Researcher Joan Girona was a witness and a participant in the birth of the Institute for Agricultural Research and Technology (IRTA). Even then, Girona was focused on investigating water use in agriculture. Four decades later, scientists from around the world cite his name when publishing articles on irrigation or the vine.

A Doctor of Agricultural Engineering, Girona spearheaded a collaboration agreement between IRTA and Raventós Codorníu 25 years ago to experiment with irrigation in vineyards on arid land: those at Raimat, owned by Codorníu. Today, in the midst of climate change, the research carried out at Raimat serves as a source of inspiration both within and beyond Catalonia.

With only a few months to go before his retirement, we interviewed him to better understand what this agreement means and to review his career. We also asked him to help us look to the future.

How did the collaboration with Raimat begin?
It was 2001. At IRTA we had secured funding for a vine irrigation project after three years of pursuing it. The then Director General, Josep Tarragó, spoke with the people in charge at Raimat. We met with them, and their reception was so positive that the next day they were already looking for plots to carry out the first trial. In these plots, we did something new for everyone: we tried irrigating in various ways that caused the vines to experience water stress. The result: not only did we obtain different yields – that is, different quantities of wine depending on how we irrigated – but we also achieved a wide variety of qualities. The management of Codorníu, who own Raimat, saw clearly that we could not stop there. A year later, we signed an agreement that would remain open unless one of the parties chose to withdraw. 25 years on, we are still here. We are the IRTA-Codorníu Joint Unit.

Could we say you work in precision irrigation?
More accurately, in precision agriculture, because we don’t just focus on irrigation. We focus on the plant’s water status.

What does that mean?
The plant’s water status is determined not just by irrigation, but also by how you cultivate the land so that it retains more or less water, or by leaving more or fewer grapes on the vine: if it has fewer grapes, it will need less water.

And you’ve learnt so much that Codorníu now advises other producers. A prime example of innovation.

Through a company they founded called Agropixel, they help other producers programme irrigation, and also in the field of remote sensing, that is, satellite detection, which allows us to measure the plants’ water status in a comprehensive and continuous way. It’s many years of experience and learning. The people who were leading Codorníu were very important.

In what way?

From the very beginning, they were heavily involved in our experiments, but they didn’t want to copy our research projects. In other words, they understood the reasoning and the results, and looked for ways to apply it to specific cases. And that’s not typical: people want to be told how to solve problems, and that’s it.

One of the keys is controlling the irrigation, but traditionally, viticulture in Catalonia has been dry-farmed…

What we’ve been doing at Raimat is relevant to Catalonia and to the whole world. Until a few years ago, irrigating the vines was a sin. With the drought, it’s been shown that it isn’t.

“Until a few years ago, irrigating the vineyard was a sin. With the drought, it has become clear that it isn’t“

The Catalan wine sector is suffering from climate change…

In Terra Alta they produce an excellent Garnacha Blanca because they have learnt to irrigate, and one of their sources of inspiration was the work done at Raimat, where we used to irrigate because it’s such a dry area. In Penedès, when they saw that with the drought they were losing not only yield but also wine quality, they said: we have to irrigate. Good wine is made if you water when you’re supposed to. If you’re naturally in an area where it rains when it’s supposed to, there’s no need to water. That was the case with French wines. You’d talk to them about watering and they’d see it as sacrilege. With climate change, in Bordeaux, or Carcassonne, they are already irrigating, and we know they have reviewed our scientific publications.

What will be important for the vineyard sector to be resilient in Catalonia?

Ensuring they have water when they need it. Two years ago, it was madness to say that because of the drought. Now, it’s a bold statement because of the excess rainfall we’ve had. But the reality is that climate change teaches us that we have water today, and tomorrow we won’t. And so, we must know the vine’s ideal water status at all times, and have the capacity to supply it with water if it needs it.

There is also talk of using recycled water.

