On June 24, the Association of Alumni of the ETSIAM “Ruiz Santaella” brought together more than 40 representatives of the Córdoba agri-food ecosystem in the first edition of the Córdoba Agri-Food Innovation Forum, which was born with the vocation of becoming a point a reference meeting to discuss the concerns of the sector and explore the latest trends and transformative technologies that help strengthen through joint proposals and collaborative actions the productive and business fabric of the Córdoba agri-food chain.
The initiative is part of the project “Impulse of the Agri-Food Innovation Ecosystem of the municipality of Córdoba”, thanks to the financing of the Municipal Institute of Economic Development and Employment of Córdoba, in the ESAL 2023 call. In the presentation of this new initiative, Blanca Torrent, president of IMDEEC and first deputy mayor of Córdoba City Council, highlighted that Córdoba is proving to be a benchmark in agri-food innovation, thanks to its commitment to climate change, technology and sustainability and stated that it is essential that it continue valuing this capacity to continue leading progress in the agri-food field.
Mª del Carmen del Campillo, director of the Higher Technical School of Agronomic and Forestry Engineering (ETSIAM), from which the “Ruiz Santaella” Association emerged, highlighted the role of the soil as a mitigator of climate change and the importance of having a system resilient agri-food sector that must take advantage of the opportunities offered by new technologies and artificial intelligence to overcome current challenges and move forward together hand in hand with the sector, in a collaboration with the School that, he assured, will continue to strengthen. For her part, the vice-rector for Innovation and Transfer of the University of Córdoba, Lourdes Arce, highlighted the talent of its researchers as the main value of the academic institution and made available to the sector the capacity of the University to properly channel innovation funds. towards companies that, in collaboration with them, guarantee that resources are used effectively and efficiently.
Carbon markets and artificial intelligence
In this first edition of the Forum, two current issues were addressed to energize the debate. Juan Sagarna, director of Sustainability, Quality and Innovation of Agri-Food Cooperatives of Spain, spoke first, highlighting the opportunities of carbon markets and their impact on the agri-food sector, and the possibilities they offer to producers, companies and the agri-food industry. to synergistically take advantage of the role of agricultural and livestock farms in their contribution to climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration in the soil and emission reductions. Currently, caution is recommended in a market that Europe is regulating, but to which we will have to be very attentive, in the opinion of Juan Sagarna, as a complement to the agri-environmental measures and the eco-regimes of the new CAP that promote the sustainability of primary production.
For her part, the director of the International Chair of Artificial Intelligence and Agriculture at the UCO and professor at the ETSIAM, Rosa Gallardo, has presented three projects that over the next three and a half years will offer services to companies in the agri-food sector through actions that will promote research, training, dissemination and transfer of scientific-technical knowledge and innovations in Artificial Intelligence (AI), as well as tests to test and validate AI or robotics solutions in the agri-food sector that are in the final stages of development thanks to the European AgrifoodTEF project or through workshops, concept tests, demonstrations or Living Labs to promote digitalization in the Andalusian area thanks to Andalucía Agrotech EDIH. Rosa Gallardo has highlighted the public-private collaboration that accompanies these initiatives and the common denominator of the usefulness of the most advanced digital technologies to contribute to the promotion of agri-food companies that the Córdoba ecosystem can take advantage of.
During the open debate, representatives of important companies, cooperatives and agri-food industries, as well as researchers from the University of Córdoba, IFAPA, farmers and ranchers, agricultural professional organizations, associations, technology companies and startups, financial entities and representatives of the municipal government, have shared his vision on the issues discussed and other open fronts in the current global geopolitical and economic situation. The Forum has become a true meeting point for innovation and collaboration in the agri-food sector and highlights the business and scientific capacity of the province of Córdoba in the food value chain.
The “Ruiz Santaella” Association of the ETSIAM, promoter of the forum, positions itself as an actor that can play a key role in the development of the Cordoba agri-food sector, bringing together the professional and business fabric that is a reference on the national scene and demands greater prominence in decision-making forums at regional, state and European levels. Both for its contribution to the value of agricultural production and for its commitment, already demonstrated, to lead innovation with the latest technologies, such as artificial intelligence, the Córdoba agri-food sector hopes to be relevant in the decisions that will determine its future. next. Among the demands, both startups and small businesses as well as industry and producers demand greater attention, agility and support from administrations for their initiatives aimed at sustainability, profitability and job creation in our territory.
The “Ruiz Santaella” Association will continue working to serve as a spokesperson for the needs and initiatives of the sector, and to contribute to effective collaboration between the different actors in the agri-food chain, which has been one of the greatest contributions of this Forum that, not only justifies it, but encourages all participants to continue playing a crucial role for the growth and competitiveness of the region.
The organization thanked all the participants, speakers and collaborators for their contribution to the success of the 1st Córdoba Agri-Food Innovation Forum. “We are committed to continuing to work to promote innovation and development in the agri-food sector, and we are already planning new initiatives to collaborate as a network and continue promoting advances that benefit us all,” concluded the president of the Alumni Association of the ETSIAM “Ruiz Santaella”, Adolfo Peña.
