“We have structural weaknesses that are easily salvageable, but a political and professional concert is needed to change it.” Cristóbal Aguado, president of the Valencian Association of Farmers (AVA-ASAJA), usually has a clear and direct speech and his is this conclusion of the Meetings in La Vanguardia that was held in Valencia a few days ago under the sponsorship of AgroBank, the line of CaixaBank business specialized in the agri-food sector. A multifaceted debate on a sector that also identifies Valencian culture, linked for generations to citrus exploitation, since 2% of world production is grown in the Valencian Community.
The conversation was a talk with many nuances about the present and future challenges of the Valencian countryside. Held in the GoHub space, Global Omnium's 'corporate venturing' and broadcast in streaming, was moderated by the delegate of 'La Vanguardia' in the Valencian Community, Salvador Enguix, and included, in addition to Aguado, the general secretary from La Unió Llauradora i Ramadera, Carles Peris; as well as by Carlos Campos, director of Agrobank in the Valencian Community; with José Blasco, coordinator of the Agroengineering Center of the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA) and with Lucía Donnini, director of Agricultural Integration of the Valencian company Importaco.
The speakers outlined, before delving deeper, the main challenges, which due to their reflections, are not few. A better balance in the food chain, better help from public institutions for the technological adaptation of the farmer, the stalking of the weather and its torpedoing of the productions developed until now, "and to complement, without a doubt the generational change is an important aspect,” commented Campos. Nothing more and nothing less.
And the plagues of modern agriculture are not few, and climate change is one of them. The coordinator of the IVIA Agroengineering Center spoke of the complex situation that the farmer is experiencing in this sense, since he assumes losses after storms and adverse weather situations to which he must adapt. "He has to assume it so as not to pass on the extra costs to the consumer, who is already very stressed in terms of prices and can choose between fierce competition."
The field and its transfer to the table was another of the topics raised at the meeting. Carles Peris summarized the context, “with very bad years in which we experienced a decapitalization of the sector and where we did not find young people.” To this, he lamented, are added the deficits in production, because as the representative of the Unió already advanced, “the future is to produce more with less.” For Lucía Donnini, it is time for “a paradigm shift”, in which the contribution of value comes, among others, from the recovery of native varieties.
As they explained, it costs a lot (in cost and effort) to produce, climate change conditions everything and price competition is voracious. Furthermore, there is a lack of generational change and many lands suffer abandonment. In Peris's opinion, in these years “a very important value has been transmitted in terms of the dignity of the territory, but not so much in having a dignified and stable future and in the countryside it is possible. “It is a sector that provides freedom,” he noted.
Aguado wanted to specify and appeal to the stomach: “Society has to understand that making food, in the countryside, in the open, is not that simple.” The president of AVA-ASAJA pointed to the political class and accused Europe of being “a giant with feet of clay.”
In his speech, Aguado criticized the rigidity of the European Commission in a context in which his organization denounces that half of the citrus interceptions in the European Union with pests or diseases in October came from South Africa. “Guarantees must be given, and it is the politicians who have to do so,” he added. He assured that in Europe there is “a philosophical agricultural policy, and not one based on scientific reports.” On this matter, Lucía Donnini added that “the regulatory restriction has to be accompanied by an R D”, but she insisted that European foods are “the safest” right now.
Regarding the replacement, gaps also stood out. Thus, Blasco observes a “digital and training gap” in the sector that must begin to close in universities. “Those who are the generational replacement must be treated differently, trying to promote research to generate local knowledge and technology, adapted to Valencian needs.” And it was very specific: “The adoption of technology cannot be the same in a cereal field as in an orange field,” said Blasco.
In this training that he believes will come, Campos gave the example of the alliance between the Basque Culinary Center and AgroBank to carry out initiatives to promote young talent that contribute to making visible and highlighting the agri-food sector; o AgroBank Tech Digital INNovation, a startup ecosystem where the best ideas and technological solutions are sought to transform the agri-food sector through open innovation.
Campos explained that here they observe how more and more these types of innovative solutions are in demand, companies have "a greater demand while the farmer little by little is also entering into these dynamics" that allow, among other things, better management of the resources.
Donnini explained how in his field work he sees the two trends: “Farmers who use drones and then, just the opposite, others who have more conventional practices.” He also concluded that this is an “aged and very masculinized” sector and that is why he considers it relevant to transform it, “take one more step”: “It is very important to invest in training and provide conciliation measures.” The big what of the 21st century.
From the field, both Aguado and Peris said theirs. The first warned that in extensive crops there are more women because “mechanization is more common”; while Peris added that “there are still few women, but the commitment to the future comes from there” and reviewed how her organization changed its name to a more inclusive one: the Unió de Llauradors i Ramaders is now the Unió Llauradora i Ramadera to welcome everyone and all also in their denomination. “We don't have to talk so much, and we do have to act,” Peris assumed.
The climate, production, price, regulation, land abandonment... and again, the climate. The lack of water is a palpable concern, especially in the south of the Valencian Community. “The 2030 agenda is there and sustainability is not an enemy and we are going to live with this for a long time. The sooner we become friends and do everything we can, the better,” Campos acknowledged.
Peris assured that farmers look to research to provide solutions to climatic fluctuations and asked for “more resistant patterns and conditions that can make our daily lives easier because there is little room for maneuver to correct the inclemencies.” And Aguado said that the field wants to be “competitive, have more profitability and adapt more to the demands of consumers, but along the way many things have been lost, such as aroma and flavor.” For his part, Donnini pointed out that "climate change represents a main risk to guarantee supply, so we need to take actions to reduce its impact on agriculture and work with research centers and farmers."
Finally, and despite the pests, convinced of the prestige of Valencian agriculture, they asked for more promotion and collaboration. “We need to collaborate between all actors and we need trust and transparency,” said Lucía Donnini. If the pests arrive, they will be waiting prepared.
