The project is led by Adolfo García, who is also president of Fundación Ingenio, with the support of R&D advisers Antonio del Saz, R&D director at Fundación Cellbitec, and María Boluda, technical director at Fundación Ingenio.
“Without applied research, the future of agriculture will be uncertain”
García, with a long career in the cooperative sector, knows first-hand the pressure faced by agricultural companies. The perishable nature of their products forces them to sell quickly and tackle each season with a sense of urgency. “That context has led many companies to focus on day-to-day operations and postpone strategic planning and investment in innovation.”
However, a new generation of growers is changing that dynamic. “There is increasing awareness that without research and innovation, the sector’s future will be limited,” García stresses. For the head of AINNAGRO, the key lies in directing scientific knowledge towards the real needs of farmers: pest problems, varietal adaptation to the Mediterranean climate, water efficiency, robotisation and competitiveness.
The challenge of generational renewal
AINNAGRO aims to restore the appeal of agriculture to attract well-trained young professionals. García recalls how, in the mid-1980s, greenhouses encouraged the return to farming of a new, technically and academically prepared generation. “We need to repeat that story. Food production is a strategic matter for any country. If farmers cannot earn a dignified living from their crops, they abandon the land,” he says, while highlighting another crucial point: making use of 100% of the plant.
Losses caused by pests or by varieties poorly adapted to the environment are unsustainable for a sector that works with narrow margins and faces serious difficulties in finding labour. This is why the agency is committed to robotising repetitive tasks and promoting varietal selection adapted to each territory.
Cellbitec’s vision: science with a social purpose
According to Antonio del Saz, research must begin with a clear premise: listening. “The scientific system has historically been disconnected from the primary sector,” he acknowledges. Fundación Cellbitec, with a strong social mission, reinvests the profits generated from new circular value chains in projects focused on cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and public health.
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For innovation to reach the field, Del Saz highlights two principles: credibility and reasonable speed. Farmers need tangible results, not promises that take ten years to materialise. In the short term, accessible solutions; in the medium and long term, research with real impact. Only then does trust grow and create space for more ambitious projects.
AINNAGRO aims to close gaps
Both García and Del Saz agree: today, there is no real dialogue between farmers, technology centres and laboratories. AINNAGRO was created to fill that gap. Agriculture contributes practical experience, constraints and knowledge passed down through generations; science contributes methodology, analysis and technology transfer. Dialogue must be constant and bidirectional.
Success story: Zuchiollo — when research listens to the market
One of the clearest examples of this new approach is Zuchiollo, a product developed at the request of the cooperative UNICA. The company sought to diversify its catalogue with a distinctive, value-added reference.
Zuchiollo is a hybrid vegetable with a flavour between cucumber and zucchini, suitable for both raw and cooked consumption — an uncommon characteristic in the market. Its development took four years of research, agronomic trials, varietal adaptation and market testing. It is now in its third commercial season, with still limited production and a primary focus on Europe, where it has been very well received.
