The Ministry of Sustainable Development and the University of Castile-La Mancha (UCLM) signed a collaboration agreement to create the Participatory Chair on Climate Change and Sustainability of the Primary Sector. According to councilor Mercedes Gómez, the objective is for it to be “a space for reflection and discussion around the economic, social and environmental problems of climate change in the Castilian-Manchego primary sector, and to facilitate the production and selection of ideas, studies and projects that reflect the cooperation of the regional government and the UCLM with the social agents involved.
Likewise, “we want to help the agricultural, livestock and forestry sectors, because each plays an important role in actions related to water and the carbon footprint.” The chair aims to have the collaboration of the most representative groups of the primary sector in the region, with the aim of carrying out pilot studies and proposing solutions in a participatory manner.
The agreement has a budget of 150,000 eurosdivided into three annual installments, from 2024 to 2027, at a rate of 50,000 euros per year, to cover the actions of the chair during the next three school years.
The chair will study the carbon footprint of the agri-food sector but also the blue water footprint (fresh water coming from natural sources, rivers, springs, etc.), green (rain, snow or melt water which is incorporated to the product). ) and gray (contaminated water from the manufacturing process) from the primary sector, in addition to proposing the creation of a voluntary compensation system for said water footprint.
Support is also provided for end-of-study projects and doctoral theses covered by the agreement; promote student internships and provide training grants and general funding. And prepare informative materials on climate change in the primary sector, such as monographs, publications and good practice guides, in addition to organizing seminars, lectures, lectures and courses on climate change and sustainability of the primary sector.
The rector, Julián Garde, explained that the chair will not have a physical headquarters, but “the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Biochemistry of Toledo, the ETSI of Agronomy and Forestry and Biotechnology of Albacete and the ETS of Agricultural Engineers of the Royal City. Furthermore, “the participating actors of these two major centers of activity, the primary sector and climate change, will be taken into account”.
