Agricultural Machinery Unit. UMA

Training and extension

Training is a fundamental pillar on which the activity of the UMA is based. The efforts have focused mainly on the calibration of equipment and the dissemination of Best Management Practices (BMP) during the pesticides treatments, with special attention to the environment. In this sense, the UMA has extensive experience for years, offering courses and conferences throughout the Spanish territory. In addition, the UMA is present in different national and international training and transfer projects:

  • INNOSETA. The UMA leads the European transfer project Innovative practices for Spraying Equipment, Training and Advising in European agriculture through the Mobilization of Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems. The main objective is to establish a self-sustaining and innovative thematic network on crop protection and the sustainable use of pesticides.

  • LIFE Perfect. The objective of the European project awarded to the consortium, in which the UMA participates, is the reduction of the risk of pesticide applications in vineyards and citrus for bystanders and the environment. The work consists of transferring to the agents of the agrarian sector involved various methods for the reduction of the pollution generated by the treatments.

  • Erasmus + AgrICT. This European program, in which the UMA is the main coordinator, aims to develop a training program to improve the use of ICT tools in the implementation of precision agriculture. It is aimed at professionals in the field and recent graduates. It also has the support of the Colegio de Agrónomos del Levante of the Levant, as well as several European institutions.

  • TOPPS. European project born in 2005, focused on the application of BMP for the use and application of pesticides, contributing to reduce the water pollution risk. It is funded by ECPA (European Crop Protection Association, representing the European plant protection products industry) with support from public institutions. The UMA imparts these BMP courses with the University of Córdoba and the Spanish association AEPLA.

  • BTSF. It is a training project of the European Comission, coordinated by the AINIA technology center, through the training activities for inspectors and technicians from the EU Member States on the inspection and calibration of pesticide application equipments, as a initiative to improve the protection in food safety. The UMA actively collaborates in the realization of these courses.

  • Trainning courses. The UMA offers training and transfer courses to farmers. In this sense, the UMA has a collaboration agreement with Syngenta to carry out courses around Spain and, recently, with Bayer. The objective is the correct calibration of sprayers in different types of crops to works with the correct volume of application. This reduces the economic costs and unnecessary risks for the operator and the environment.

  • Specialization courses. These courses are part of the agreement between the UMA and Syngenta. These courses that are more developed than those of training and that are mainly oriented to technicians of cooperatives and public workers. These courses exposes all the key aspects of spraying, from the type of nozzle to the current legislation, including several practical demonstrations of calibration in different equipment.

  • Inspection of sprayers. In compliance of the European Directive 128/2009/CE on sustainable use of pesticides, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture issued the Royal Decree 1702/2011 of inspections process for sprayers in use. UMA is a center officially for the organization and implementation of the training program for responsibles for the inspection units.

  • Courses to makers. The UMA also offers courses aimed at technicians and managers of spray equipment mankers. These courses include training on European directives, ISO standards on the design and maintenance of sprayer equipments, methods of determining the volume or calibration of air in airblast sprayers

  • Courses in other countries. Courses are also held outside of Spain, such as in Peru in 2017 or Italy in 2018, to discuss Best Management practice, crop characterization methods, volume adjustment and drift reduction during phytosanitary treatments.

  • LIFE Fitovid. It is a LIFE project, completed in September 2017, directed by Neiker Tecnalia and other Basque institutions. The objective is to demonstrate the environmental impact controlling the applications of phytosanitary products on vineyards. The function of the UMA was to expose the need and reasons of the inspection of pesticide application equipments, including field demonstrations.