The director of the Biodiversity Foundation, a public foundation of the Government of Spain, under the Ministry of the Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs, Ana Leiva, has signed collaboration agreements today, in Seville, with the representatives of 13 Andalusian entities to develop projects that promote employment and good environmental practices in that Autonomous Community. within the framework of the Empleaverde Program. The Government delegate in Andalusia, Juan José López Garzón, also participated in the event.

The Biodiversity Foundation, as the managing body of the European Social Fund (ESF), allocates 3,988,027 euros to promote job creation and the improvement of the environment in Andalusia. This investment will serve to implement initiatives aimed at creating employment, increasing the qualification of workers, modernising companies for sustainable development and adapting them to environmental regulations.

Approved within the framework of the Empleaverde Programme, projects will be carried out in Andalusia that include actions in the agricultural, forestry, energy, fishing, construction, food, environmental management and sustainable tourism sectors.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND SUSTAINABILITY

The Interprofessional Organisation of Fruit and Vegetables of Andalusia (Hortyfruta) will launch the Cultura-Agro project. This is aimed at workers in the intensive agriculture sector in the provinces of Almeria, Granada and Malaga, in order to increase their professional skills in respect of the environment. The aim is to achieve an improvement in rural hygiene, the promotion of biological control and organic farming.

In Malaga, the Association of Municipalities of Sierra de las Nieves, proposes the project “Ecological olive grove in the Sierra de las Nieves”. The idea that guides the project is the possibility of transforming the olive grove of this Biosphere Reserve into organic farming. With these changes, the aim is to provide sustainability criteria to the agricultural sector; prioritizing the quality of the products; to increase their value in the market and to implement accreditation systems, quality and origin, as well as specific marketing systems and channels.

For its part, the Coordinator of Organizations of Farmers and Ranchers of Seville (COAG) proposes a reactivation of the agricultural sector through organic production in the provinces of Seville, Cádiz, Malaga, Huelva, Córdoba, Granada and Almeria. The aim is to incorporate the new generations into agricultural activity, so this project will also be aimed at those young people who, employed or in other sectors, show a high interest in participating in some of these actions that will allow them to start in agricultural activity.

The Agrarian Association of Young Farmers of Seville (ASAJA) will develop, in Seville, the initiative “Green Agro-emple”, to promote the acquisition and strengthening of environmental capacities by workers, professionals and managers of small and medium-sized enterprises in the agricultural sector.

Meanwhile, the project of the University of Cordoba, called Plataforma integral Dehesa, will be developed in the provinces of Cordoba, Seville, Cadiz and Huelva. The general objective of the project is to increase the economic and environmental sustainability of the pastures through the training of those responsible for their management. The training of technicians will encourage the creation of new consultancy companies and other services aimed at sustainable management and knowledge of the environmental regulations of the pastures.

As for the fishing sector, “Aqua-Nostrum” is the name of the project that the Provincial Council of Malaga directs to workers of SMEs and micro-SMEs and self-employed in rural areas and the Malaga coast, with the mission of promoting sustainable and ecological aquaculture in the province, following international, national and regional guidelines. as well as to promote the development of the sector, within a framework of environmental, social and economic sustainability.

The food industry is also making significant efforts towards sustainability. For example, “Quesandaluz” is the title of the project of the Association of Cheesemakers of Andalusia. The purpose of this project is to contribute to the environmental, economic and social development of small artisanal cheese factories in all Andalusian provinces. In the same sense, the Agri-food Federation of UGT will have an impact in Andalusia, offering training to workers of SMEs and micro-SMEs in the food sector.

IMAGINATION AT THE SERVICE OF DEVELOPMENT

The Andalusian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces has called its program “Eco-adapt” to advance sustainable development in Almeria, Cadiz, Cordoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaen, Malaga and Seville, from the local perspective, through the shared commitment of the workers of social economy companies. Essentially, it is a matter of these companies incorporating responsible public procurement criteria into their operation.

For its part, the Andalusian Committee for Organic Agriculture (CAAE) will carry out the Ecoinspira project, aimed at workers of SMEs and micro-SMEs, producer associations, and cooperatives, located in both rural and urban areas, who wish to launch their business initiative. The areas of action range from technological development, to marketing or any other activity likely to offer services with a positive impact on the environment and rural development in any province of the Andalusian territory.

The Association of Labour Societies of Andalusia (ASLAND) will develop the “Green Self-Employment” project in the provinces of Almeria, Cadiz, Cordoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaen, Malaga and Seville. This project aims to promote the creation of social economy companies, in which the good of the worker prevails over economic benefits, and in line with the sustainability of the territory.

The Association of Women and Families in Rural Areas (AMFAR Cádiz) proposes “Gender Ecoequality in rural areas” in all Andalusian provinces, but paying special attention to Cádiz. The Association addresses rural women to offer them training and a permanent advisory service, in order to promote female employment in the agricultural and livestock sectors, through the creation of companies based on ecological and sustainability principles. It also seeks to fix the population in rural areas.

FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY

The Provincial Council of Granada will develop the project “Granada toda solar”, to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of companies located in the rural territories of the province of Granada, through the training of workers and the improvement of production processes and energy saving and efficiency. The project, which aims to extend the installed capacity of renewable energies, is aimed at workers of SMEs and liberal professionals in the rural tourism and agriculture sectors, with special attention to groups of women and low-skilled professionals located in protected areas, and the environmental sector.

The Association of Municipalities of Campo de Gibraltar will carry out the “Sustainable Fields of Gibraltar” project to train, raise awareness and inform workers from all Andalusian provinces, but especially those from Cádiz, on environmental aspects, in general, and on the prevention and fight against climate change, in particular. In addition, it aims to promote self-training and self-employment through the creation of new companies.

In addition to these, other initiatives that have an impact on Andalusia have been approved, such as that of the Confederation of Organizations of Foresters of Spain, which will be committed to sustainable management with training actions among owners of forest exploitations; ENPlea Sostenible by Europarc Spain; that of the Technical Association for Waste Management, Urban Cleaning and the Environment (ATEGRUS) for the reconversion of work towards this sector, and the Sol Project, of the National Federation of Electrical Installations and Telecommunications Entrepreneurs of Spain.

Likewise, the Federation of Spanish Footwear Industries, FICE, and the Conde Valle de Salazar-Ecoempleo Foundation will focus on issues of eco-innovation, sustainability of transport and materials, as well as improvement of the professional skills of their workers.