Sustainable Irrigation Systems in Vineyards: A Literature Review on the Contribution of Renewable Energy Generation and Intelligent Resource Management Models

Abstract

Agriculture being an essential activity sector for the survival and prosperity of humanity, it is fundamental to use sustainable technologies in this field. With this in mind, some statistical data are analyzed regarding the food price rise and sustainable development indicators, with a special focus on the Portugal region. It is determined that one of the main factors that influences agriculture’s success is the soil’s characteristics, namely in terms of moisture and nutrients. In this regard, irrigation processes have become indispensable, and their technological management brings countless economic advantages. Like other branches of agriculture, the wine sector needs an adequate concentration of nutrients and moisture in the soil to provide the most efficient results, considering the appropriate and intelligent use of available water and energy resources. Given these facts, the use of renewable energies is a very important aspect of this study, which also synthesizes the main irrigation methods and examines the importance of evaluating the evapotranspiration of crops. Furthermore, the control of irrigation processes and the implementation of optimization and resource management models are of utmost importance to allow maximum efficiency and sustainability in this field.