This past October, the project Use of agricultural by-products in Terra Alta was completed. This project arose as an imperative response to find alternative methods to convert agricultural and forestry by-products into economic activity and job creation.
The project sequence began by identifying and quantifying the usable resources of the territory, exploring their potential for economic development, and subsequently implementing a biomass management model that takes into account the entire value chain of this resource. In addition to logistics, aspects such as the identification of key agents in the territory, fundamentals of forest biomass management, pyrolysis technologies and companies supplying these technologies, as well as possible avenues of aid and financing have also been considered.
The potential impact of this proposal is remarkable: in economic terms, it is expected to generate significant benefits and boost the local economy; at the social level, the creation of direct and indirect jobs in areas related to biomass and its management is one of the great benefits. In addition, the project will contribute to the sustainable management of forests, forest planning, the reduction of fire risk and the reduction of CO2 emissions, thus having positive impacts on the environment.
The final reflections of the project highlight the importance of vertical integration in biomass management, emphasizing that forest management alone is not a viable strategy, but that it is crucial to value the entire biomass value chain, from collection to transformation and distribution.
One of the challenges identified is the need to explore and develop new markets for biomass to ensure fair compensation to forest owners. This can be achieved by promoting the use of biomass as a local energy source, creating community boilers and promoting local employment. The other challenge is that, despite the existence of aid and subsidies, more active technical support is needed from the administrations to ensure that forest owners and contractors can adequately take advantage of these financing opportunities.
In summary, this project has been a success and has set a positive precedent in biomass management in the Terra Alta. This comprehensive and collaborative approach opens the door to future economic opportunities and contributes to a more sustainable use of forest resources. Biomass management is a complex challenge, but with initiatives like this, a significant change towards a more sustainable future can be achieved.
