CHOICE brings sustainable livestock farming campaigns to ExpoHuelma 2026
On 28 August 2026, CHOICE partner Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de Andalucía took part in the technical sessions held during ExpoHuelma – Feria del Parque Natural de Sierra Mágina, in Huelma, Jaén, bringing the CHOICE Spanish Pilot’s livestock engagement campaigns directly to farmers, technical experts and rural stakeholders.
The sessions formed part of the training programme dedicated to extensive livestock farming and threatened breeds, creating a space for knowledge exchange on some of the key challenges facing the sector.
Representing Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de Andalucía, Dr Obdulia Parra, R+D+i Technician, presented the CHOICE livestock engagement campaigns at 13:45, immediately after the panel discussion.
As her participation was confirmed shortly before the event, the CHOICE presentation was added after the official programme had already been finalised and therefore does not appear on the published event poster.
Bringing CHOICE closer to the livestock sector
ExpoHuelma provided a particularly relevant setting for CHOICE to connect with people working directly in extensive livestock farming.
The technical programme brought together farmers, technical specialists and other professionals from the livestock sector to exchange knowledge and discuss current challenges and practices related to extensive livestock farming.
These conversations closely connect with the work of the CHOICE Spanish Pilot, which focuses on encouraging more sustainable practices among livestock farmers in Andalusia.
The pilot works with farmers and agricultural cooperatives to explore how environmental objectives can be translated into realistic changes at farm level. CHOICE specifically aims to engage the livestock sector, including beef, pig, goat and sheep production, in efforts to reduce its environmental footprint.
Supporting more sustainable livestock practices
A central objective of the Spanish Pilot is to help farmers explore agricultural and livestock practices that can contribute to more sustainable production.
The practices examined within CHOICE include approaches such as rotational grazing, regenerative agriculture, bio-fertilisers, the use of manure as fertiliser and changes in ruminant feeding practices aimed at reducing methane emissions.
CHOICE does not look at these practices only from a technical perspective. The project also examines the factors that influence whether farmers are willing and able to adopt them.
Behavioural insights, farmer profiles and engagement activities are therefore combined with the project’s modelling work to better understand how sustainable practices can be communicated and applied in different agricultural contexts.
Through its campaigns, CHOICE seeks to translate complex scientific information into accessible messages and data stories that are meaningful to farmers and connected to the decisions they make in their everyday work.
Farmers at the centre of the transition
Direct interaction with livestock farmers is an essential part of the CHOICE approach.
Farmers have practical knowledge of their animals, land and production systems, while their decisions are shaped by economic conditions, regulation, available resources and the realities of managing a farm.
CHOICE therefore aims not simply to communicate sustainable practices to farmers, but to engage them in the process and better understand the conditions that can support or hinder change.
The project foresees direct contact with farmers and livestock cooperatives, as well as workshops and other knowledge-transfer activities designed to help producers explore different options for making their farms more sustainable and efficient.
Events such as ExpoHuelma provide an important opportunity to take this engagement beyond the project itself and into established sectoral spaces where farmers and experts already meet to exchange knowledge and discuss common challenges.
Why this matters to CHOICE
CHOICE aims to connect scientific evidence, behavioural understanding and real-world decision-making.
Within the Spanish Pilot, livestock farmers are not simply an audience for project results. They are key actors in understanding how sustainable farming practices can work in practice and what may encourage their wider adoption.
The project combines Integrated Assessment Models, behavioural models, data storytelling and engagement campaigns to explore the impacts of different farming choices and make those insights more accessible to non-specialist audiences.
Presenting the livestock campaigns at ExpoHuelma therefore contributes directly to CHOICE’s objective of bringing this knowledge closer to the people making decisions on the ground.
It also supports a wider CHOICE principle: small changes in production practices can become more significant when they are understood, adopted and shared across farming communities.
By engaging directly with farmers and livestock professionals in Sierra Mágina, CHOICE and Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de Andalucía are helping create the dialogue needed to move towards livestock systems that are more sustainable, efficient and resilient, while recognising the practical realities faced by producers.
For CHOICE, this is an essential part of climate-conscious change: making scientific knowledge accessible, listening to farmers and supporting informed choices that can benefit both agricultural communities and the environment.
Explore the full presentation.
