The III National Congress of Rural Development received during three days the opinions of a treintena of experts

Of the 15 to 17 February, Saragossa received, coinciding with the celebration of FIMA, the III National Congress of Rural Development, in which it put emphasis in the need of the cooperation to face up to the new challenges of competitiveness in areas of so much interest as they are the territorial development, the chain and the alimentary market, the agricultural providers, the conflicts of the water or the investigation agroalimentaria.

The inaugural day, celebrated in the Living room of Acts of Bantierra –new Rural Box of Aragon–, was marked, in addition to by the usual parliaments of authorities, by a very special contribution. The genius of the graphic humour Antonio Fraguas, known as 'Forges', tackled the rural world from a point of view very little usual in this type of congresses: the one of the humour. “The humour arises of the natural. When I began to draw posed the estupefacción of the half rural in front of the ‘estupefaccionadoras' actions of the city. Here they arose characters like Blasillo, the shepherd with his boina, the ancianitas rural, etc., and the relation of my humour with the rural world”, explained. “The rural is the wise and am safe that the exit of the crisis will arrive when we give us account that the future, as always, is in the rural world”, added. Forges Spoke on his starts, when the graphic humorists, using the common sense of the rural, showed to the community the lacks that were occurring. Like example, drew in direct several graphic jokes, and also showed others already published.

Drawing that Forges did in direct and that, according to him, went the only of his career that suffered the censorship. Author: Forges.

The second day already went in in matter, and under the epilogue 'Cooperate to improve the competitiveness of the rural territories. Present and future of the methodology LEADER', took part, amongst other, the member of the European Commission, Jean Micheal Courade, the one who carries more than 10 years in this tool directed to the rural development and the promotion of the competitiveness. Courade Spoke of the cooperation between rural areas and between local agents, and of the creation of local associations that give place to new sinergias and strategies of development. To scale European there are difficulties to value the impact of these tasks of cooperation. Another difficulty is the fault of knowledges about the contents of these strategies. It does fault a study of evaluation, since the politics offer merely a frame and are the groups of local action those that decide the actions to carry out. The conference centred in the evaluation of LEADER+ to study the value added of this program. There are 2.300 groups of local action and 202 projects of transnational cooperation, in addition to a big number of projects between regions.

José Ángel García, technician of cooperation of the Association for the integral development of the Jiloca-Gallocanta, during his report in the congress.

Isabel Aguilar, general deputy director attaches of the General Steering of Rural Development and Forestry Politics of the Ministry of Agriculture, explained how from the Spanish administration puts special emphasis in the cooperation in the half rural. Aguilar Explained that to the ministry concerns him a lot the despoblación and therefore it is important the cooperation. “The integration in network is a previous step to the cooperation and is another key element of the methodology LEADER, to the equal that the cooperation”, indicated.

José Ángel García, technician of cooperation of the Association for the integral development of the Jiloca-Gallocanta, went the attendant to give the talk 'Past, present and future of the cooperation'. The report has been a review, analysis and reflection on the cooperation, his challenges and problematic to transversal level. “Before cooperating it is necessary to have clear if it is interesting and if we have a qualified team and with dedication. Also it is necessary to see if the territory is prepared for the cooperation and transmit the project to the local population for involucrarlos”, commented. And it added: “For an effective cooperation recommends generate illusion. For example, the project “Put Aragon in your table” is working by the illusion that have all the agents. The coordinator has to have the clear ideas, empathy, dedication, technical knowledges and officials, skills to resolve problems, fluent communication with the partners and handle of the times”.

In the second Thematic Area, under the title 'Cooperate to attain an alimentary chain more efficient and just', the director of Expansion of the Group García Baquero, Miguel Ángel Díaz, that developed the report 'Compete, collaborate and grow', in which it split of the idea that it is necessary reequilibrar the chain of value that, in the last years and by the effect trip, suffers tensions in the link of the production. The trip of value has produced to the link of the distribution, that imposes his criteria by the strength that provides him the commercial structure and, especially, by the spectacular concentration that has carried out with powerful buyers that concentrate in five teach more than 60% of the total of of the sales of feeding. José Miguel Mere Bengoa, director of External Relations of the Group Eroski, gave to know his case of relation production-distribution with the Cooperative Shepherds like example of success and of how sell more resolving besides the needs of the consumer and the feasibility of the production. Of the strategy emanated and of the process of conjoint work between the two organisations obtain some results that improve the average of the sector.

Miguel Ángel Díaz, director of Expansion of the Group García Baquero, developed the report 'Compete, collaborate and grow', in which it split of the idea that it is necessary reequilibrar the chain of value.

'Cooperate to prosper in the global alimentary market' was the title of the third thematic area, that inaugurated José Antonio Briz, president of Association of Industries of Feeding of Aragon and president of the cluster Aragon Innovalimen. His report 'A company, a drop; several, an ocean', versó on the importance to associate to win dimension in any one of the fields of the company, independently of the juridical model that adopt . Briz Spoke of the commercialisation, production and shopping, and also of the importance of the innovation, with reason of the recent creation of a Clúster of Innovation Agroalimentaria. Like this, it exposed a practical case with distinct forms, formulas and experiences of commercial cooperation. Pilar Walls, director attaches of Promotion of Products Agroalimentarios of the ICEX, developed two pioneering examples of collaboration between all the institutions involucradas in the external promotion of foods and wines, the Plan China and the Plan India, both with the end to realise a series of activities and events of conjoint way and consensuada in both countries.

