• A total of 14 volumes collect the research carried out by the Operational Groups and Innovation Projects for the sake of rural development.
• 6 publications have already seen the light and now the remaining 8 are coming out.
• Innovation – included in Measure 16 of the Rural Development Programs – is a fundamental pillar for the evolution of the rural environment

Operational Groups are groups of stakeholders from diverse backgrounds—such as farmers, ranchers, foresters, agri-food or forestry industries, public or private R&D and development training and advisory centers, technology centers, or non-profit institutions—who partner with each other to develop an innovative solution that solves a problem or enhances an opportunity. The working system in these groups is always joint and multisectoral.

The objective of the 14 dossiers is to showcase innovative initiatives and facilitate the exchange of knowledge from the research field to practical application. This is especially true in an environment, such as rural areas, which have traditionally and until now had more difficult access to science and technology.

Innovation themes

The eight new dossiers published by the RRN , which complete this edition on innovation, cover the following topics:

1. Climate Change and Carbon Footprint Reduction : Current challenges focus on promoting new, more environmentally sustainable strategies. Technicians and researchers agree on the need to increase carbon sequestration in three complementary areas: forestry systems, crops, and agroforestry systems. Through Operational Groups and Innovative Projects, new, more sustainable land-use management tools are being developed. For example, the regenerative techniques used by the OG 4 Retornos (Government for Returns) in degraded soils.
2. Marketing in the Agricultural, Livestock, Forestry, and Agri-Food Industries ; Digitalization represents an opportunity for the agricultural, livestock, forestry, and agri-food sectors to promote and sell their products. Likewise, online sales platforms, websites, and social media are affordable, easy-to-use, and effective tools for promoting awareness, communicating with a wide audience, and generating new marketing channels, such as short circuits and zero-mile channels. Dissemination —in a consumer-friendly manner—through a communication and marketing strategy is essential today.
3. Improving Farm Management ; One of the challenges facing the sector is improving the management of farm efficiency. Innovation is crucial to achieving this. The agricultural sector is undergoing an accelerated process of updating and adapting to a digital model, marked by the incorporation of information and communication technologies.
4. Improvements in Forest Management ; Sustainable forest management projects offer clear advantages to rural areas: they facilitate population settlement; they have positive impacts on the climate; and, economically, they ensure the sector's profitability.
5. Improvements in Livestock Farm Management ; One of the challenges facing the livestock sector is adapting to new social and environmental factors that influence the market . Consumers are increasingly aware of the issues of climate change, animal welfare, and traceability, which influence their consumption habits. Differentiated , locally and sustainably produced products are gaining increasing market share.
6. Genetic improvement in agriculture ; A key challenge facing the agricultural sector is climate change . Genetic improvement can be an effective tool for adapting crops to its effects, especially in areas with greater water scarcity. Furthermore, germplasm banks play a fundamental role in the conservation, availability, and use of a wide range of plant genetic diversity. Native varieties represent an important resource for ensuring food and nutritional security.
7. Genetic Improvement in Livestock Farming ; Innovation in genetic improvement ensures more efficient breeding stock selection, which contributes, among other things, to preserving native and endangered breeds and boosting traditional and extensive livestock farming. Innovation in genetics—such as the application of genomics, the use of sensors, and the development of a germplasm bank—are key tools for increasing the productivity and profitability of the Spanish livestock sector.
8. Traceability in the Agri-Food, Livestock, Agricultural, and Forestry Sectors ; Technology and digitalization, through various tools such as blockchain , ICT tools, and Big Data, constitute efficient solutions for optimizing traceability, ensuring food safety, and preventing fraud and unfair competition throughout the supply chain. However, it should be noted that there is still a significant digital technology gap that primarily affects producers, both individual farmers and micro and small businesses.

What is innovation?

Innovation is a cross-cutting priority of rural development policy in the 2014-2020 programming period. The main instrument for promoting and accelerating innovation in rural areas is the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-agri). The EIP-agri aims to accelerate innovation in the agri-food and forestry sectors, and therefore in rural areas, as well as the dissemination and promotion of successful experiences in the region through specific innovative projects.

At the same time, other policies are being developed in the European context, with which synergies emerge in the commitment to innovation in rural areas. These include, among others, the thematic projects and networks of Horizon 2020, a research framework program that covers topics related to the agri-food and forestry sectors.