The second edition of the Startup Europe Smart Agrifood Summit kicked off on June 19th at the Malaga Trade Fair and Congress Center . This international event connects stakeholders from the agrifood industry, digital and technological transformation, entrepreneurship, and investment. The event's organizers are the Malaga Trade Fair Center, the European Foundation for Innovation and Technological Development (INTEC), the Regional Government of Andalusia, and SVG Venture-thrive. Numerous collaborating entities, including the European Commission through DG CONNECT and the National Rural Network, also participate.

This three-day event featured Isabel Bombal, Director General of Rural Development, Innovation, and Forest Policy , at the opening ceremony. She will also moderate the panel discussion "Entrepreneurship Ecosystems in Rural Areas" on Friday morning, June 21, at 9:00 a.m.

We will continue to promote in this forum the Digitalization Strategy for the Agri-Food, Forestry, and Rural Environment Sectors, led by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, was approved by the Council of Ministers on March 29th. This plan defines the specific guidelines and measures necessary to drive the digital transformation of the agri-food, forestry, and rural environment sectors. This strategy is a first for the European Union and has been widely demanded by the sector.

The panel discussion "Entrepreneurship Ecosystems in Rural Areas" will address the need to promote business development and new business models— taking into account Industry 4.0 and the opportunities for economic diversification offered by new technologies—in rural areas , which is precisely the third objective of the Digitalization Strategy. Underlying this need is the concept of strengthened entrepreneurship ecosystems. In the European Union, following various support schemes for these ecosystems, such as Startup City, supported by the European Commission for the achievement of a Digital Single Market, the possibility of extending this drive to rural areas—to Startup Villages—is being considered.

All the information at: https://smartagrifoodsummit.com/