• Energy Research

Agriculture is increasingly facing major challenges such as climate change, scarcity of natural resources and changing societal demands. To tackle these challenges there is a pressing need to evolve towards more sustainable agricultural practices. As a result, sustainability stands among the most relevant topics in agricultural research worldwide, and Spain is no exception. Agricultural sustainability has been analysed in Spain mainly at a national and farm scale. This contribution aims at assessing agricultural sustainability in Spain at a provincial scale, allowing the scrutiny of regional variability induced by the existing differences in extension, relevance and policies of the agricultural activity at this level. The sustainability assessment performed is based on a selection of twenty-two indicators covering the three classical dimensions of sustainability—environmental, economic and social. The methodology implemented is based on normalising and aggregating selected indicators according to three composite indicators for the fifty Spanish provinces. Numerous statistical and cartographic sources are used. Cluster analysis establishes four different groups of provinces according to their performance in terms of agricultural sustainability. Higher economic sustainability in provincial agriculture seems to be mostly associated with more intensive use of agricultural labour and agricultural machinery and faster wealth growth. Social sustainability seems to be linked to greater diversification of economic activities and to quality productions under Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGI). Best environmental sustainability is achieved where extension of agricultural land is larger, less agricultural area is burned, and carbon stock and sequestration by agricultural ecosystems is better. It is expected that the results could improve the policy coherence and decision-making for more sustainable agricultural systems in Spanish regions.

Agriculture is increasingly facing major challenges such as climate change, scarcity of natural resources and changing societal demands. To tackle these challenges there is a pressing need to evolve towards more sustainable agricultural practices. As a result, sustainability stands among the most relevant topics in agricultural research worldwide, and Spain is no exception. Agricultural sustainability has been analysed in Spain mainly at a national and farm scale. This contribution aims at assessing agricultural sustainability in Spain at a provincial scale, allowing the scrutiny of regional variability induced by the existing differences in extension, relevance and policies of the agricultural activity at this level. The sustainability assessment performed is based on a selection of twenty-two indicators covering the three classical dimensions of sustainability—environmental, economic and social. The methodology implemented is based on normalising and aggregating selected indicators according to three composite indicators for the fifty Spanish provinces. Numerous statistical and cartographic sources are used. Cluster analysis establishes four different groups of provinces according to their performance in terms of agricultural sustainability. Higher economic sustainability in provincial agriculture seems to be mostly associated with more intensive use of agricultural labour and agricultural machinery and faster wealth growth. Social sustainability seems to be linked to greater diversification of economic activities and to quality productions under Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGI). Best environmental sustainability is achieved where extension of agricultural land is larger, less agricultural area is burned, and carbon stock and sequestration by agricultural ecosystems is better. It is expected that the results could improve the policy coherence and decision-making for more sustainable agricultural systems in Spanish regions.

This article aims to assess the sustainability of forestry in Spain at provincial scale from two points of view: first, a multidimensional perspective considering the three classical dimensions of sustainability –environmental, economic and social– and, second, an integrative approach estimating a global index for forest sustainability. While the construction of such a global index is methodologically difficult and arguable, it could be very useful to land planners when drawing up and reviewing forestry and environmental policies. The global index of forest sustainability suggested in this study is calculated for the fifty Spanish provinces, based on a selection of twenty indicators. The majority of them (thirteen) relate to environmental dimension, four to economic dimension and three to social dimension. Numerous statistics and cartographic sources are used. A methodology is proposed based on grouping selected indicators according to three intermediate composite indicators and, subsequently, a global super-index. Cluster analysis establishes four different types of provinces according to their forest sustainability. According to the global sustainability index, part of the forests of the Mediterranean coast, those located near large inland cities and in southern Galicia appear to be less sustainable as a consequence of land artificialisation processes and forest fires. Conversely, Atlantic and Pyrenees forests, and those of the northern Plateau are more sustainable due to their relative success in keeping forest traditional uses and containing emerging threats. This research has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement KBBE-3-245233 “Sustainable Agri-Food Systems and Rural Development in the Mediterranean Partner Countries”, and from the Spanish National R&D project “DISESGLOB: Design of a Methodology for Monitoring and Assessing the Overall Sustainability of National Parks and the Influence of Expected Changes of Use” (CSO2013-42421-P) Peer reviewed

