither of the Hualtaco and Roso Nuevo farms had any existing irrigation systems in place. They relied on a canal to bring water from a nearby river to the farms, alongside rain from the tropical climate.
Solution
We created a bespoke irrigation solution for each of the three farms to maximize their growing potential.
We divided the plants into plots and installed a tailored irrigation system including new water reservoirs, pump, filtration and fertilisation systems, transmission lines and drip extensions at regular intervals to ensure uniform irrigation. We also excavated an additional three pumping wells at the Casma farm.
An automated control system ensures Los Paltos can maintain a regular irrigation regime, while reducing labor.
Results
Los Paltos has been able to add another 215 hectares of growing fields to their portfolio following the introduction of the new irrigation solutions. This has enabled them to increase their yields and to grow the company’s valuable export activities.