Data-driven farming and AI are transforming water management in Chile

Pereira's farm, Agricola San José, stretches its almond and cherry orchards across a lush valley dotted with poplars and palm trees. In the past, farmers relied on guesswork, watering by sight or simply following what their neighbors were doing, he said.

Six months into the Kilimo project, Pereira became the farm's administrator and soon noticed some plots were overwatered. One day, the owner urged him to irrigate the fields for an entire day. "No," Pereira told him, "Let's wait, evapotranspiration remains low." He convinced the owner to hold off.

Efficiency improved: By October, his plots saved 1.9 million cubic feet of water compared to the baseline, a sharp turnaround from January, when usage had exceeded it.

"Most likely, we will be facing a drought soon. Water may be cheap today, but tomorrow it can be expensive," remarked Pereira with a shrug.

Nearby, nestled among barren hills, owner and manager Juan Pablo Correa shared a similar experience. In the past, he overwatered his groves of walnut and lemon trees mostly by relying on intuition. Tracked records were minimal or inexistent. Correa was initially skeptical, but after working with Kilimo, water use per hectare during peak irrigation months dropped 40%, to 353,000 cubic feet from 2022 to 2025.

"I implement their recommendations approximately 90% of the time. [Technology] is a good complement," Correa said. He occasionally finetunes based on labor availability or unexpected pruning, or if he sees an unusually dry patch of soil.

Juan Ortega, manager of Lo Herrera farm, joined a specialized drip irrigation program for his grape and plum orchards. Through this initiative, Kilimo helped install modern drip irrigation equipment, covering half the cost while reimbursing farmers later for their contribution.

With Kilimo installing Ortega's flow meter, irrigation data is automatically added to their monitoring platform for easy water savings verification. In October, Ortega's water use dropped by 85%, with him consuming just 32,000 cubic feet per hectare compared to the previous year.

"I now use half of the farm's available water; previously, I had to stop irrigating," Ortega said. By mixing fertilizer into the water, he has also cut fertilizer use by 30%. "This is fantastic for us," a joyful Ortega pointed out. "We're saving tons of money and supplies."

Like many farmers in the region, Pereira, Correa and Ortega export most of their produce to international markets during the winter months in the northern hemisphere. Chile is one of the world's top exporters of fresh fruit, selling about $7.5 billion globally in 2024, according to Chile's government.

"Exporting fruit is basically exporting water, and we must value each drop," asserted Gumucio.