If you don’t have natural water, you have to look for other sources. But recycled water can have a high salt content, which, in the long run, can damage the viability of the crop. At IRTA, we have several teams researching this.

Internationally, you are a leading scientific authority on deficit irrigation of woody crops. What does that involve?

Traditionally, all crops have been irrigated based on how much water they are capable of using. It was assumed this was the best approach. However, it has become clear that the water crops theoretically need does not correspond to the amount we have available. Therefore, we must be able to fine-tune how much water to supply at each stage of their cycle.

To spend only what is necessary?

You need to know each crop’s sensitivity to water stress. This allows you to apply controlled deficit irrigation: supplying less water than the crop initially needs at certain times. We started doing this with peaches and it has since been applied to many other crops. In the case of the vineyard, controlled deficit irrigation, especially in red wine varieties, greatly improves quality.

“Controlled deficit irrigation in red grape varieties greatly improves quality“

Is it a problem if it rains a lot?

There are some crops, like early cherries, that are covered to protect them from the rain, but this is very expensive. In any case, for most crops, the recent rains have been very beneficial. But if it stopped raining altogether now, it would be disastrous for the vineyard. We need it to rain throughout the year.

At IRTA, you founded the programme for the Efficient Use of Water in Agriculture, which you led between 2010 and 2015.

Our irrigation group was founded at the IRTA Mas Bové centre in the mid-1980s. Afterwards, we moved to Lleida. And the current programme for the Efficient Use of Water in Agriculture, which had other names before, dates from 1994. Therefore, for 21 years I took on this responsibility and honour.

It is estimated that each person in Catalonia needs 3,500 litres of water a day to be supplied with food.

This is an European average. This water, which refers to the primary sector, is not destroyed. Much of it evaporates, returns to the atmosphere, and then falls as rain again. But we need to move a lot of it, and we must be aware of this. Some products require less water: producing an apple can cost less than 70 litres, whereas producing a beef steak, which is the most water-intensive meat, can cost around 4,000 litres. Everything we eat has a water cost, and we need to bear this in mind when we eat, when we don’t waste food, and when we understand that certain water infrastructures are needed to supply producers.

Infrastructures like water transfers?

Also. The main international institutions explain that, with climate change, we run the risk of not being able to provide food for everyone. It is not a trivial problem. And it is not just a matter of having water, but of knowing how to use it in the best way.

For example, could all this water that has recently fallen in Catalonia and Spain be better utilised?

Yes, with greater storage capacity, whether through dams or other systems. Climate change brings more frequent and more intense droughts, but also more floods. We need to work out how we can store water when it rains heavily, and save it for when the droughts come. We need a collective vision for what we must do regarding water.

“We need to see how we could store water when it rains so heavily, and save it for when droughts come“

Let’s talk about the 2023 drought. Along with IRTA experts Jaume Casadesús i Francesc Camps, you were part of the Drought Table promoted by the Government. What was the experience like?

It was a good one. When the situation is pressing, everyone is willing to collaborate.

Your colleagues say that you had been warning for two decades that a drought could put the agri-food sector on the ropes, but that nobody had paid you much attention.

And I’m not sure we’re preparing enough for the next drought, which could be worse. Now is the time to do it: modernise irrigation, improve the way we water, and work to have technologies available. We predict that, with climate change, arid lands will suffer greatly. If suitable irrigation infrastructure is not developed, the arid areas of the Catalan coast could disappear. Penedès and Priorat are examples.

“With climate change, if adequate irrigation infrastructure is not developed, the dry-land farming areas of the Catalan coast could disappear“

How many changes in less than half a century. You’ve been at IRTA since before it was IRTA.

Yes. When I started, it was the Agricultural Research Service, which was one of the first transfers from the Spanish state to the autonomous communities in the late 1970s. One of the centres was in Cabrils, and in the early eighties they held a competitive examination, which I sat. Back then there were no research staff categories as there are today. They told me that, instead of working in Cabrils, I could be at the Mas Bové centre in Constantí, where I had begun my research on a scholarship they had awarded me. I started working on the hazelnut. One day, we were told they were thinking of a new structure for the Agricultural Research Service, which would be called IRTA. I thought the name was dreadful [laughs]. Little by little, we became more agile, integrating centres and making research our top priority.

