UPS signed an inter institutional cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery (MAGAP for its acronym in Spanish) in order to create the first school of productive irrigation which will help the challenges of agriculture and guarantee safety and food sovereignty. 

The acting vice president of the university's branch campus in Quito, Edgar Tello, signed the agreement which seeks to implement and manage projects aimed at providing water in the country for small and medium sized producers. UPS will also work with MAGAP to assess new alternatives for training sessions on productive irrigation and the use of ancestral practices that can strengthen the country's economy. UPS will be in charge of preparing people to manage irrigation systems.

Some benefits of technical irrigation is that it is much less erosive than one made by flood or furrow, it is more efficient in terms of plant nutrition, it allows a more rational use of water and is therefore more friendly to nature. It also significantly alleviates the working hours, especially of Andean women who are mainly responsible for agricultural work.

The partners involved in this project are: Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID),  (AECID), Escuela Politécnica Nacional (EPN), Escuela Politécnica Particular del Ejército (ESPE), Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH), Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), Universidad Central del Ecuador (UCE), Universidad Politécnica Salesiana (UPS), Universidad Técnica de Manabí (UTM), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) y el Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIAP). 

The agreement is also supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization  (FAO ) of the United Nations, the European community and the World Bank.