The National Institute of Innovation and Transfer in Agricultural Technology (INTA) announced the results of a project that was carried out for four years and is expected to have a very positive impact on the country’s agriculture.
The initiative is called “Capacity Development in Technicians and Producers of the Central Region of Costa Rica, in the implementation of a practical tool for agroecological zoning and scenarios for adaptation to climate change.”
The project -which was funded by the Climate Change Adaptation Fund- was aimed at developing the Agroecological Zoning (ZAE), a climate change adaptation tool, and developing skills in technicians and producers for its validation and implementation in making decisions to improve production systems.
It was developed in four areas of the country: the cantons of Alvarado and Naranjo, the northern zone of Los Santos and the northern zone of Puriscal. In the case of Alvarado, we worked on the ZAE of potatoes, cabbage, carrots, pastures and onions, in the case of Naranjo and Los Santos, in coffee and avocado, and in the case of Puriscal, the passion fruit, lemon crops and grass Cuba OM22.
Data from variables such as temperature, solar brightness, altitude and humidity were collected for 12 different crops and consolidated into maps of the participating cantons. With them, the farmer can know if his land is in an area of low, medium or high aptitude and what are the limitations that affect cultivation.