Good Practice - Project
CAP-funded farm advisory services help modernise Madrid’s regional agricultural sector
New advisory services help modernise Madrid’s regional agricultural sector.
General information
RDP Priority
- P2. Competitiveness
RDP Focus Area
- 2A: Farm’s performance, restructuring & modernisation
RDP Measure
- M02: Advisory services
Summary
The Madrid Institute for Rural, Agricultural and Food Research and Development of the Community of Madrid (IMIDRA) offers training and advisory services through the Terra Plan. IMIDRA conducted surveys and organised working groups to better understand farmers’ needs and especially young farmers.
Based on an assessment of the needs of (young) farmers in the region, IMIDRA set up a new, free advisory service, AgroAsesor, which provided agricultural and generation renewal support for rural parts of the Madrid region with a focus on woody crops, livestock breeding, plant health, extensive crops, and horticulture.
Results
The AgroAsesor team implemented 505 actions. These comprise 176 face-to-face consultations, 115 trial visits, 123 telephone consultations and 101 online consultations.
Promoter
Comunidad de Madrid
Funding
Total budget 295 000 (EUR)
RDP contr. 233 188 (EUR)
Private 61 812 (EUR)
Resources
CAP-funded farm advisory services help modernise Madrid’s regional agricultural sector
(PDF – 1.95 MB)
Context
The organisation ‘Terra Plan’ supports farmers and rural areas in the Madrid region. It focuses on: competitiveness, marketing, generational renewal and training, biodiversity, and climate change. The Madrid Institute for Rural, Agricultural and Food Research and Development of the Community of Madrid (IMIDRA) offers training and advisory services through the Terra Plan. IMIDRA conducted surveys and organised working groups to better understand farmers’ needs and especially young farmers. This confirmed: demographic challenges of an ageing rural population; low numbers of young farmers entering the sector; difficulties for young farmers in accessing credit and acquiring land; and limited access to CAP Pillar 1 support.
Conclusions informed proposals for restructuring agricultural advisory services to enhance capacity building among young and older farmers to capitalise on opportunities provided by the new CAP. A focus was identified for organic farming, correct use of plant protection products, and the Natura 2000 network.
Objectives
This project aimed to modernise regional training services for farmers and facilitate generation renewal by helping improve the attractiveness of farming as career.
Activities
IMIDRA set up the AgroAsesor project to offer free advisory services and knowledge transfer publications for farmers. AgroAsesor represents the first step towards constructing a large, multi-agency advisory network that brings together stakeholders from across the territory (including cooperatives and agri-food companies, the Agricultural Chamber and LEADER Local Action Groups). The service was designed according to the AKIS principles. It is delivered by four technicians and a programme manager.
The main areas of advice include the most relevant production sectors in Madrid’s agricultural sector: woody crops, livestock breeding, plant health, extensive crops, and horticulture.
AgroAsesor responds to questions from farmers via professional guidance focused on production. Horticultural advice covers crop production planning, managing pests and diseases, tackling fertilization problems, irrigation, crop rotation efficiency, alternative crops and organic conversions. Advice for woody crops includes pruning and training systems, pests and managing frost damage. Many farmers showed an interest in developing new organic pistachio and almond plantations, as well as walnuts in the irrigated areas in the region's south.
The project also included demonstration trials (with a range of relevant partners) regarding soil disinfection, local plant varieties, new varieties of cereal, or other crops in extensive farming. A dedicated mobile app and GIS spatial database are used to manage the advisory services.
Another activity is the Agrarian Erasmus programme that allows young people who want to enter the agricultural sector to spend three months in a rural environment.
Main results
The AgroAsesor team implemented 505 actions. These comprise 176 face-to-face consultations, 115 trial visits, 123 telephone consultations and 101 online consultations.
Key lessons
- Projects such as the AgroAsesor show that to enable knowledge transfer from research to farms, and to realise the environmental and social ambitions of the new CAP, it is important to foster cooperation between different actors in the delivery of advisory services.
- The provision of support and advice is vital for revitalising agricultural sectors. This must be available to all producers and especially to those who wish to enter the sector, whether they are young farmers or over 40 years old.
contact