VisualNACert AgriRecover, winner of the SantanderX Challenge: DANA Challenge

Supporting, helping, innovating. The keys to getting there. We believe in the power of technology used well. And we know that without technology this agricultural future is entirely impossible.

And when, sadly, the DANA storm hit us, we put our technology and our AgriRecover solution to work helping communities and organisations manage the impacts of the disaster. We worked with Agroseguro on identifying and classifying affected areas, supported the Godelleta Irrigation Community in assessing damage to irrigation infrastructure, assisted the CANSO cooperative in rapidly assessing damaged crops, and helped Anecoop analyse the impact across its network of growers.

These collaborations show how our solution speeds up damage assessment and decision-making, backing growers and communities at critical moments.

Santander X Challenge: DANA Challenge

The SantanderX Challenge DANA Challenge is an initiative launched by Santander X to drive the recovery of the areas affected by the DANA storm of 29 October 2024, which mainly hit the Valencia region

The challenge looks for innovative solutions from Spanish startups and scaleups in areas such as infrastructure, architecture, logistics, health, education and safety,

The main objective is to accelerate recovery by developing and implementing initiatives that improve the current and future situation of the affected areas.

Participants compete for two prizes of €30,000 each, intended for implementing their solutions in the damaged areas. Winners also gain access to the SantanderX100 community and promotional support to raise the visibility of their projects

The effects of the DANA storm on agriculture

The DANA caused losses from rain, flooding, hail and wind across more than 50,000 insured plots, mainly citrus and persimmon.

The succession of rain, flooding, hailstorms and tornadoes caused catastrophic damage across a total of 50,184 hectares of agricultural land in twelve districts of Valencia (40,223 ha) and three of Castellón (9,961 ha).

The worst hit districts in the province of Valencia are Ribera Alta (15,588 ha), Utiel-Requena (6,012 ha), l'Horta Sud (5,394 ha) and Ribera Baixa (5,128 ha).

In the province of Castellón, the affected districts are Baix Maestrat (7,364 ha), Plana Alta (1,991 ha) and Alt Maestrat (605 ha).

€1,379 million in agricultural losses in the Valencia region from the DANA

Agroseguro, the body responsible for managing agricultural insurance in Spain, estimates that the DANA caused damage across some 25,500 hectares of insured crops, spread over around 50,000 plots, affecting more than 10,000 farmers and livestock producers. Of those affected hectares, an estimated 17,000 ha are citrus, more than 4,000 ha persimmon and 3,000 ha vegetables.

The AgriRecover project: "Santander X Challenge, DANA Challenge"

The final of the challenge was held on 12 March 2025 in Valencia, where alongside the other finalists (ten in total) we presented our proposal to an expert jury.

And our Visual AgriRecover solution was one of the winners, together with Detektia, which has developed a technology able to detect ground deformation and structural damage to millimetre precision, with no need to place sensors on site. Their tool will provide maps and alerts so that municipalities can identify invisible risks and prevent future problems.

What our Visual AgriRecover proposal consists of:

AgriRecover combines satellite mapping, recovery management, early warnings and resilient crop planning. Our objective: to accelerate agricultural rehabilitation and strengthen the sector against future climate challenges.

Key components of the project:

• Satellite damage mapping: using satellite imagery to rapidly assess the extent of damage across agricultural areas, categorise it and prioritise.
• Recovery management platform: software integrating real-time data to prioritise and coordinate agricultural rehabilitation work.
• Early warning system: deploying IoT sensors to monitor water levels, environmental alerts and other critical parameters

Resilient crop planning: using artificial intelligence to recommend crop varieties more resistant to flooding and extreme weather events, and to optimise growing cycles.

Estimated impact:

• 50% less time spent on damage assessment
• 30% reduction in future losses
• 15% improvement in resource effectiveness

This recognition drives us to carry on innovating for a more resilient farming sector. 💪🚜