Pilar Walls, director attaches of Promotion of Products Agroalimentarios of the ICEX, developed the experiences of the Plan China and the Plan India.

Rafael Expósito, director of Sopexa Spain (international agency of marketing and skilled communication in feeding, came and lifestyle), closed the third thematic area with a conference titled 'The communication and collective promotion, an instrument of cooperation and development of the sector agroalimentario'. The associations and interprofesiones agroalimentarias French have been pioneering in the promotion and collective communication of the sector. This strategic vision, that reflected 50 years ago with the creation of Sopexa, has allowed the international development and the sostenimiento of a sector like the agroalimentario, key in the neighbouring country.

In the last of the areas tématicas of the second day presented examples of how can help mutually big multinationals and small exploitations and companies. Javier Seisdedos, like president of the committee organiser of FIMA 2012, exposed the example of the living room like point of union to agriculturalists and manufacturers, the future in front of the new technologies. Jaime Coast, director of Sciences Regulatorias of Monsanto, went the attendant to speak on 'Cooperation in seeds, genetic modifications, herbicides and sustainability', something that has made possible to improve the modern agriculture. The report turned around the collaboration of scientists, providers of services, associations, companies, agriculturalists and other potential users to find the best roads of innovation and sustainability.

Jaime Coast, director of Sciences Regulatorias of Monsanto, spoke on cooperation in seeds, genetic modifications, herbicides and sustainability.

Pilar Giménez, of the dep. Of Health and Regulation of the multinational Syngenta, explained the mutual profits of the cooperation. Syngenta, a company that operates to international level in agriculture, fixed in the sector to know the future of the company. According to Giménez, is necessary an increase of the productivity to satisfy the future needs. “It is necessary to minimise the impacts on the environingingment, but having the innovation and the technology like key pieces to give a jump in the productivity. The company believes in the sustainable development of the agriculture with the responsible use of natural resources”. Finally, Luis Márquez, professor title of Mechanical Engineering of the Polytechnical University of Madrid, tackled the commitment that have to have with the so much big society companies like small exploitations.

The last day, the congress analysed in the first place how cooperate to resolve conflicts and attain a more efficient use of the water in surroundings of aridez. The first speaker in taking part was Josefina Maestu, director of the Program of United Nations of support to the Decenio International for the Action 'The water, source of life' 2005-2015. Maestu Exposed a practical case to explain the international perspective in relation with the manufacturing of River+20. The year 2013 is the International Year of the Cooperation in the Sphere of the Water and the aim is to give to know the potential to increase the cooperation and the challenges that confronts the management of the water in the context of a greater demand of access to the water, of distribution and services. For this is necessary the commitment of different levels (local, national, regional and international), of different parts interested (government, international organisations, private sector, civil society and the academy), coherence of politics and improvement of the planeación and the management.

Later also took part Manuel Omedas, boss of Hydrological Planning of Hydrographic Confederation of the Ebro; José Antonio Leisure, boss of Service of Agricultural Development of the Deputation Foral of Álava; the manager of the Channel of Urgell, Miguel Varea; Víctor Viñuales, director of the Foundation Ecology and Development; and Eduardo Crespo, vocal adviser of the General Steering of Rural Development and Forestry Politics of the MAGRAMA.

Josefina Maestu, director of the Program of United Nations of support to the Decenio International for the Action 'The water, source of life' 2005-2015.

The last part of the congress reserved to the innovation and specifically to 'How cooperate so that the investigation translate in innovation'. 'The assessment of the new varieties of almond by a cooperation multisectorial' is the title of the practical case staged by Rafael Socías i Company, researcher of the Centre of Investigation and Technology Agroalimentaria of Aragon (APPOINTMENT). The agricultural production considers a science of synthesis in which they take part a big quantity of factors, like floor, climate, water, technicians of crop… However, once obtained the harvest, the assessment of this production requires equally the cooperation of very diverse sectors to achieve a better profitability of the crop. In this appearance, presents a project of collaboration multisectorial in which they cooperate diverse agents, along the productive and commercial chain, with the end of rentabilizar, in a competitive situation like the current, the crop of the almendro, no so much by the consideration of the species in general, but by some variety in particular. The APPOINTMENT of Aragon has developed an efficient program of genetic improvement of the almendro that has been effective.

On the other hand, Josep Buján, technical director of the Group Freixenet, developed the report 'Control of viable yeasts in the tiraje in the process of manufacturing of the dig'. The process of manufacturing of the digs is of double fermentation, one of them inside bottle, and is a biological process. It deletes the native yeast before the first fermentation and inoculates another yeast between the first and the second fermentation. The yeast is the responsible biological agent of the fermentation and of the success of the process of manufacturing. The yeasts conserve in groove and control genetically to check that they do not produce mutations. For this have collaborated a lot of years with several institutes. It is indispensable that all the ingredients of the wine go through a system of microfiltración to check that there is not any odd yeast. Mensualmente, renew the crops from grooves it to have the maximum hygiene. Freixenet Realised a specific agreement of collaboration with NTE (New Technologies of the Space) in the frame of the project Biomass Monitoring of the European Space Agency (THIS) to create a prototype of an electronic probe of biomass. The advantages are the saving of time that allows and the possibility of more controls and hygiene, optimising the process.

Also they developed other practical cases, Joaquín Puigjaner, director of Projects R&D of Ordesa; Carlos Saragossa, boss of the Unit of Vegetal Health of the Centre of Investigation and Technology Agroalimentaria of Aragon-APPOINTMENT; and Pere Alberti, president of the Association Interprofesional for the Agricultural Development.