June 25, 2018

Several experts in ICT Adoption Models in the Agri-Food Sector , organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food through the National Rural Network . Isabel Bombal, advisory member of the General Directorate of Rural Development and Forestry Policy, and Andrés Montero , coordinator of the Focus Group on Digitalization and Big Data for the sector and the Rural Environment, led the event.

A roundtable discussion was held with the attending experts, who came from agri-food companies, universities, research centers, and new technology companies, among others. Antonio Sánchez from INIA (National Institute of Statistics and Census), Jaume Casadesús from IRTA (International Institute of Statistics and Census), and Carlos Callejero from Sensowave/digitanimal shared various activities related to digitalization and the implementation of new technologies in rural areas that are currently being implemented.

Two working groups discussed the factors that drive and hinder the adoption of digital technologies by all those involved in the various sectors of the agri-food chain : agriculture and livestock, cooperatives, marketing, distribution, research , etc.

The need for cooperation and coordination among the actors and stakeholders involved, the need for a return on investment , the importance of public-private collaboration , and access to government data , among other actions to be considered, were identified. A debate was generated around the dangers and/or benefits of open data .

The conclusions of this panel contribute to identifying the difficulties faced by the various sectoral and territorial challenges in the rural sector and environment, and to outlining the strategic lines of digitalization to successfully address the digital transformation of the sector and the territory.