Spain
Description
According to the latest studies done by the Fundación Entretantos (Ibañez-Verdú & Molero-Cortés, 2022), direct sales of food products in Spain account for less than 1% of purchases and are very unevenly distributed throughout the country. There is no data on purchases in SFSC, but we have estimated to be under 3%.
In Spain, the public agricultural extension system was dismantled at the beginning of the 1990s and has been progressively replaced by the advice of private companies linked to the sale of agrochemicals. From a private point of view, there are few advisors specialised in this area.
Although the Autonomous Communities are responsible for advising in SFSC, only few regions have technicians and provide resources for promoting these channels. There is a strong need for incresaed efforts and resources also from a governmental perspective.
The Spanish Living Lab will make an important endeavour to link all the actors involved in the CCCs with the AKIS of the Autonomous Communities , State and the advisors, especially in those regions with higher sales in SFSC.
Living Lab Manager
Jorge Molero Cortés, Fundación Entretantos
Supporting Partners
Specific Challenges
- Agri-food system dominated by large agricultural unions
- Little support for SFSC
- SFSC sales merely account for 3% of total sales
- Missing SFSC sales data in certain regions
- Lack of public resources
Vision
Working at both ends of the chain, supporting small-scale producers to increase sales, stimulate consumption and facilitate product accessibility and ultimately connect production and consumption.
This vision has to be integrated at the three levels of administration: The local, regional and national level, eventually targeting large agricultural unions.