First you qualified as an agricultural technician, then as a higher-level engineer, and later you completed your doctorate. Where did your interest in agronomy and irrigation come from?

I was supposed to become an electronic engineer, like my father. But I had relatives who were farmers, who worked the land, and I liked what they did. At university, one of the professors who influenced me most was the one in Agricultural Hydraulics, but his perspective was more mechanical than food-related. After graduating, I did my national service and, just as I finished it, I was called by an irrigation company to come and work for them. I was there for two years. But, for my taste, the work of installing irrigation systems was very repetitive. Then, a scholarship from Caixa Barcelona came up, I applied for it, and I was awarded it. I went from earning a third of the salary I had at that company… and, after a while, I was able to spend two years in the United States doing a master’s degree, which had a huge impact on me.

In fact, the relations between IRTA and the University of California, Davis, where you did your placement, have been maintained and consolidated over time. What role did you play?

When I did my placement there, a declaration of friendship had already been initiated, agreements promoted by Jordi Pujol’s government. During my stay in California, and that of my partner, Mercè Mata, also an IRTA professional, we forged many links at the university, and when we returned, we set up working groups that were very dynamic, which have been the basis of strong scientific productivity. All the PhD students in IRTA’s Efficient Use of Water in Agriculture programme have at some point passed through the University of California, Davis. Throughout this time, the collaboration has focused heavily on the topic of irrigation. Last September, we paid a visit there with the Director General of IRTA, Josep Usall, and the Agricultural Counsellor, Òscar Ordeig, and we discussed expanding the collaboration into other areas, such as global health or digitalisation. In May, they will come here.

What is the most interesting thing about this link today?

The ability to collaborate, discuss and compare points of view with colleagues from another part of the world. In the world of research, it is very important to have contacts all over the planet, especially with people who are at the forefront. The moment you have a problem in your own country, the international contacts who have faced similar issues will generously share with you how they tackled and resolved it. Conducting high-level research and having an international network is very important in our field.

“Conducting high-level research and having an international network is very important in our field“

Speaking of networking: since 2019 you have been IRTA’s institutional delegate for the Lleida region and the Pyrenees. Staying in touch with the territory and the sector is important for conducting the applied research that IRTA wants to carry out, isn’t it?

IRTA’s philosophy is to conduct research to solve problems. This can only be done in close collaboration with the territory, that is, with those who experience the problems. The work of an institutional delegate is very much about the relationship with the territory and with institutions. And the aim is to ensure they recognise the value that IRTA brings.

You also went through a political stint. During the last seven months of Artur Mas’s government, until Carles Puigdemont was appointed President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, you served as Director General of Food, Quality and Agri-Food Industry at the Department of Agriculture.

I did a lot in seven months. It was like a master’s degree, which gave me a more comprehensive view of what’s happening in Catalonia. I got the position through my connection with the then-councillor, Jordi Ciuraneta. We were supposed to be there for three months, until the elections on 27 September. But the work went on a little longer. I am pleased to have been part of the general directorate when the so-called Operative Groups were launched.

You also directed the UdL-IRTA Foundation for a few years.

The collaboration between the University of Lleida (UdL) and IRTA was a reality, with its problems but with very good prospects, and both the IRTA management and the UdL authorities believed that a foundation to facilitate relations between the two institutions would be beneficial to this vision of collaboration. A few years later, it became clear that the foundation was not the most suitable vehicle, and Agrotecnio was created, for which I was the founding director.

One of the things your colleagues highlight is your enthusiasm, always.

Sometimes, that can be a flaw, because it’s hard to say no to suggestions.

At the same time, you’ve had some very good collaborators on your teams.

