10-11 February – Second ECONUTRI Hackathon by UAL, Cajamar Experimental Station and Coexphal – Spain

The Second Econutri Hackathon, was successfully held on 10 and 11 February 2026, in Almería, Spain, presenting a new online Decision Support System (DSS) designed to support greenhouse vegetable growers in optimising fertigation management.
The event was organised by our partner, the Universidad de Almería (UAL) in collaboration with the Fundación Cajamar at its Experimental Station in Las Palmerillas, with the support of our partner COEXPHAL.

A New Free Online Fertigation Tool

The Hackathon was organised under the title “On-line fertigation tool for greenhouse vegetable crops. Presenting the new free tool for you to evaluate.”

During the event, participants were introduced to a new Decision Support System (DSS) designed to support greenhouse vegetable growers and agricultural technicians in developing precise fertigation plans. The tool helps optimise irrigation and fertiliser use by generating recommendations tailored to the specific conditions of each crop and greenhouse. By supporting data-driven nutrient management, it contributes to improving nutrient-use efficiency, reducing environmental impacts, and helping farmers comply with increasingly strict fertiliser regulations.

The DSS, freely available through the “Tierra” web platform of Fundación Cajamar, integrates two key components:

• VegSyst-DSS – the nutrient management component developed by Universidad de Almería
• PrHo model – the irrigation management component

Together, these tools generate tailored fertiliser and irrigation recommendations for greenhouse vegetable crops in south-east Spain, enabling more precise, efficient and sustainable fertigation management.

Workshop Presentations

The programme included a series of focused presentations introducing the projects and the technical components of the tools:

• Introduction to the workshop – Juan José Magán (CAJAMAR)
• Presentation of the HORT2THEFUTURE project – Juan José Magán (CAJAMAR)
• Presentation of the ECONUTRI project – María Teres Peña Fleitas (UAL)
• Irrigation component based on the PrHo model – Loli Fernández (CAJAMAR)
• Nutrient component based on VegSyst-DSS – Marisa Gallardo (UAL)
• Demonstration of the complete fertigation tool on the Tierra platform – Juan José Magán (CAJAMAR)

Following the presentations, participants engaged in a guided hands-on computer session to programme fertigation for a sample crop, and then worked independently to develop their own fertigation plans, providing feedback and suggestions

Strong Professional Engagement

A total of 26 agricultural professionals attended, including technicians from cooperatives, fertiliser companies and extension services

The new online DSS generated strong interest, particularly due to its ability to prepare detailed fertiliser plans that respond to increasingly strict regulations while adapting to the specific conditions of each crop and greenhouse.

To facilitate continued interaction, a dedicated WhatsApp group remained active for 48 hours after the event, allowing participants to ask questions, share suggestions and provide feedback for further improvement of the tool.

Overall, the Hackathon clearly demonstrated how ECONUTRI translates scientific innovation into practical, user-friendly digital solutions that support precision agriculture and sustainable nutrient management in greenhouse systems.

The ECONUTRI team warmly thanks all speakers, contributors and participants who helped make this Hackathon a success and looks forward to continuing the journey toward smarter, data-driven and environmentally responsible agriculture.