{"id":653,"date":"2025-07-14T11:34:24","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T10:34:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/path2dea-repository.lifewatch.eu\/?page_id=653"},"modified":"2025-12-18T07:34:51","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T07:34:51","slug":"almeria","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/path2dea-repository.lifewatch.eu\/index.php\/index\/showcases\/almeria\/","title":{"rendered":"Almeria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Home<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Showcases<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Main Results<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital Tools<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gap Analysis<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Agroforestry in Flanders<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Livestock in Hungary<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Olives in Italy<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Arable Crops & Animal Breeding in France<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Wine in Catalonia<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Vegetables in Almer\u00eda<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Digitalization towards Agroecology in Almer\u00eda’s Greenhouses<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Local context \/ Issue:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almeria is a province with important challenges from the point of view of soil and water resource management. Annual precipitation is low at around 220 mm per year. The average temperature on the coast is around 35\u00baC in summer and 6\u00baC in winter. It also experiences a high sun exposure of over 3,000 hours per year. The use of technologies to improve the use\/management of these resources is key. Consequently, growers must implement a series of changes to the traditional cultivation concept, with the aim of transforming farm activity to more complex systems where renewable energies, automation and digitalization are used to manage different resources, coordinating the flow between the different systems as dictated by the varied nature of the demands and crop requirements (which also fluctuate depending on the time of year and the different varieties used.  The main purpose of renewable energies used in this system (experimental farm in the showcase) is photovoltaics and solar thermal. It is for this reason that through this Showcase, Coexphal and the UAL and other showcase stakeholders are working together to identify:
    \u2022 How to accelerate the transition to sustainable greenhouse horticulture production through the use of renewable energies?
    \u2022 How to implement DTs for agroecological production in small greenhouses?
    \u2022 How to deal with the resource\/time constraints associated with the use\/operation of such DTs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Showcase Outlook<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are places where sustainability is not just an option but a necessity. A matter of survival, a path to the future. Almer\u00eda, in the southeast of Spain, knows this well.
This region faces a striking paradox: despite being one of Europe\u2019s driest areas, with less than 300 mm of annual rainfall, it has become a leading supplier of off-season fruits and vegetables to European markets. This remarkable transformation has given rise to what is known as the “Sea of Plastic”, an extensive landscape of greenhouses covering over 40,000 hectares.
For decades, intensive greenhouse farming has been a driver of economic prosperity, employment, and food security. However, it has also generated environmental, climatic, and social challenges. Water scarcity, soil degradation, dependency on chemical inputs, and labor-related issues are just some of the concerns shaping the debate on the future of greenhouse horticulture in Almer\u00eda.
Faced with these realities, the transformation of agricultural practices is no longer an option, it is imperative. The need to maintain productivity while improving resource efficiency is pushing the sector towards a new era of innovation. In this context, digitalisation, automation, and the integration of renewable energies are emerging as key solutions.
Local farming communities recognise the urgency of this transition, but for many small and medium-scale greenhouse owners, implementation remains a significant challenge. Discussions in recent workshops in Almer\u00eda have highlighted several critical limitations farmers face: poor connectivity, lack of real-time monitoring, and incomplete yield forecasting. Additionally, the absence of integrated decision-making systems prevents farmers from optimising their production and adopting more sustainable management strategies. \u201cInnovation doesn\u2019t replace the farmers\u2014it empowers them,\u201d expressed one workshop participant.
The path forward is clear. Digital solutions must not only enhance efficiency and productivity but also align greenhouse farming with agroecological principles, reducing chemical inputs, improving resource optimisation, and fostering resilience to climate change. However, for innovation to succeed, it must be accessible, user-friendly, and designed with farmers in mind. They need technologies that enable real-time decision-making, greater transparency in data use, and predictive tools to navigate future challenges with confidence.
These pressing demands are not just about improving agricultural practices; they reflect a growing will to transform the sector. The farmers of Almer\u00eda are not merely adapting to change, they are shaping it. Because the future of greenhouse horticulture depends on it. Because sustainability is not a choice.
It is a necessity. A matter of survival.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Showcase at a glance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Showcase representative name:<\/strong> COEXPHAL: Association of Organisations of Producers of Fruit and Vegetables of Almer\u00eda + University of Almer\u00eda.
Challenge of the showcase:<\/strong> \u201cRenewable energies in protected horticulture (greenhouses)\u201d
Type of production:<\/strong> Fruit & vegetable in greenhouses.
Type of agroecology: <\/strong>Agroecological, organic and conventional.
Participants<\/strong>: 14 participants, mainly farmers (from very small to very large farms), but also advisors and researchers.
Showcase representative:<\/strong> Gladys Sanchez \u2013 info(at)coexphal.es
Location: <\/strong>Region of Almer\u00eda (South of Spain)
Website: <\/strong>https:\/\/www.coexphal.es\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Testimonials<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Podcast with the showcase ambassador :<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n