Yes. In any research group, it’s important to have brilliant people and people who help you to get the projects off the ground. I should mention the many people who have passed through the research group I have led. In general, I would highlight three aspects: enthusiasm for the work; the ability or genius to develop it, and the responsibility to carry it out. And I think there are two people who have definitively shaped the essence of the group: Jordi Marsal and Mercè Mata. Mercè has always handled the group’s operational organisation and has ensured that things get done. As entrepreneurs say today: if things don’t happen, make them happen. That’s what Mercè has done. Jordi, who sadly passed away a few years ago, was our scientific reference, internationally recognised as a person of great scientific potential. He brought great prestige to our group.

You’ll be retiring in a few months. What has been the best and the most difficult thing about working at IRTA all these years?

The best thing has been working on what I enjoy. I’ve never been bored. I’ve really enjoyed doing research. Doing it in the field and with people from the countryside. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. The most difficult thing: the excessive paperwork that European society imposes on us. A society where, from the outset, we have to prove that we are not corrupt in everything we do. That, in the field of research, is very tiring.

“Medium-sized producers must have access to technology and knowledge, be profitable and enjoy well-being, and IRTA must be there for them“

From your expert perspective, where should the IRTA of the future be heading?

For me, the IRTA is, above all, a research institute. Research must always come first. And it must be well funded. Currently, IRTA is funded partly by the public administration and partly through the initiative of the researchers and the entire team, who apply for competitive calls and secure contracts with companies and organisations. In my view, society and institutions should value our work even more and provide more resources. Just as it is vitally important for Catalonia to have high-level research in the biomedical field, it is equally important in the agri-food sector, and this is the research that the IRTA must carry out. We eat three times a day. Where do these foods come from? Are we ensuring that we will have them in the future, through viable and profitable companies? For this, we need research.

Catalonia has less than 50% self-sufficiency, the generational succession in the agri-food sector is in question, we are living through several crises in the field of animal health, and farmers fear the Mercosur agreement. Can we be optimistic?

Producers, the farmers, are entrepreneurs. Often, the word “farmer” is used pejoratively: this is a serious mistake. They are an essential link in the food chain. These people must not disappear; they are the ones who manage the land. Very small producers may have it harder, but medium-sized producers form an important network and provide for many people. They must be able to exist, set fair prices, have access to technology and knowledge, build profitable businesses, and enjoy well-being. And this is where IRTA must be.

Thank you very much.

L'entrada “Just as in the biomedical field, in the agri-food sector it is vitally important that Catalonia has high-level research” ha aparegut primer a IRTA.

Les dues organitzacions han desenvolupat conjuntament desenes de projectes, principalment en gestió eficient de l’aigua, que han suposat un estalvi hídric del 20% i han contribuït a millorar substancialment la qualitat del raïm.

El celler Raimat ha acollit aquest matí l’acte de commemoració dels vint-i-cinc anys de la signatura del conveni entre l’IRTA i el grup cellerer Raventós Codorníu, establert per a treballar plegats en projectes de recerca i innovació vitivinícola. El conseller d’Agricultura, Ramaderia, Pesca i Alimentació de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Òscar Ordeig, ha presidit la trobada.

La col·laboració es va iniciar l’any 2001 arran del projecte INIE sobre la vinya, quan l’IRTA va proposar desenvolupar els primers assaigs a Raimat, un celler sempre obert a la innovació. Aquells primers treballs van demostrar que una manera més conscient de gestionar el reg permetia obtenir més producció i, sobretot, una millora notable en la qualitat del raïm i del vi. A partir d’aquí, la col·laboració es va formalitzar i s’ha mantingut de manera ininterrompuda durant 25 anys.

El conseller Ordeig ha afirmat que “des del Govern volem continuar impulsant aliances com aquesta, que connecten el talent científic amb les necessitats reals del camp i dels cellers. El sector vitivinícola és estratègic per al país, genera ocupació, fixa població al territori i projecta Catalunya al món, i iniciatives com la d’avui ens marquen el rumb a seguir”.

