Spain has a dynamic and competitive agro-food sector. However, higher productivity has not always reduced environmental pressures. The agricultural innovation and knowledge system could play a key role in addressing the environmental challenges and improving the sector’s resilience.

Policies for the Future of Farming and Food in Spain undertakes a thorough examination of the Spanish agro-food sector. It applies the OECD Productivity, Sustainability and Resilience (PSR) analytical framework along with the latest data from the OECD Agri-Environmental Indicators to benchmark the country’s sustainable productivity performance and to identify the main challenges facing the sector.

This report proposes a new policy approach, which puts innovation at the centre of a strategy to reconcile environmental performance and productivity growth. Its policy recommendations focus on actions to improve the agricultural knowledge and innovation system and make it more responsive to the most urgent environmental pressures. This requires strengthening the institutional and regulatory framework that supports agricultural innovation and creating incentives to tackle the impediments for a more sustainable and resilient agriculture.