Portugal and Spain currently live a extreme winter drought1. This drought is potentially being induced by climate change and it has potentially devastating consequences to the Agricultural sector and to the investments performed or being planned. Almonds is a product with a high demand and commercial growth, whose production strongly depends on irrigation and will be progressively generalised towards aiming at other types of crops. OPTIMAL will be developed in close collaboration with a Spanish almond’s producer (Fotovoltaica Macotera SL), which will act as user representative – its plantation fields will be used during the demonstration phase.
1https://www.euronews.com/2022/02/13/climate-change-induced-extreme-winter-drought-devastates-crops-in-spain-and-portugal)