Knowledge, Sensors, and Seeds: Community and Technology for a Balanced Future
Ecuador is an agricultural powerhouse with a diverse identity. From its land come products that travel the world: bananas under globally recognized brands like Bonita, Chiquita, Dole, and Solidal; cacao that gives life to Italian chocolates like Lindt and other high-end pastries; roses that adorn the Vatican and Russian palaces every week; sustainably farmed shrimp exported worldwide; and orchids —with over 4,500 species, 1,700 of them endemic— that position the country as one of the most biodiverse on the planet. However, rapid urbanization and land transformation are threatening these productive ecosystems, putting food security and the balance of rural territories at risk.
𝗘𝗰𝘂𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗶𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱’𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗹𝗲, 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗮, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁. 𝗜𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀 —𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗨𝗦𝗗 𝟕𝟑𝟑 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑— 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨.𝗦., 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗞𝗮𝘇𝗮𝗸𝗵𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻. 𝗘𝗰𝘂𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗽 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟒,𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰.
In this context, last year we were contacted by Maquita, a social organization that promotes the rural economy in Ecuador. From this collaboration, a project emerged that fills us with pride: working with two farming communities to implement an environmental monitoring system that helps track the state of water, soil, and vegetation cover in cultivated areas. It has been a transformative experience. Getting to know firsthand the socio-environmental realities faced by farming families confirmed what we already sensed: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼-𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹, 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲.
One of the project’s milestones was the combination of 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 to design a 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺-𝗨𝗽 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼n —from which we developed a digital platform.
That’s how 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺_𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 was born:
• An environmental monitoring system based on citizen science
• Integration of IoT sensors
• AI models for the sustainable management of natural resources
Today, the system is already in use in two communities through Maquita, and we continue enhancing its functionalities with new layers of analysis, prediction, and data visualization. This experience reaffirms something we deeply believe at Novamanto: 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼-𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁.
Would you like to learn more about the EcoSystem_Monitor?
📩 Write to us at: info@novamanto.com
🤝 Join us in expanding community-based environmental monitoring!