‘S3’ is an ambitious commitment by a consortium with Criado y López (CYL) and Kimitec, along with collaboration by the University of Almeria and Fundación Cajamar.
With the implementation of an integrated management system for high value intensive tomato farming, the S3 project (Tastier, Healthier and more Sustainable) is promoting differentiation with regard to fresh produce coming from countries outside the EU with lower quality standards.
Each of the companies involved is a leader in its business line, and together they form an excellent team to reach this proposal’s scientific, technological and sales targets, which is pursuing innovative, complementary goals that will allow all the participants to develop new strategic products for each of them.
The chemical composition of a fresh tomato depends on factors such as cultivation, ripeness, light, temperature, season, climate, soil fertility, irrigation and agronomical handling. All of these demand innovative solutions for sustainable and competitive agrifood production. Therefore, the general goal of the S3 project involves the idea of giving farmers the tools required to grow a tomato that is different to others due to its healthy, organoleptic characteristics and to the sustainability of its growing system. In short, the idea is to obtain a tomato from Almeria that is different to all others, giving it a nutritional label and guaranteeing a zero-residue strategy for its marketing.
CASI, the consortium’s leader, will carry out actions on the improvement in quality, safety, competitiveness, productivity and sustainability through a bio-nutrition and bio-protection variety selection. Kimitec will design, develop and produce a specific solution aimed at growing selected varieties that can feed and protect the crop without leaving any type of chemical traces and that also promote their organoleptic properties. Finally, CYL will develop a new double-action anti-insect net that prevents the entry of insects and allows the air flow renewal rates in the greenhouses to be improved.
