Sebastian Soto is the recipient of a 2024 Scholarship, supported by PSP Investments, and will research worldwide technology applications for water use efficiency in viticulture, including gaps, transference, and implementation.
Sebastian works in research and development at the Centre for Research and Innovation of Via Concha y Toro, the largest winery in Chile. The goal is to create value and impact in the business through R&D and science-based innovations, including improved plant material, new wine varieties and digital platforms. Sebastian identifies problems in viticulture and proposes projects to solve those problems, teaming with universities and researchers.
Currently, Sebastian is in his final year of a Ph.D. in Agriscience at Universidad of Talca and holds a Masters in Enology and Viticulture from Universidad de Chile, where he also graduated as Agri Engineer. He applied for a Nuffield Scholarship to answer the question of how a technology package could be built that successfully reduces water usage and positively impacts many farmers in the world.
"Many wine regions have been subjected to sustained drought in recent years. In Chile, there is an accumulated rainfall deficit between 50% and 95% in wine regions and at the national level, water reservoirs show an average deficit of 50%," he says.
"Optimizing the use of water in viticulture is a necessity, not only to optimize the resource, but also to ensure food production, water for human consumption, and water for ecosystems."
Sebastian will travel to Israel, the USA and South Africa which are all countries with renowned wine regions that have been experiencing water scarcity and new innovations in water use efficiency.
