Advanced and sustainable production to increase the value of industrial tomatoes in Extremadura, Andalusia, and Murcia.

Population growth leads to increased demand for food, a scenario that could be an advantage for agricultural producers; however, the reality is that, in many cases, it results in a decline in their incomes. This is due to the difficulties in bringing crops to harvest caused by global climate change, which leads to: a scarcity of resources—primarily water; a high risk of losses; and limited bargaining power within the value chain. As a result, farmers face unattractive agricultural incomes, the rate of new and young farmers entering the sector is very low, and there is an abandonment of farming and agricultural land.

Given this situation, innovations in irrigation systems, improvements in management techniques, and changes in conventional agricultural practices, combined with systems based on reliable data for optimizing production, are the only viable options for adapting agricultural production to climatic constraints, thereby ensuring the resilience of the agricultural sector, improving food security, and increasing producers’ competitiveness and their position in the value chain.

The POMODORO project brings innovation to industrial tomato production techniques from various financially sound perspectives and is committed to ensuring that the results are transferred to the sector by fostering a more resilient and empowered agricultural sector, enhancing environmental stewardship, and strengthening the socioeconomic fabric.