One of the biggest challenges we face in Spain is the progressive and unstoppable abandonment of rural areas. Towns are dying and with them agriculture, forests, our culture and roots. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), rural municipalities lose close to five inhabitants every hour, which has meant that, currently, more than 85% of the Spanish population is concentrated in just under 20% of the territory. .
For Greenpeace, the phenomenon of rural depopulation not only has a social, cultural and economic impact, but also an environmental one. One of the consequences suffered by the so-called emptied Spain is the loss of traditional agricultural, livestock and forestry activities that are respectful of nature and that represent a sustainable way of producing food and other goods, while contributing to mitigating climate change. , prevent fires, conserve biodiversity and maintain food security. Who is going to feed us if all our productive mass is in the cities?
Who is going to feed us if all our productive mass is in the cities?
Reading the list of the winning companies and solutions of this edition of the project Long live the people!an acceleration program aimed at startups with projects that provide solutions to overcome challenges in rural areas. Many of the solutions proposed are very similar to those implemented to generate prosperity in countries such as Kenya, Uganda, or Rwanda. It is incredible that we have let key areas of our country die for our economy, our food security and development, to these levels and we have not yet managed to find a solution. And worst of all, these areas have the same characterization in the collective imagination of “underdevelopment”, when the quality of life is better, its inhabitants are healthier, the environment is less polluted and they live longer.
Of the 10 awarded initiatives, four of them are dedicated to improving the yields of agriculture or livestock. cropi works on the digitalization of the agricultural sector to optimize costs and benefits of the agricultural process; Ixorigue monitors livestock by improving control, supervision and increasing efficiency; MuturBeltz promotes the production of Carranza sheep wool, in danger of extinction, and the training of producers in the textile and Vacapop is an application dedicated to the sale and purchase of livestock between individuals.
They all resemble applications like those I mentioned in the article about how to revolutionize the agricultural model in developing countries. MyAgro It makes it easier to save little by little on your mobile phone so that, at the time of planting, you can buy improved seeds or fertilizer. To address the inability to buy machinery, it has emerged in rural areas of Nigeria, Kenya and Senegal.Hello Tractor, the Uber of tractors, which allows you to rent them via mobile phone and improve crop yields. The applications icow either Wefarm They educate about livestock or agricultural practices to reduce cow mortality rates or improve agricultural yields through SMS. For small farmers, having information about the prices of their products, weather alerts, the possibility of connecting buyers and sellers or accessing financial services or agricultural inputs is key to improving their efficiency and profitability. For this, platforms such asEsoko either Farmer Line.
Another of the awarded initiatives is Doctomatica virtual platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to carry out remote monitoring of chronic patients and reduce hospital transfers. Babylon connects doctors with patients and develops AI to aid in diagnosis. It has an agreement with the Government of Rwanda, and more than 2.8 million registered users, more than 30% of the adult population.
Glassesvan It is a traveling glasses and hearing aids store that reaches towns where there are no opticians. Vision Spring It has sold more than 10 million glasses at four dollars (3.72 euros) in more than 50 of the poorest countries in the world.
Eliminate the stereotype
But the most important thing is to change the collective imagination and the perception of living in a second-class town. We associate the definition of success with a city person who works in a company and has reached a position of responsibility. Can’t we achieve success living in a village? Initiatives like Rooral They promote the creation of teleworking stays in towns, both for individuals and companies; Vamosrural promotes the economic development of local communities with its rural tourism platform and Villager seeks to give greater visibility to towns and their local businesses through a app. It is key to foster pride in being or living in a town.
We have associated the definition of success with a city person who works in a company and has reached a position of responsibility.
One of the latest successes in Africa is Twiga foods, which collects the farmers’ harvest and distributes it to stores to be sold and avoid waste. In Spain Talkual fights food waste by rescuing fruit and vegetables that do not meet aesthetic standards by selling them in their store on-line.
Another reference that we have to change is our definition of success, often associated with large numbers. The key to rural life is in the person and we cannot define the concept of scale and success around thousands or millions. And how do you say Ivan del Cazfrom Rural Citizen: “Change empty Spain for the Spain of opportunities”
Without addressing and solving the rural challenge, it will be very difficult to advance with the Sustainable Development Goals to which Spain has committed. Stopping our navel gazing could be the first step.
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