The need to reinforce investment and accelerate adaptation to climate change is at the center of improving the competitiveness of the Spanish agri-food sector, according to the Agro-Food Sector Report 2026 from CaixaBank Research, made public this Tuesday.
The study states that the sector "is in 2026 in a stronger position than in previous years," although it warns that extreme weather events, geopolitical tensions, and trade barriers continue to mark its horizon.
In this way, the agri-food sector has entered a "normalization phase" after the drought, the rising costs, and geopolitical difficulties, and maintains an evolution that the report qualifies as favorable.
In any case, the document emphasizes that the great challenge is to increase production while simultaneously raising its added value. To achieve this, it proposes that the usual investments in facilities and machinery be complemented by a much more decisive push towards intangible assets, such as digitalization, data analytics, innovation, traceability, brands, and artificial intelligence applied to production processes.
The report highlights that the Spanish agri-food sector has solid foundations to face the challenges of the coming years, supported by its capacity to invest, its weight in the territory, and its export strength.
Furthermore, it concludes that the future of the sector lies in combining investment, innovation, climate adaptation, and business integration, given that "the sector already invests a lot; the challenge now is to invest better."
Transformation of the Wine Sector
The document reserves a specific chapter for the wine sector, which it defines as "one of the best examples of the profound transformation that the Spanish agri-food sector is experiencing," as it faces two challenges that it qualifies as structural: the impact of climate change on production and the change in consumer preferences.
In light of the increase in extreme weather events, the report explains that the sector is betting on recovering more heat and water stress-resistant Mediterranean native varieties, in addition to developing solutions that strengthen the resilience of vineyards.
It also details that traditional wine consumption is declining, especially among the young population, while the demand for products associated with quality, origin, sustainability, and experiences around wine is gaining weight.