AGROHUBMADRID Operational Group: Regional food innovation and distribution center for fresh produce to improve short-circuit scaling in the Community of Madrid
- Type Operational group
- Status Filled
- Execution 2019 -2022
- Assigned Budget 0,00 €
- Scope Autonómico
- Autonomous community Madrid, Comunidad de
- Main source of financing PEPAC 2014-2020
Food Hubs are suitable infrastructures to resolve the limitations that prevent increasing the impact and reach of short food circuits of small and medium-sized farmers, so that local foods can reach markets that are currently served by large distributors in the agri-food sector (Kennedy, 2007; Izumi, Wright and Hamn, 2010).
A FoodHub is understood to be a food center located within the metropolitan area with a business management structure that facilitates the aggregation, storage, processing, distribution and marketing of locally/regionally produced foods (Barham 2012, USDA Marketing Service.
AgroHub Madrid is a pilot project to create a cooperative marketing model for agricultural products through short-circuit chains. The work phases are as follows:
- Starting point: Study of the needs and problems of farmers and catering companies.
- Fieldwork: Fieldwork with farmers and collective catering companies.
- Participatory studies: Various economic and financial feasibility studies are carried out to create the pilot project.
- Strategy and proposals: Identification of the FoodHub's main functions and development of the management plan.
- Start-up: Development of marketing actions
The AgroHub Madrid Operational Group aims to solve the problems associated with the lack of scalability in the short-circuit through social innovation strategies and cooperation among small producers. This group seeks to transform the pressures arising from urban proximity into an opportunity to open new marketing channels.
To this end, the Operational Group will launch a pilot project to create a regional food innovation and distribution center (FoodHub) that will efficiently manage the centralization, distribution, and marketing of fresh produce of traceable origin from small and medium-sized fruit and vegetable producers in the Madrid metropolitan area.
The GO AgroHub Madrid aims to contribute to increasing demand for local agricultural products through efficient and coordinated marketing by small and medium-sized producers in the Community of Madrid on a local scale. It is also expected to improve the logistics and profitability of the farms participating in the GO, as well as enhance the commercial position of local agricultural products in the Community of Madrid. Agricultural production and food have gained significant importance in the debate on agri-food supply chain models and the adequacy of local food infrastructure. Local foods have appeared on the political agenda for many reasons, among the main ones being that consumers are increasingly concerned about the origin of their food and the environmental impacts of its production.
Likewise, the gradual disappearance of agricultural activity negatively impacts the orderly and balanced management of the territory, as well as the devaluation of the landscape and the loss of cultural heritage.
- Coordinator/entity name: Heliconia S. Coop. Mad.
- Postal address: Paseo de las Acacias 3, 1º A
- Coordinator/entity email: mikel@heliconia.es
- Telephone: 657689272
- Heliconia S. Coop. Mad.
- Asociación de Agricultores del Parque Agrario de Fuenlabrada (sostenibilidad@ayto-fuenlabrada.es)
- UPA Madrid – Unión de Pequeños Agricultores y Ganaderos (janchuelo@upa.es)
- IMIDRA – Departamento Investigación Aplicada y Extensión Agraria(Alejandro.benito.barba@madrid.org)
- Heliconia S. Coop. Mad.