Projectes per afrontar el canvi climàtic

Bona part de la recerca conjunta s’ha centrat en la gestió de l’aigua i s’ha desenvolupat a Raimat, un dels 15 cellers propietat de Raventós Codorníu, i també la finca més extensa del grup, situada en una zona amb una pluviometria molt baixa que fa imprescindible el reg. A més, en els últims anys el celler de la D.O. Costers del Segre ha esdevingut capdavanter en l’aplicació de pràctiques sostenibles en l’àmbit de la viticultura i actualment el 100% de la seva vinya és ecològica.

Joan Esteve, director de Raimat, ha valorat que “la unitat mixta IRTA-Codorníu és un cas d’èxit gairebé sense precedents, una col·laboració público-privada gràcies a la qual ara tenim un coneixement molt gran sobre com regar la vinya i, sobretot, de l’efecte que això té en la qualitat del raïm. Ens ha permès optimitzar progressivament l’ús de l’aigua i la uniformitat i qualitat de les parcel·les”.

Així, amb l’aplicació de la recerca fruit de la col·laboració entre l’IRTA i Raimat, s’ha aconseguit un 20% d’estalvi d’aigua de mitjana i una millora del 65% en la uniformitat de les parcel·les, el que es tradueix en una producció de raïm més igual, de la mateixa qualitat. A més, ha tingut impacte en la reducció de plagues i malalties a la vinya.

Segons Joan Girona, investigador de l’IRTA expert en agronomia del reg i un dels impulsors de la unitat mixta, “davant del canvi climàtic el que cal és regar i saber regar. I això segurament servirà per afrontar el futur amb una major certesa, saber quan i com s’ha d’aplicar l’aigua”. Girona destaca que aquesta col·laboració va contribuir a canviar la concepció tradicional segons la qual l’origen del raïm no era un factor clau: “hem posat el nostre granet de sorra per demostrar que cuidar la terra, la vinya i l’aigua és essencial per a la qualitat del producte final”.

Reptes de futur

El director general de l’IRTA, Josep Usall, ha subratllat “el valor de la unitat mixta IRTA–Raventós Codorníu va més enllà dels resultats tècnics. És la prova que la recerca pública i l’empresa privada poden treballar conjuntament de manera estable i duradora, amb beneficis clars per a la societat, l’economia i el medi ambient”. A més, ha afirmat que “aquest aniversari és un gran moment per mirar enrere però també per pensar en el futur. Estem convençuts que la recerca continuarà generant noves solucions, noves tecnologies i nous coneixements que ajudaran els cellers a prendre decisions més eficients i sostenibles”.

Joan Esteve també destaca la necessitat de donar continuïtat als projectes de recerca conjunta amb l’IRTA. “La unitat mixta continua viva. Hem millorat molt aquests anys, però contínuament sorgeixen tecnologies que ens permeten automatitzar processos. En aquest sentit, crec que la intel·ligència artificial pot ser una eina de futur molt interessant per fer recomanacions de reg i ajudar-nos a cometre menys errors. Ens queda un llarg camí per recórrer”.

El conseller Ordeig ha clos l’acte subratllant el valor de col·laboracions com aquesta. “Felicito l’IRTA i Raventós Codorníu per aquests vint-i-cinc anys de feina compartida i els encoratjo a continuar innovant perquè, invertint en coneixement, invertim també en el futur del nostre sector agrari i del nostre país”, ha afirmat.

Durant l’acte s’ha lliurat als assistents un fulletó amb un codi QR que enllaça amb el llistat complet de projectes, articles i publicacions científiques sorgides d’aquests 25 anys de col·laboració. Aquesta documentació es pot consultar aquí.

L'entrada L’IRTA i Raventós Codorníu celebren 25 anys de col·laboració al celler Raimat ha aparegut primer a IRTA.