The Futuribles’ landed in Zaragoza to address the challenges and opportunities that can come hand in hand with innovation as well as the state of the agri-food sector to strike the necessary balance between the environmental, economic and social sustainability required by all activities. ‘future’, Technological innovation project supported by Prensa IbéricaThe publishing group of EL PERIÓDICO DE ARAGÓN held its second edition in collaboration with the Government of Aragón, Cooperativas Agroalimentarias de Aragón, Alcampo, Cajamar and Grupo Térvalis on April 26 at the World Trade Center in Zaragoza, Aragón.
day starting with introduction speech General Manager of Innovation and Agri-Food Promotion, Government of Aragon, Carmen Urbanochoosing an “Industry 5.0” where “people are at the center of everything”. “Let’s not lose sight of the fact that technology is just a tool. The future depends on people, who are the main spirit and weapon of innovation.”
Urbano advocated cooperation between public institutions and companies, which he saw as “main protagonists”. “The strategy should be defined from the agri-food sector and it is important that all members of the food value chain have active participation,” he said.
The application of innovative technologies and methodologies makes it possible to optimize processes throughout the entire agri-food value chain.
Among the major projects supported by the regional Director in the field of agri-food is the “promotion of food” to “increase the value of the food brand” through the seal of ‘Aragón, Alimentos Nobles’. “A brand with values. We wanted to humanize it so that the food and producers conveyed that we Aragonians are noble people. Food must also be safe, sustainable, healthy…”. In this sense, we need a value, differentiation, and innovation is very important for this.”
In addition, Urbano implements “key and innovative alliances” with the Aragonese Government and the Aragonese Food Industries Association (AIAA), distribution chains, denominations of origin, the Horeca channel and Turismo Aragón, as well as pioneering projects and promotional campaigns for the Aragonese agri-food sector.
Innovation and business model
Following the intervention of Carmen Urbano, the conference was organized around two tables, with the participation of corporate executives, companies and research centers, discussing ‘Innovation and transformation in the agri-food sector’ and ‘Aragon’s business model for increasing efficiency and productivity’. agri-food economy’.
closing’futures transactions‘ Came from the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Environment, Government of Aragon, Joaquin Olonathat innovation requires “leadership that should foster the agri-food sector”.
Aragon plays a leading role in agrifood at the national level, and in this scenario, the community has key innovation centers like CITA. “The application of innovative technologies and methodologies allows for optimizing processes throughout the entire agri-food value chain,” recalled the director of EL PERIÓDICO DE ARAGÓN, Nicolas Espada. “Business alliances and public-private collaboration are key to fostering new research. Aragon has the ability to play this important role. We must all believe in our possibilities because we have them, and the aim of EL PERIODICO DE ARAGÓN by holding these discussion tables is to trust us and continue working to grow. It is to convey that there are materials necessary for it,” Espada added.
“Futurible” is what will happen in the future only if certain conditions are met. This is what the experts, companies, innovation centers and corporate representatives of the agri-food sector wanted to be discussed by EL PERIÓDICO DE ARAGÓN.
Agribusiness seeks synergies to transfer research into the field
The agricultural sector is facing a crucial moment. HE climate change and its destruction endanger the entire food chainWhile war and inflation in Ukraine have uneven globalization and the whole world is thinking and rethinking how to feed the approximately 10,000 million people who will live on the planet in 2030. The industry needs to be transformed for this, and that’s the point of the panel discussion. ‘Innovation and transformation in the agriculture-food sector’ within the framework of ‘Futuribles’.
Climate change is forcing the industry to reinvent and transform
“Don’t play with the food. Ricardo García, director of Cajamar Innova, summed up the agro-industry strategic, capitalized, underlined and bolded, to influence the agreement previously signed by Jesús Nogués, Director of Rural Development of the Government of Aragon.” Lucía Soriano, managing director of the Aragón Agri-Food Research and Technology Center (CITA), called for reading the current context “within” while insisting on the “strategic” nature of the agro-animal sector, which “is now facing times of change”. a climate emergency scenario”.
According to the four speakers, the problem lies in reducing the use of productivity-based inputs and investing in improving irrigation. But the step must start from below with small farmers at the forefront, although investments are large, so funding is absolutely necessary.
Jesús Nogués has called the “technological leap” in family farming, this is the big “pending problem” because agri-food companies do it more easily because of their economic capacity. Nogués’ Rural Development Plans had an impact on the “importance of the second pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy”, which is helping to improve infrastructure and productivity through the €580m coming to Aragon through Rural Development Plans. Carlos Franco, technical adviser for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI), stressed “the need to support cooperatives and small and medium businesses” based on assistance. Those who bet on this or that technology should be the players in the industry, those who know the activity best.”
Lucía Soriano also urged not to blindly trust science to disperse storm clouds, emphasizing that science “cannot stay in its ivory tower, but must provide a public service”. “Science will not solve all of the industry’s problems. “The challenge is to understand the biophysical limits, know how much we can produce, and even get back to this agroecology-like model as much as possible,” he said.
Therefore, public-private cooperation was invoked as the most effective tool for knowledge transfer. The manager of Cajamar İnnova pointed out that although he called for patience, success stories emerged with such initiatives. “Innovation is not cheap and profitability is achieved in the medium to long term,” said García. Jesús Nogués influenced the creation of “collaboration groups” so that the industry itself guides where investigations go.
Aragon business model
The second painting of ‘Futuribles’, “Aragon’s business model to improve productivity and the agri-food economy” different links of the agri-food chain, from agricultural cooperatives and cooperations to industrial and large distribution chains, were represented in and, emphasizing the importance of cooperating to face the common challenges of the sector.
José Víctor Nogués, president of Cooperativas Agroalimentarias de Aragón, highlighted the need for advice and cooperation for small producers to expand into new markets, as well as the current situation in the countryside due to the drought that has already reduced crops. Luis Villamayor, president of the Aragon Food Industries Association (AIAA), said:In the current climate emergency, innovation is essentialunderstood as the ability to adapt to changes in the environment”. Both Villamayor and Nogués pointed out that one of the main obstacles for producers is “overregulation” from Europe, which is very strict and far from local reality, while also leading to greater dependence on foreign countries.
Research Director Ignasi Salaet from Fertinagro Biotech assured that cooperation in the sector is very important today and that sustainability covers many aspects not only ecological but also economic and social. Therefore, “innovations should aim at achieving greater efficiency and at the same time achieving greater profitability”.
Sergio Román, person in charge of Alcampo Producción Controlada, also spoke about sustainability and profitability, assuring that distribution groups “cannot be alien to the productive fabric”, but that both “must cooperate” and “go hand in hand”. innovations are being produced that should help be more sustainable”.
Related news
According to AIAA chief Luis Villamayor, drought is one of the biggest challenges in the industry where “modernizing and expanding irrigated land is essential, allowing for more intelligent regulation and use of water.” Difficulty finding qualified staff, continuing to train young people to continue this generational change, and opening up to immigration are other challenges Villamayor lists.
Sergio Román pointed out that although inflation is dependent on external factors, there are other decisions that can affect the final price of products, such as where you buy from, from whom you buy from and your supplier circuit. “So it is possible to minimize the impact of price increases on customers and maintain a diverse offer,” he said. Ignasi Salaet agrees, pointing out that “the less we depend on the outside, the less it will bother us”, pointing out that “consumers should be made aware of the importance of consuming local products”.