Walking Alongside Farmers and Producers: Lessons Learned from the RIA CCC National Seminar

There are spaces that feel like they were built with care. On the 4th of June Seminario Estatal de Cooperación e Intercambio, organised by the RIA CCC project, was one of them, which was not only a forum for the exchange of knowledge, but also a space for listening and learning together.

People from all over Spain participated, with a common goal: to rethink and reimagine accompaniment to those who choose the short food supply chains as a way to create a fairer food system.

Fundación Entretantos, was one of the organisers, and Innogestiona Ambiental attended the event as coordinators of EU4Advice. Jorge Molero and Cristina Galindo from the Fundación Entretantos and Marta Fernández from Innogestiona Ambiental shared the European perspective on how agriculture advisory support can be effective, not only technically but also in a human way.

We also had Juan Pedro Romero Trueba (Head of the Training and Technology Area, Deputy Directorate-General for Innovation and Digitalisation. Directorate-General for Rural Development, Innovation and Agri-food Training. Spanish Ministry of Agriculture) among the institutional representatives.

The day had some chapters: 

  • Presentation of the project results and their connection to the Spanish and European AKIS
  • Round table of good practices with  Rosa Binimelis (Arran de Terra SCCL), César Eduardo De la Cruz Abarca (Red de Ecomercados de Andalucía), Marcos Besada Álvarez (Sindicato Labrego Galego), Joseba Beitia Oregui (INTIA), Tanya Zerbian (CSIC, Estatal) ) and Julia del Valle (GIASAT, Integral Agroecological Management of Territorialized Food Systems, Iniciativas socioambientales Germinando S. Coop. Mad.).
  • Participatory workshop on challenges and opportunities in SFSC advisory
  • Working group on governance and next steps for the RIA-CCC

There is an important task to be done and AKIS (Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems) does it! Yet, there is an opportunity that we can no longer afford to ignore. The value chain, from commercialisation to pricing, logistics and consumer relationships plus agri-food business management, is almost empty. Those who venture to sell directly, those who invest in a relationship with their community often do so without sufficient support. 

In the case of SFCs, real support from advisors involves reaching each and every stage, from awareness creation, providing direct assistance, ensuring producer-consumer linkages, learning facilitation, and institutional advocacy. It means leaving no one to go alone.

In the case of EU4Advice, this pledge began in 2023 with the EU4Advice’s Living Labs, where the community stopped and listened to discover real needs, the missing skill gaps, and the challenges of communication. 

This event was a reminder of the fact that farmers need more than information. They should know that they are not alone. Creating a more sustainable and resilient food system starts with ensuring that no one walks that road alone.