INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHICAL UNION Regional Conference Tel Aviv 2010 July Designing an information management web system for the commercialization of agricultural products of family farms Carlos Ferrás Sexto Yolanda García Vázquez Mariña Pose García Grupo de Investigación Sociedad, Tecnología y Territorio (GIST IDEGA) Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

Family Farms-Spain 75% of all world foods are producted for family farms. This the same in Spain. 86% of all spanish farms are family farms 24% of spanish population is living in rural areas The economic familiar income in the rural areas it is lower in 40 % than the urban average The agrarian families sell his products to a price of 1500 lower % than the final price of the urban market In Spain only 30 % of the agrarian families uses Internet

Presentation of the project Granxafamiliar.com is an information management system for the commercialization of agricultural products of family farms. The purpose is to boost socio-economic development and spread the use of ICT in several Galician rural municipalities. We do not know of any schemes regarding rural development and new technologies in Spain which are comparable to what we are trying to develop in Galicia. Needs to be mentioned the digital platform which was developed in the municipality of Brión which focuses on socio- economic development from the digitalization of culture and local education. There are precedents in a similar initiative which is being carried out on an individual basis in the Basque Country with notable success ( and a research team from University College Cork in Ireland (Northside Folk Project).

Granxa Familiar website

Objectives The objective is to boost social, economic and cultural development in the Galician rural environment. The recovery of historical records and the reassessment of local rural culture in the context of the information society. It has been developed the website It is based on boosting commercial transactions and the possibilities of being able to buy and sell traditional produce for family self-supply that exists in the rural environment. We intend to promote it globally across the internet by promoting the use and spread of ICT as tools and commercial channels for agricultural products, mutual knowledge between rural and urban communities, as well as information and learning channels. To make an empirical and theoretical in-depth study on the territorial and social effects linked to the development of the information and communication society in rural communities.

Methodology and work plan The project involved the development of the computer system with regard to information and communication, the production and management of multimedia content for the website a marketing plan, system management and coordination work, and locating local producers. The website was conceived using advanced free PHP programming with a strong multimedia content. It allows video, sound and digital image about the family farms to be shown and the products which they are offering for sale. GranxaFamiliar is an information system for promoting and selling quality farm produce from family farms without intermediaries. The difference with other portals of this type is in giving a serious, organized appearance which reflects the quality and the natural content of the products and the family farms promoted on the website.

Architecture and content of the site The Granxafamiliar website is structured in three large interrelated blocks: 1. Local producers

Architecture and content of the site The Granxafamiliar website is structured in three large interrelated blocks: 2. Immersion in the information society

Architecture and content of the site The Granxafamiliar website is structured in three large interrelated blocks: 3. Creation of virtual museums

Benefits of the project Granxafamiliar is making a noteworthy contribution to scientific-technical knowledge about the social, economic and territorial effects of the information society and information and communication technologies on the rural environment. The direction of this project toward rural towns is benefiting the development of territories that are switched off or cut off from the information society. It is making several rural Galician town halls visible as models in the development and use of new technologies in the commercialization of family farm produce. Granxafamiliar.com has been conceived as a public digital communication service to promote the appreciation of traditional products for family consumption and an increase in value of local and rural culture. The Granxafamiliar.com project is promoting relations and direct contact between rural and urban Galician families, contributing to the recovery of historical records in the rural environment and spreading it towards the urban environment.

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