Sarah Carvajal¹, Juan Manuel Cabal², Alejandro Durán¹ and Melissa Rondón¹
1Ingenio Pichichí S.A. Colombia; amguerrero@ingeniopichichi.com; svcarvajal@ingeniopichichi.com
²Agropecuaria Cima S.A. Colombia
Génova is a hacienda located in the municipality of Cerrito, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, with a sugarcane cultivation area of 645 ha. The estate’s environment is semi-arid, with soils of low moisture content and an average annual precipitation of 750 to 800 mm, requiring supplemental irrigation. Previously, this estate used gravity irrigation with fewer than two events per field throughout the entire crop cycle, resulting in low production compared to the estate’s potential, water loss during distribution, and high costs for water resources and labor. For these reasons, the gradual implementation of a drip irrigation system began at Hacienda Génova, initially covering 20 ha and eventually extending to the entire estate over seven years. This adoption resulted in an 8% increase in productivity, a 60% reduction in water applied per hectare, a 33% decrease in labor required for irrigation, and a lower environmental impact. Additionally, this system allows for timely irrigation and the application of fertilizers through the same system.