EU Regional Agritech Strategy

Overview

Aretian partnered with the Diputació de Tarragona and ARCA to design a sustainable agritech development strategy for the Camp de Tarragona region in Catalonia. The project, part of the RIS3CAT European Innovation Initiative, aims to enhance the agricultural sector’s productivity and resilience through advanced geospatial analysis and smart specialization.

The Challenge

The Camp de Tarragona region faced challenges in optimizing agricultural productivity, integrating vertical supply chains, and fostering innovation within the agritech sector. There was a need to understand regional strengths and weaknesses and develop a data-driven strategy to support rural innovation and economic development.

Aretian’s Solution

Aretian applied its City Science methodology to analyze the region’s agritech ecosystem. The approach included:

• Geospatial Analysis: Detailed mapping of cropland types and locations.

• Smart Specialization Strategy: Aretian identified unique strengths and potential areas for innovation within each comarca (administrative region), focusing on rural innovation and product refinement.

• Economic Integration: Our team proposed creating five strategic agritech campuses to provide shared infrastructure, equipment, knowledge, and branding, fostering economies of scale and vertical integration.

• Data-Driven Strategy: Aretian developed a comprehensive database and dashboard for ongoing analysis and decision-making support.

Outcomes

• Increased Productivity: Identification of opportunities for clustering and vertical integration, leading to reduced marginal costs and enhanced profitability.

• Enhanced Innovation: Smart specialization strategies tailored to the unique attributes of each comarca, promoting rural innovation and sustainable development.

• Strategic-Placed Infrastructure: A proposal for five agritech campuses to support local farmers and companies and improve access to shared resources and advanced technologies.

• Economic Impact: Significant potential revenue increase across various agricultural products through optimized supply chains and improved product refinement processes.