Five students from IES San Marcos de Icod de los Vinos have developed Naira, an intelligent irrigation system based on artificial intelligence, and successfully tested it in Senegal during a 15-day stay.
Five students from the higher cycle of Electronic and Automated Systems at IES San Marcos, in Icod de los Vinos, have achieved something that goes beyond the classroom: putting their knowledge to the service of a needy community. Together with their teacher Carlos de Arriba, they have developed Naira, an irrigation system based on artificial intelligence, and installed it in several villages in Senegal.
A system that cultivates better than a person
The project was born from a question: can artificial intelligence cultivate better than a human being? To answer this, the team created a system that analyses environmental data and determines the optimal moisture and irrigation parameters for each type of crop. "The AI, based on the available data, determines the optimal moisture and irrigation parameters for each crop," explains De Arriba.
The name Naira, of aboriginal origin, means 'guide'. And that is precisely the project's vocation: to serve as a reference for students and contribute to raising awareness about the major global challenges, according to the professor.
From Icod to Kayar: 15 days of cooperation
The initiative would not have been possible without the support of the national call from CaixaBank Dualiza and FP Empresa, which selected the project among the 44 best in Spain and funded the trial in a real environment. "We were among the 44 best projects in Spain and secured the funding to test Naira in a real environment," recalls De Arriba.
The chosen destination was Senegal, a country with which the team had previous ties through basic vocational training classmates who had come from there. For 15 days, the students exchanged classrooms for Senegalese paths. Their first stop was Kayar, at the Hogar Escuela Baobab, supported by the Fundación Canaria El Buen Samaritano. There, they installed a complete solar panel system and conducted the first tests of Naira, which confirmed its functionality.
The experience also had a strong human impact. "They had nothing, but offered us everything," the students recount, who lived alongside the people of Kayar, one of the areas from which numerous migrant boats depart. The cultural shock left a profound mark on them.
A network of Canary Island collaboration
Behind Naira is a team effort that has involved several educational centres and entities from the Islands. The IES La Guancha worked on the communication system; IES El Sobradillo and Teguise, in Lanzarote, contributed their agricultural expertise; while the Instituto Canario de Investigaciones Agrarias, the Escuela de Capacitación Agraria de Tacoronte, and the Universidad de La Laguna provided technical and statistical advice.
For the municipality of Icod de los Vinos, this project is a source of pride. "It is an example of how Vocational Training can have a real impact, not only on technological development but also on international solidarity," sources from IES San Marcos point out. The students have demonstrated that innovation knows no borders, and that a system created in a Canary Island institute can help communities thousands of kilometres away.
Back in Tenerife, the team is already working on new improvements for Naira, with an eye on continuing to collaborate on cooperation projects. "This is not the end," they assure.
