On 12 September 2025, the Municipality of #Fundão hosted the fifth session of the FoodCoP Startup Villages Webinar Series, exploring how rural innovation is thriving through the intersection of #AgroTech, #CircularEconomy, and entrepreneurship.

Titled “Next-Gen Agriculture in Fundão: Rural Innovation from the Ground Up”, the webinar offered a hands-on look at how Fundão is reimagining food systems, forest management, and digital agriculture as a catalyst for #sustainability and rural revitalisation.

Led by Fabíola Figueira, Communication Manager at Fundão’s Innovation Department, the session featured local innovators shaping the future of food and land use:

🔍 João from the Municipality of Fundão gave an in-depth overview of the AgroTech ecosystem, including experimental farms, IoT infrastructure, digital agriculture pilots, and education programmes to attract young talent. Anchored by the AgroTech Centre, this ecosystem supports smart farming, biodiversity restoration, and inclusive innovation.

🌳 Gonçalo Amorim, Executive Board Member at Food4Sustainability CoLAB, introduced the Food Rural Park in Idanha, a regenerative silvopastoralism initiative. By combining science-based soil regeneration, livestock digital monitoring, and local breed resilience, the park promotes scalable models for climate-smart agriculture.

♻️ Daniel Abegão, Founder of CFER – Centre for Food Education and Research, presented NURTURE, a circular bioeconomy project turning unused sheep and goat whey into high-value protein ingredients. His lab has already created new jobs in Fundão and is also exploring olive pomace valorisation for wastewater treatment.

🚀 Rafhael Monteiro, CEO of UPinC, showcased a digital platform helping small farms automate irrigation and reduce resource use. With sensors and AI tools developed locally, UPinC exemplifies youth-led rural tech entrepreneurship.

From smart sensors and bio-labs to inclusive startup support, the Fundão model proves that small regions can drive big change — combining deep territorial knowledge with cutting-edge solutions.

🎥 The full recording of this session is available on the FoodCoP platform:
👉 https://www.platform-foodcop.eu/