The blueberry industry is growing in the area where the dryest desert on earth is located.

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The Bioinnovation Center is part of the Faculty of Marine Sciences of the University of Antofagasta (CBIA) along with the CBIA, along with a group that included farmers managed to bring together the blueberry plantation project in the region, thanks to their successful efforts regarding the effects of bioalgae on the desert agricultural. The cultivation program is attracting attention because of its distinctive technological innovation, is already having plants in place at the innovation center as well as on the land of the Cooperativa of Campesinos Atacamenos Lickanantay situated in Toconao, a town in Toconao located 10 km to San Pedro de Atacama.

The “Productive diversification of the Antofagasta Region by the growth of blueberry plants in dry regions with better soils through the use of microalgal hydrolysate” initiative was funded through the Agricultural Innovation Fund (FIA) and began operations on the 18th of November 2022. It quickly began to draw the attention of people, in addition to positive results from the blueberry plantations in Peru in similar conditions to the weather and conditions, which could allow for the cultivation of this desirable blueberry using plants that are grown in pots.

“The significance of this initiative is the fact that it’s based on diversification of the production base of the area. This will allow the producers of the region to cultivate blueberries, which is a fruit that’s enjoyed a huge growth worldwide and which is only grown in southern Chile and the Coquimbo region,” stated Loreto Cavieres researcher from the Bioinnovation Centre of the University of Antofagasta (CBIA).

The UA specialists faced this issue taking into consideration diverse factors, including the climate, radiation levels and the absence of rain, as well as access to land. The alliance was created by the farmers of Toconao as well as The Paisaje Antofagasta company to finish the development of this revolutionary initiative, which already boasts 442 plants from the Emerald variety located in Toconao and 120 plants in the CBIA infrastructure in the region’s capital.

Transfer of technology

The aim of this project is to help farmers living in the area to understand and comprehend how to manage the blueberries’ productiveness as well as to create a technological transfer to allow the farmers to diversify their productivity structure, which currently focuses on cultivating vines.

“Due to the needs of soil which farmers must meet for the establishment of their orchards. The plan must be based on its technology transfer around the possibility of transferring the soil that has been modified by microalgae, so that such as, farmers don’t need to import organic fertilizers from different regions,” Cavieres stated.

Source: uantof.cl

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Source: The Plantations International Agroforestry Group of Companies