AZORES | Regional Government strengthens Agricultural Monitoring Network to support farmers across all islands
The Azorean Government, through the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food, is strengthening the Azores Agricultural Monitoring and Warning Network (RMAAA), an infrastructure considered strategic for the integrated protection and sustainability of regional crops.
Managed by the Regional Directorate for Agriculture, Veterinary and Food (DRAVA), this network combines plant health and weather monitoring with the issuance of timely warnings.
The main goal is to anticipate risks associated with pests and diseases, allowing farmers and technicians to reduce the unnecessary application of plant protection products.
Currently, the infrastructure includes 55 Automatic Weather Stations (EMAs) and 105 Biological Observation Posts (POBs) distributed throughout the archipelago: Terceira (24), Santa Maria (19), São Miguel (15), Graciosa (12), Pico (11), São Jorge (nine), Faial (nine), Flores (three) and Corvo (three).
At these stations, traps and direct observations are used to systematically track organisms that are harmful to the sector, such as the fruit fly, spotted wing drosophila, the Japanese beetle, the banana root borer, as well as fungal diseases such as mildew and powdery mildew in vineyards.
All the climatic and biological information collected feeds into advanced forecasting models and is integrated into a digital platform and mobile application.
This technology issues accurate risk warnings and provides technical recommendations to producers in real time.
For the Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food, António Ventura, the RMAAA “represents a key pillar for the modernisation of agriculture and the sustainable protection of crops on all the islands of the archipelago.”
“Today, more than ever, strengthening this infrastructure means giving farmers better conditions to anticipate risks, plan interventions with greater safety and reduce the unnecessary use of plant protection products. It is about investing in knowledge, innovation and the resilience of our agricultural sector,” stressed the government official.
António Ventura also ensured that this technological and proximity improvement is “a decisive step to guarantee that Azorean agriculture continues to be a benchmark for quality, sustainability and protection of natural resources.”
Data collection in the field, which has been carried out in collaboration with associations and cooperatives, is now undergoing a gradual transition to the Island Agrarian Development Services, consolidating the technical capacity of the regional public administration.
Interested farmers and technicians can consult all warnings, access agricultural notices, and register on the digital platform via the following email address: https://avisos.agricultura.azores.gov.pt/.
GRA/RÁDIOILHÉU
