Ecologistic, working in a network to strengthen the agroecological ecosystem of Extremadura

The Ecologistic project has the mission of strengthening the agroecological ecosystem of Extremadura. Selected in the last edition of the call Del Campo a la Despensa, an initiative of the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation aimed at sustainable food transformation, processing, logistics and distribution projects, it has managed to articulate the Extremadura ecosystem by bringing together different professionals from the sector who until now worked independently.

In these two years of accompaniment we have seen how this initiative has managed to get several producers who worked in isolation to begin to do so in a network and in a complementary way. Together, they have woven a series of objectives and designed solutions for some of the challenges they share. To inspire other projects ahead of this year’s Del Campo a la Despensa call , we spoke with María Catalán Balmaseda, a member of Ecologistica.

How did you find out about the call for Del Campo a la Despensa of the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation and why did you decide to present the Ecologistic project?

We learned about the call through members of the group who had projects awarded from the previous call. We were encouraged to present the Ecologistic project in order to weave a network of collaboration and consolidate different agroecological production-distribution-consumption projects that were being developed in Extremadura, some in a more incipient way and others already more consolidated. Also to strengthen distribution and logistics, which is presented as the great bottleneck to scale agroecological production and transformation in Extremadura.

Ecologistica seeks to promote agroecological production in Extremadura and create a network of collaboration between producers. What challenges have you encountered when applying this network approach?

Extremadura is a very large territory and many of the productions are small and atomized by the territory, which makes networking difficult. On the other hand, one of the main challenges is the lack of consolidated demand, which could be enhanced through sales to the HORECA channel or public food purchases, where social and environmental responsibility criteria can be incorporated.

Ecologistic is a regional project. What advantages and disadvantages does it have compared to more local projects? What challenges are posed in your territory to achieve the objectives of the project?

The main advantage is being able to work together on common needs such as logistics, the impact on demand or public procurement. The main challenges we face are to consolidate a network of agroecological markets distributed throughout the main cities of Extremadura and the demand for agroecological products, to promote a diverse supply of agroecological products that meets the needs of demand, to have a logistics strategy for the agroecological ecosystem of Extremadura for its implementation and to strengthen current projects and include new producers and agroecological projects at the ecosystem of Ecologistics.

The project has a collaborative governance model distributed in the territory and based on the Participatory Guarantee System (SPG). What does this mean in the specific case of Ecologistic?

A collaborative, horizontal and distributed management is proposed for the management of the project. Both project partners and agents of the agroecological ecosystem of Extremadura can participate in it. It is made up of three bodies: the Technical Management Committee, made up of a representative of each collaborating partner and a representative of each working group created within the framework of the project; the support community, which generates inputs to the project through the GSP, a participatory and trust-based tool through which consumers establish and evaluate production standards with environmental criteria; social and economic; and the working groups, which are thematic in response to the objectives of the project.

What initiatives have been launched around agroecological production and what have they borne fruit?

Different collection centers, fruit and vegetable warehouses and shared workshops are being strengthened to strengthen both their management and their infrastructure. The Obrador Hecho Natural, in Piornal, which is already operational thanks to part of the equipment that has been acquired within the project, the Obrador of the Las Moreras Women’s Association, located in Plasencia, which is about to be inaugurated thanks in part to the improvements in the infrastructures and equipment acquired, the collection and distribution center of the Mountain Agroecological Cooperative, in Jaraíz de la Vera, which has been equipped with a cold room, and the Sierra de Gata workshop of the Mosaico Association, which is pending the concession by the Trevejo city council.

The creation of local markets for the sale of organic products has also been promoted. Currently, there is a monthly market in the Foro de los Balbos in Cáceres and in the Hospital Centro Vivo in Badajoz, promoted by ACTYVA and Extremadura Alimenta, respectively. Likewise, within the project, a program of acceleration and consolidation of agroecological projects is being organized in which 12 projects are participating in different stages of development, from the idea phase to consolidated projects that want to adapt to the market.

In addition, we are influencing the demand for organic products, we have designed a joint marketing catalogue for the HORECA channel, we have organised consumer visits to producers and we are promoting new consumer groups.

What are the keys to a sustainable food project being consolidated in the medium term?

Economic viability is key. Many projects end up failing because they do not reach the right level of profitability. To do this, it is important to optimize processes and professionalization, to have adequate training and business support at the beginning. It is also important to have financing and support from the administrations in aspects such as the transfer of spaces, the relaxation of regulations or public procurement.

With Del Campo a la Despensa , the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation contributes to the scaling up of projects like this. How has the project evolved and what has this support given you?

Ecologistic has been the driving force behind trying to bring the agroecological ecosystem of Extremadura together. It has been based on an analysis of the production of organic agriculture in Extremadura, making a tour of the region and analyzing the farmland, both agricultural and livestock producers as well as processors.

From the point of view of production, we have met agents who were working in organic or with the direct sales format in isolation, without connection with other producers. Now, at least 6 producers are permanently connected and even share merchandise to complement the weekly baskets they deliver to their customers. From the point of view of transformation, it is perhaps where the improvement of equipment has been most noticeable, and from the perspective of marketing, having a catalogue for joint marketing will help the sustainability of the ecosystem.

The relationship with the different allies and collaborators of the project has been strengthened since the beginning of the project. We have created different communication channels, meetings coinciding with the markets and working days. Likewise, it has had the support of local institutional entities such as the City Council of Cáceres, generating the monthly Biomarket of local producers, collaborating with other territorial development entities such as Local Action groups organizing markets in the festivals of their regions or the Provincial Council of Cáceres.

What are the prospects for the development of the Ecologistic project in the medium and long term?

The idea is to continue working together with the purpose of building an agroecological model of production and consumption in Extremadura, being a meeting and exchange point for the agroecological sector of Extremadura. We want to integrate new agents into the Ecologistic ecosystem to generate alliances and synergies both regionally and nationally.