Antonio Algarra is in charge of this innovative area which now affects all the company’s processes and strategies.
The Agroponiente Group has traditionally been an innovative company in which R&D&I has played an important role, to the extent that it has become the driving force and pioneer of some of the main advances in agriculture in the ‘Almeria Model’ in various fields.
However, in the last two years, everything related to R+D+i has become a key and fundamental element in the company, to the point of specifically creating an R+D+i Department that carries out a global and transversal work to all the other areas of the company.
This Department is headed by Antonio Algarra, a professional with decades of experience in the agricultural sector and, specifically, in the company itself, whose fundamental objective is that innovation and research become cornerstones of all the processes carried out in the company and involve them all under a common dynamic and philosophy.
One of the characteristics of this R&D&I philosophy of the Agroponiente Group is its intimate connection with the so-called ‘conscious agriculture’, another of the basic pillars of the company’s corporate philosophy which, in turn, translates into an environmental and sustainable philosophy, equally transversal to all areas, processes and strategies.
Thus, R&D&I and ‘conscious agriculture’ come together in aspects and strategies such as the search for and selection of the best plant materials, the progressive incorporation of action protocols for soil regeneration and the reduction of synthetic fertilisers through the use of microorganisms.
In addition, the Agroponiente Group is making a firm and decisive commitment to digitalisation, reflected in aspects such as improved traceability in warehouses, effective control of the different tasks on its own farms, the development of applications aimed at collaborating in better management of farmers’ farms with the company’s technical team and the development of new climate and soil control devices, in order to optimise resources and reduce costs on the farms.
Also very important in this line of R+D+i is the promotion of waste management, looking in depth at the search for uses for fruit waste (biogas) and other plant remains (recycling into new materials), without forgetting those related to the replacement of plastic (raffia) with new biodegradable materials. Likewise, in the warehouses, the company is going to develop a series of actions aimed at reducing electricity consumption.
Antonio Algarra himself, head of R&D&I, assures that ‘this is one of the most ambitious processes the company is facing, as it involves a transversal strategy that involves all the company’s departments and is also entailing an absolutely decisive and profound transformation and modernisation. The objectives are very ambitious, but progress is being very significant and agile, among other things because all the agents involved in these processes are absolutely convinced not only of the convenience of this great step forward, but also that the future demands efficient mechanisms to meet ambitious objectives in this future. The Agroponiente Group is once again a pioneer in R+D+i and, in general, in the progress and modernisation of our countryside and the so-called ‘Almeria Model’’.
Gabinete de Comunicación.
Grupo Agroponiente.
