• The National Rural Network is calling for Operational Groups and Innovation Projects focused on climate change and carbon footprint reduction to share knowledge and disseminate their results.
• This virtual meeting provided an opportunity to learn about what's being done in the area of climate change, through various projects on crop adaptation to climate change, carbon sinks, and climate change mitigation.

The exchange highlighted the innovation sector as key to advancing the fight against climate change. All sectors, including the agricultural sector, must prepare for its impacts and, in turn, contribute to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The importance of public administration support for this issue was emphasized, as was the need for continued incentive and support initiatives in the fight against climate change, such as the commitment to R&D&I to jointly and coordinately advance toward a decarbonized and resilient economy.

Thematic work rooms

The knowledge transfer process at this meeting took place in three virtual breakout rooms, where nine Operational Groups and Innovative Projects from the regional, national, and European levels were presented. Participants exchanged ideas and progressed on their work, and showcased their results and experiences in both climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Room 1: Crop adaptation to climate change

Participants : Adaptation of the stone fruit sector to climate change , new crops to address climate change: Moringa and Stevia and 4 Returns, regeneration of degraded soils .

Papers and Conclusions : The members of this panel concluded that the effects of climate change are affecting crop productivity, especially in warmer areas. Therefore, they highlighted the importance of designing, developing, and optimizing production and cultivation systems, methods, and practices , such as treatments with biostimulants, shading nets, reducing and optimizing irrigation, and techniques such as pruning, thinning, and fertigation. New digital tools are also available to support producers in making decisions about which varieties to plant based on foreseeable climate changes. New cultivation techniques adapted to the new conditions must be implemented, ensuring the economic viability of farms.

Room 2: Carbon sinks

Participants : AFINET , DENDRONUTRIENT and CARBOCERT .

Papers and conclusions : In this area, experts and researchers agree on the need to increase carbon sequestration through three complementary fields: forestry systems, crops, and agroforestry systems . They have discussed the different methods for increasing carbon sequestration capacity in each of the systems; highlighting the need for increased management in forestry systems; innovating new agronomic practices and recommendations for crops; and eco-intensifying resource use in agroforestry systems.

The Carbocert Group has mentioned the availability of various methodologies that allow for accounting for the increase in carbon in agricultural soils and in fixed and permanent structures resulting from the implementation of sustainable agricultural practices and has presented the group 's guide to good agricultural practices .

Room 3: Climate Change Mitigation

Participants : EUREL , COVER CO2 and LEÑOSOST .

Papers and Conclusions : The participants in this room discussed the need to promote more sustainable strategies to mitigate climate change. They reflected on the importance of calculating carbon footprints to inform consumers and serve as a basis for improving habits. Furthermore, they considered it necessary to implement incentive mechanisms for farmers to adopt more sustainable practices.

What is innovation?

The National Rural Network believes that the solution to the problems posed by current development in rural areas must come from sustainable practices supported by research, development, and innovation. Therefore, the EAFRD works with various rural stakeholders, organized around the framework of Operational Groups and Innovation Projects .

Operational Groups (OG) are groups of organizations and experts who work together on a problem to be solved or an opportunity to be exploited , using an innovation perspective. They execute a project to put the solutions obtained into practice. Their work is subsidized by the EAFRD through Measure 16 of the Rural Development Programs (RDP). The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) has explained the scope of these innovation -boosting grants, their calls for proposals, and the public spending allocated to them within the 2014-2020 rural development policy.

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. The Horizon 2020 research framework program covers topics related to the agri-food and forestry sectors . Thematic networks and research projects are included under this umbrella.

This meeting on climate change and carbon footprint reduction is part of a series of meetings on Operational Groups and Innovative Projects that the National Rural Network is promoting to disseminate and share the results of R&D&I carried out in rural areas. All information can be found on the website , as well as on the National Rural Network's social media channels: Twitter , Facebook , and YouTube , where you can enjoy this meeting openly.