The investment bet and adaptation to climate change are consolidating as decisive elements to bolster the competitiveness of the Spanish agri-food sector, according to the Agri-food Sector Report 2026 prepared by CaixaBank Research and released this Tuesday.
The study indicates 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 restrictions continue to mark its horizon.
According to the document, agri-food activity has entered a "normalization phase" after the drought period, the rising costs of inputs, and the difficulties arising from the international context, maintaining a positive trajectory.
In this scenario, it identifies the main challenge as increasing production and doing so with greater added value. To this end, it emphasizes the need to complement usual investments in facilities and machinery with a reinforced effort in intangible assets, such as digitalization, data analytics, innovation, traceability, brands, and artificial intelligence applied to production processes.
The report maintains that the Spanish agri-food fabric has solid foundations to face the challenges of the coming years, supported by its investment capacity, its weight in the territory, and its export strength.
Looking to the future, the analysis concludes that the evolution of the sector must rely on a combination of investment, innovation, climate adaptation, and business integration, given that "the sector already invests a lot; the challenge now is to invest better."
Wine sector
The document reserves a specific section for the wine sector, which it qualifies 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 defines as structural: the impact of climate change on production and the change in consumption preferences.
In light of the increase in extreme weather events, the sector is promoting the recovery of native Mediterranean varieties better adapted to heat and water stress, as well as various solutions to strengthen the resilience of vineyards.
The report states that traditional wine consumption is declining, especially among the young population, although interest is growing in references associated with quality, origin, sustainability, and wine-related enotourism and cultural experiences.