(English) Best Practices

Ecologicval is an innovative family business created in Alcasser (Valencia) that has opted for organic farming, convinced of the innumerable benefits it provides for health and the environment. Being an organic crop, the water they use must pass some controls and be free of any chemical. This comes from the Acequia Real del Júcar. This project is carried out by a group of people, made up of men and women, who have been part of the team for more than two years. This crew is made up of people with functional diversity, who are offered the opportunity to feel useful and valued, working in a supervised environment, which helps them to be independent both personally and economically. When they were hired, they told them about the difficulties they had in getting a job according to their personal characteristics. For this reason, all of them showed gratitude for giving them the opportunity to work because they wanted to contribute financially to their homes and help their families. That was their greatest gratification and the ecological value, since they lend a hand to people in need.

Ecologicval employs people with functional disabilities and also women, within an objective of promoting the values of the social economy. They also have collaboration with local ONG that ask them to organised courses on their field (for instance Gardiner). This way, they contribute to train people.

• Social impact, work on social insertion, especially with vulnerable groups, people with disabilities, and women in difficult situations
• Ecological production
• Education

Ecologicval employs two dozen technicians and unskilled workers, and produces quality organic vegetables and extrateprano pomegranates, also organic.

The decision to focus on organic production stemmed from their experiences in Germany and the UK, where they saw a growing interest in the environment and healthy eating. Despite the challenges and bureaucracy associated with organic farming, they decided to go for this approach and contribute to the development of the organic market in Spain. However, they recognize the difficulties to plan their work in a different way.

AgroICulturra (2018) Ecologicval, un vergel de granadas y verduras ecológicas en la Ribera de Valencia https://agroicultura.com/general/ecologicval-un-vergel-de-granadas-y-verduras-ecologicas-en-la-ribera-de-valencia/