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Universitat de València Chair for Agri-food Cooperatives celebrated the 8th Yearly Conference on 7 October, a gathering of representatives in the agri-food cooperatives sector, academics and institutional agents in the National Parador in Cuenca.
The conference presented the main lines of work of the Chair, new publication contents in advance and a space for dialogue between professionals and cooperativism entities.
Institutional opening
The opening was in charge of:
- Juan Miguel del Real Sánchez-Flor, General Head of Castilla-La Mancha Agri-Food Cooperatives
- CaixaBank – AgroBank Representative
- Francisco Javier Cebrián Pérez, Provincial Parliament Member of Entrepreneurship, Demographic Challenge and Agriculture
Speakers mentioned the relevance of cooperativism in territory development, sustainability and rural areas social-economical cohesion.
Memory of activities and research advancements
At 09:45 a.m., Head of the Chair Pilar Alguacil Marí presented the Memory of activities of the seventh year and the strategic lines leading towards the eigth year. Her intervention showcased the growth of the academic programme, the intensification of the dissemination efforts and the strengthenning of alliances with cooperative sector organisations.
Next was the session dedicated to the preview of publication ‘Legal aspect and contribution of agri-food cooperatives members, SAT and CEC’, participating:
- Manuel Alegre Nueno, Universitat de València
- Miguel Ángel Luque Mateo, University of Almería
- Pilar Bonet Sánchez, Universitat de València retired professor
Professor Alguacil served as moderator in the round table where the preliminar results of the research and its practical relevance in agri-food entities were discussed.
Round table about credit departments
After the coffee pause, the conference proceeded with the presentation of the guide ‘Credit departments in agri-food cooperatives’, a tool elaborated by experts in the cooperatives and academic areas.
Participating:
- Josep Parcerisa Casals, administration responsible and ISMS in ASC, SCCL (Catalonia)
- Santiago García Montagut, legal and HR responsible in Andalucía Agri-food Cooperatives
Guide coordinator Tomás Rojas Pacheco moderated the table.
The session inclueded the practical experience of the Quintanar del Rey CLM San Isidro S. Coop. (Cuenca) Credit Department by hand of its Head, Félix Navarro Escribano.
Best Academic Project 7th Award Ceremony
At 1:00 p.m. the Best Academic Project on Agri-Food Cooperativism Award Ceremony took place to recognise recent research of special relevance. The prize was given during the conference, in presence of the Evaluation Committee and the Chair team.
Closure
The conference ended with the intervention of:
- Gabriel Trenzado Falcón, general director of Agri-Food Cooperatives of Spain
- Ángel Villafranca Lara, president of Agri-Food Cooperatives of Castilla-La Mancha and Spain
- Elena Escobar Sánchez, general director of Agri-food Production and Cooperatives
Spearkers mentioned the importance in collaboration between university and the cooperative sector, as well as the role th Chair played as a reference space in research and knowledge transfer.
