Food producers launch a crowdfunding campaign on World Food Day.

The initiative, organized by Agrifood Communication and Agri-food Cooperatives of Spain, is part of the campaign "If I don't produce, you don't eat," which aims to highlight the importance of the food sector and raise awareness among society about its role in supplying the population.

After being declared essential during the COVID-19 pandemic, food producers feel undervalued and want to tell their own story, as urban society is unaware of the reality of rural life and, therefore, does not appreciate their work.

The campaign started today, World Food Day, with the display of a banner in the center of Madrid to grab society's attention and raise funds to carry out various actions that make the sector visible through a crowdfunding campaign.

Madrid, October 16, 2023 - Agri-food Cooperatives of Spain and Agrifood Communication presented the campaign "If I don't produce, you don't eat" this morning, an initiative that begins now but will have significant developments in the coming months. These organizations aim to explain to society the importance of the activities of farmers, livestock producers, fishermen, food processing industry, distribution, and restoration to ensure food supply throughout Spain.

What would happen if one day you had no food available? The answer to this question lies with the food producers who have been facing serious difficulties for some time to continue their activities but continue to supply society daily, even in the toughest moments.

The goal of this initiative is clear: to highlight the value of food producers and their work, as well as to raise awareness in society about their importance in supplying the population. Despite being declared essential during the COVID-19 pandemic and in other challenging times in recent years, the production of food and the entire food chain continue to be undervalued. Therefore, all the companies and organizations in the chain want to explain to society, especially urbanites, the reality of rural life, the complexity of food supply chains, and the value they contribute to sustainability in all its facets, as well as their role as an essential economic sector and food producer for Spain and the EU.

The campaign started today, World Food Day, with the deployment of a banner in the center of Madrid at Plaza de Joan Pujol to attract society's attention and raise funds to carry out various actions that make the sector visible to society through a crowdfunding campaign.

The choice of this day to launch the campaign is not a coincidence because this year, the FAO has focused this celebration on water, an essential resource for food production that is becoming increasingly important in our country due to its scarcity, causing serious crop problems in various crops such as olives or cereals with significant productivity losses.

Spain has 915,000 agricultural and livestock farms, 8,700 fishing vessels, 3,670 agri-food cooperatives, and about 30,000 agricultural industries, of which 95% are businesses smaller than SMEs, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food. This number continues to decrease due to the difficulties faced by food producers, which could endanger food supply as we know it today.

Lack of labor, rising costs, lack of raw materials, continuous attacks on food producers based on inaccurate information, along with regulations with sometimes unattainable requirements, lack of profitability in a large part of production, and water scarcity are some of the threats leading farmers, livestock producers, fishermen, and processing industries to consider abandoning their activities, along with the absence of generational succession in the production sector. This endangers consumers' grocery baskets, either due to rising food prices or the possible absence of products on the shelves.

Despite this challenging situation, the Spanish food system is holding up. All food producers and marketers continue to work in an increasingly sustainable manner, meeting the highest quality standards, respecting the environment, and, in the case of livestock farmers, complying with all established animal welfare requirements, while adapting to consumer demands.

Ricardo Migueláñez, CEO of Agrifood Communication and the son and grandson of pork farmers in the province of Segovia, stated: "I want to give back to this sector everything it has given me in my life, especially since we started the company almost fifteen years ago." "We aim to regain the recognition they should have always had because, without food producers, there would be nothing on our plates, and without eating, one cannot live," he emphasized.

In the same vein, Julio Bacete, Vice President of Agri-food Cooperatives of Castilla-La Mancha, points out that "food producers are very aligned with the slogan used by the FAO today on World Food Day because the importance of water in food production is a matter that almost no one takes into account, but it is an essential resource for us to produce; we also consume water." "Farmers and livestock producers are using it well, every day better, and we see what happens when there is no water for irrigation – there is a lack of food, as happened this year with some products, and we also have to value it," he highlighted.

Rocío Bejar, Deputy Secretary General of Cepesca, also "considers the importance of joining the campaign, as it is necessary for the entire food sector to remain united to make society aware of the crucial role it plays in ensuring food sovereignty and its strong commitment to continue providing food to the population, despite the challenging times we are living in."

So far, 30 companies support this initiative, including Elanco, Trops, Central Lechera, Foro Interalimentario, Consejo General de Colegios Veterinarios de España, Colvema, Huercasa, Bayer, Acor, Agragex, Aseacam, Interpalm, Urcacyl, Emcesa, Topigs Norsvin, Agri-food Cooperatives of Castilla-La Mancha, CarniMad, Anove, Okin, AgroBank, 5 al día, Rijk Zwaan Ibérica, Cepesca, Cooperatives Agro-alimentàries Illes Balears, Consejo General de Colegios Oficiales de Ingenieros Agrónomos, SIG Iberia, Octaviano Palomo, Pesca España, Selectos de Castilla, and the National Association of Agronomist Engineers.

If you want to learn more about this initiative, you can find information on the website www.siyonoproduzcotunocomes.com or by calling 91 721 79 29.

Download photos from the event: https://wetransfer.com/downloads/d899dbbe3b5e6587825a2fe36e0acade20231016100715/0f7f0f

Download Presentation Video "If I don't produce, you don't eat": https://wetransfer.com/downloads/6c2ac3331c3ad86562c9aa244fb8ebe020231014074450/021d09

Download Campaign Materials (Social Media): https://www.siyonoproduzcotunocomes.com/galeria

About SYNPTNC:

"If I don't produce, you don't eat" is an initiative by Agrifood Communication and Agri-food Cooperatives of Spain that develops a collaborative communication and public relations project to improve the reputation of food producers and raise awareness about the importance of the agri-food sector.