2004 Environment Award Laureate
Frost Protection Corporation
| Laureate Country: Uruguay |
| Website: www.frostprotection.com |
| Video: 2004Videos/frost_protection.mov |
Project Overview: Frost Protection Corporation, based in Uruguay, exclusively markets worldwide the patented SIS System for frost protection, with operations in the US, Europe, Oceania and SouthAmerica. Fields of grapes, stonefruit, apples, kiwifruit, avocados and citrus are among the many tested that benefit from the SIS. Prof. Rafael Guarga is the president of FPC and SIS inventor. Pedro Mastrángelo is the company's vice-president and CEO.
Problem Addressed: SIS System technology addresses damage caused by radiation frost on sensitive crops.
At moderate and subtropical climates, there is a meteorological phenomenon called "radiation frost," which makes most crops undergo extremely cold conditions. It can be estimated that there is an average annual loss due to frost damage between 5% and 15% of the total production market value. Annual losses by frost (considering an estimated 30% of crops protected by traditional methods) are no less than 9 billion US dollars.
Technology Solution: SIS System selectively drains the cold air that affects the crops, by placing strategically SIS devices within the orchard/vineyard. This clean and proven technology incorporates the specific designed know-how to study microclimates of each orchard or vineyard. Each system is custom designed, allowing for a rational use of resources and a sustainable application of the system. SIS system has a much better environmental impact than the traditional frost protection technologies (the latter causing heavy pollution), and offers very competitive investment and operating costs.
