Pyrenees Rice Operational Group: Improving the marketing of Aragon rice through a differentiated quality designation (DOP)

With the implementation of innovative cultivation practices, it is estimated that water consumption will be reduced by 25%, nitrogen fertilizer input will be reduced by 15%, and seed input will be reduced by 25%. This will result in a 5% reduction in total costs for a rice farm. This will also maintain the ecosystem and the rich biodiversity, especially the wide variety of birds that inhabit the rice crop. Furthermore, rice is grown in constant flooding, which leaches salts, "improving" the soil and preventing desertification in rice-growing areas. This improves the integration of the production sector into the food chain and diversifies the economy of the rural population, as the project covers all stages of the food chain, from rice production by Aragonese farmers, its processing in the community's mills, and the subsequent marketing of the rice under a quality label recognized by the European Union, the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).