An agreement between the **[Conicet](https://www.conicet.gov.ar/)** and the company **[CNC Intech Argentina](https://www.cnc-intech.com.ar/)**, based in the Buenos Aires town of **9 de Julio**, aims to strengthen **precision agriculture** in the country through the development of technologies that improve efficiency in planting, fertilization, and harvesting.
The agreement was defined as a **public-private partnership to solve a specific problem in the production system**, as explained by the Conicet researcher in Bariloche, **Juan Pablo Pascual**, a telecommunications specialist.
**Precision agriculture** is a strategy that originated in the United States and seeks to optimize input usage through detailed analysis of [soil and crop data](https://noticiasambientales.com/medio-ambiente/agricultura-regenerativa-el-camino-hacia-suelos-fertiles-sostenibilidad-y-resiliencia-climatica/). GPS, sensors, and software allow the application of resources such as water, fertilizers, or seeds **at the exact place and time**, reducing costs and impacts.
## What is being developed: electronic units that think for the machines
The agreement —signed seven months ago— aims to provide **scientific advice to validate and improve an electronic control unit (ECU)** designed by Intech, which will be used in machines such as **planters, fertilizers, and bale wrappers** (equipment that produces grass rolls to feed livestock).
These units allow to:
– **Collect data** during the [agricultural process](https://noticiasambientales.com/compromiso-ambiental/riego-inteligente-con-ia-una-solucion-innovadora-para-la-agricultura-en-la-patagonia/)
– **Monitor and dose in real-time** according to the terrain conditions
– **Enhance performance** and reduce input waste
– **Diagnose failures** and adjust parameters automatically
From Bariloche, Pascual and his team participate in different stages of development, analyzing, for example, **fertilizer dispersion**, errors in parameter measurement, or the **machines’ response in different conditions**.
## Applied science and national production
Pascual, trained in **Electronic Engineering** at the National University of La Plata, currently works at the Telecommunications Engineering Department of the **National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA)**, and is also a teacher at the **Balseiro Institute**. After his experience in the private sector, he highlights the value of applying scientific knowledge to developments that impact the **real economy**.
He believes that these types of partnerships allow the State to **support industrial SMEs**, drive innovation, and **generate exportable technologies**. In fact, **Alfredo Quiroga**, president of Intech, stated that “we are on par with multinational companies” and does not rule out scaling the project to other machines or markets.
## Precision that transforms agronomic work
The impact of these technologies is twofold:
– On an industrial level, it strengthens the **local production of smart agricultural equipment**
– On an agricultural level, it **improves data processing**, adjusts **input dosing**, and **optimizes technical decisions** of producers and agronomic advisors
