Search

Agriculture in the populated islands of the Galapagos Archipelago, a protected area due to its unique biodiversity, has been detrimental to its conservation but highly required to meet food necessities. A potential solution to make agricultural farming more sustainable is adopting water-saving technologies (WSTs). Therefore, this study aimed to test the effectiveness of using WSTs such as Groasis Waterboxx® in three of the most valuable crops in the islands through participatory research with the involvement of a group of farmers from the Floreana and Santa Cruz islands and explore a possible transition to more sustainable agricultural practices. Capsicum annuum, Cucumis sativus and Solanum lycopersicum were cultivated using Groasis Waterboxx® and compared to conventional irrigation practices (drip-irrigated controls) to assess the variability of productivity, the number of fruits and individual fruit weight (IFW). In addition, differences in plant traits were analyzed by crop, and island. Results suggested that WSTs such as Groasis Waterboxx® may provide on-farm benefits regarding the yields of the studied traits. From this study, it is difficult to determine whether participation in such a research study will permanently change irrigation practices. However, the participant's responses to the study suggest an increase in their understanding of the use and benefits of WST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We tested the effect of two water-saving systems (Groasis Waterboxx® and Hydrogel polymer), compared with conventional drip irrigation, on the productivity, profitability, and water efficiency of greenhouse tomato cultivation in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos. We measured the weight and volume of individual tomato fruits, along with biweekly production, over a typical growing cycle and found that tomatoes grown with water-saving systems were significantly heavier and larger than those produced with conventional drip irrigation, which led to a 28% average increase in tomato production using both technologies. Groasis and Hydrogel also reduced water use by 71 and 48%, respectively, compared to drip irrigation, and while both systems yielded a net profit, using Hydrogel was 51% more profitable than conventional drip irrigation. Water-saving systems such as Groasis and Hydrogel may provide more sustainable solutions for profitable tomato cultivation in environments with low annual rainfall and limited access to irrigation water, such as the Galapagos Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture in the populated islands of the Galapagos Archipelago, a protected area due to its unique biodiversity, has been detrimental to its conservation but highly required to meet food necessities. A potential solution to make agricultural farming more sustainable is adopting water-saving technologies (WSTs). Therefore, this study aimed to test the effectiveness of using WSTs such as Groasis Waterboxx® in three of the most valuable crops in the islands through participatory research with the involvement of a group of farmers from the Floreana and Santa Cruz islands and explore a possible transition to more sustainable agricultural practices. Capsicum annuum, Cucumis sativus and Solanum lycopersicum were cultivated using Groasis Waterboxx® and compared to conventional irrigation practices (drip-irrigated controls) to assess the variability of productivity, the number of fruits and individual fruit weight (IFW). In addition, differences in plant traits were analyzed by crop, and island. Results suggested that WSTs such as Groasis Waterboxx® may provide on-farm benefits regarding the yields of the studied traits. From this study, it is difficult to determine whether participation in such a research study will permanently change irrigation practices. However, the participant’s responses to the study suggest an increase in their understanding of the use and benefits of WST.