Line of action:

Terrestrial ecosystems

Status:

En ejecución

Execution date:

2026

End date:

2028 Related call

The municipalities of Cerceda and As Pontes de García Rodríguez (A Coruña) represent two of the most emblematic territories of the Just Transition in Galicia. For decades, its economic development was closely linked to carbon-intensive industrial models, with coal-fired thermal power plants and associated energy activities playing a decisive role. This model, although it generated employment and dynamism at the time, has left a strong territorial footprint and a high sectoral dependence.

The progressive closure of these energy infrastructures, within the framework of European and national decarbonisation policies, has led to a drastic reduction in direct and indirect employment, more than 600 jobs lost directly and has had a cross-cutting impact on other sectors such as local commerce, hospitality and technical services. In addition, the decrease in port traffic in Ferrol and A Coruña and the reduction in industrial Gross Value Added (GVA) have weakened the economic fabric of the region.

These municipalities have been declared Just Transition Hubs, a recognition that entails a strategic reorientation of their role in the energy system. Specifically, these nodes imply that the capacity to access the electricity grid freed up after the closure of the plants will be reserved and awarded by tender to new renewable energy projects, with the commitment to generate economic development and local employment. This reallocation process offers a key opportunity to reindustrialise the area with sustainable criteria, but it also requires a parallel process of professional requalification of the working population so that they can be an active part of this new production model.

Advanced Agroecology 4.0 not only aims to qualify the working population of the Galician countryside in the new sustainable approaches, but also aspires to actively contribute to the process of structural transformation in the nodes of just transition. Its objective is to train people to be protagonists of the change towards a regenerative, decarbonized and technologically advanced economy, ensuring that the territory is not left behind, but becomes the engine of the new model.

The training will take place over 24 months, with a flexible, participatory methodology and in online mode. The training itinerary is structured in three specialized training cycles, adapted to the main sectors of the Galician rural environment:

• Advanced Agriculture Cycle

Aimed at workers in the agricultural sector, this cycle includes modules dedicated to digitalisation and agriculture 4.0, adaptation to climate change in crops, the circular economy applied to plant production, regenerative soil management, water efficiency and varietal innovation for more resilient systems.

• Advanced Livestock Cycle

This cycle delves into the current challenges of the livestock sector, including content on animal welfare adapted to the new climate context, reduction of the use of antibiotics, circular livestock production, extensive and regenerative systems, as well as digitalization, traceability and production control.

• Advanced Beekeeping Cycle

Designed for beekeepers and profiles linked to the care of biodiversity, this cycle addresses sustainable and climate-adapted beekeeping, the development of new beekeeping products with added value, apiary management with digital tools, and innovative marketing in short circuits.

Each participant will receive training in one of these cycles and, in a transversal way, mandatory modules on equal opportunities between women and men (minimum 4 hours) and soft skills (minimum 5 hours), in compliance with article 8.3 of the call