This article aims to assess the sustainability of forestry in Spain at provincial scale from two points of view: first, a multidimensional perspective considering the three classical dimensions of sustainability –environmental, economic and social– and, second, an integrative approach estimating a global index for forest sustainability. While the construction of such a global index is methodologically difficult and arguable, it could be very useful to land planners when drawing up and reviewing forestry and environmental policies. The global index of forest sustainability suggested in this study is calculated for the fifty Spanish provinces, based on a selection of twenty indicators. The majority of them (thirteen) relate to environmental dimension, four to economic dimension and three to social dimension. Numerous statistics and cartographic sources are used. A methodology is proposed based on grouping selected indicators according to three intermediate composite indicators and, subsequently, a global super-index. Cluster analysis establishes four different types of provinces according to their forest sustainability. According to the global sustainability index, part of the forests of the Mediterranean coast, those located near large inland cities and in southern Galicia appear to be less sustainable as a consequence of land artificialisation processes and forest fires. Conversely, Atlantic and Pyrenees forests, and those of the northern Plateau are more sustainable due to their relative success in keeping forest traditional uses and containing emerging threats. This research has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement KBBE-3-245233 “Sustainable Agri-Food Systems and Rural Development in the Mediterranean Partner Countries”, and from the Spanish National R&D project “DISESGLOB: Design of a Methodology for Monitoring and Assessing the Overall Sustainability of National Parks and the Influence of Expected Changes of Use” (CSO2013-42421-P) Peer reviewed

How can societies and governments of Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries (SEMCs) face the challenges they are confronted with in their fight against rural poverty, the promotion of rural development and the management of natural resources? How can outside actors, notably the European Union, help them in doing so? These are the two questions we want to come back to in the conclusion of this book. First, we will essentially confirm, sometimes further specify, the worrisome diagnosis presented in the introduction. We will then assess the lessons learnt regarding how public policies can respond to the challenges. And finally, we will draw implications for the neighbourhood policy of the European Union.

How can societies and governments of Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries (SEMCs) face the challenges they are confronted with in their fight against rural poverty, the promotion of rural development and the management of natural resources? How can outside actors, notably the European Union, help them in doing so? These are the two questions we want to come back to in the conclusion of this book. First, we will essentially confirm, sometimes further specify, the worrisome diagnosis presented in the introduction. We will then assess the lessons learnt regarding how public policies can respond to the challenges. And finally, we will draw implications for the neighbourhood policy of the European Union.

Developing more sustainable business models (BMs) has become increasingly crucial for the survival of agri-food industries as environmental and social pressures are escalating, and the fruit and vegetable (F&V) industry is no exception to this pattern. However, sustainable business modelling is still poorly understood despite its importance to managers, scientists, and policymakers confronting the complexities of business environment changes. The purpose of this research was to explore new approaches for the transition toward more sustainable BMs in the Spanish F&V industry. We used the Triple Layered Business Model Canvas (TLBMC) methodological framework and data gathered from different sources to elucidate how sustainability concerns are integrated in BMs for F&V in a way that can deliver value on a triple bottom line of economic profit, environmental protection, and social fairness. The study focuses first on the F&V sector as a whole and then on a selected Spanish F&V company taken as functional units of analysis, respectively. Results indicate that, overall, sustainability goals can be represented appropriately within the TLBMC framework both at sector and company level, allowing guidance of the creative process of communicating and implementing business model (BM) improvements. This is despite the challenges encountered in terms of complexity of the F&V industry and the limited data for several areas, especially in the environmental and social layers. The sectoral perspective helps to portray the whole picture of the impacts associated with sustainable F&V production and marketing, which is a prior step that supports companies to embed sustainability concerns in their business system. New BMs can be generated by innovating strategically in a series of domains to improve F&V value propositions in terms of sustainability targets.