Women entrepreneurs and sustainable livestock farming: the future of the countryside, at the Big Good Awards
The Ruraltivity and Las Albaidas projects, recognized in these awards promoted by McDonald's in Spain, show how social and environmental innovation can give a future to the rural world.
Starting a business without leaving your village, producing without depleting the land, and innovating without losing your roots. In rural areas, these three desires have long since ceased to be abstract aspirations and have become concrete necessities. Behind projects like Ruraltivity and Las Albaidas lies this commitment to making the rural world viable today, not just as a landscape, but as a space for living, working, and building a future. These two initiatives were awarded prizes in the second edition of the Big Good Awards, which recognize social and environmental innovation projects in the agricultural sector.
These awards, promoted by McDonald's in Spain as part of its Big Good project and the +Campo initiative, share a clear objective: to give visibility and support to initiatives that contribute to a more sustainable, innovative, and socially engaged agricultural sector. The award aims to act as a catalyst for projects originating in the region to grow and become established.
In this second edition, the Big Good Awards recognized two categories: Social Innovation and Environmental Innovation. Winning projects received €20,000 each, intended to promote the sustainable development of their own initiatives or the agricultural sector as a whole. Beyond the financial recognition, the awards aim to give visibility to projects with the capacity to generate a real and replicable impact in rural areas.
Ruraltivity: rural women entrepreneurs
Ruraltivity has been awarded the Big Good Prize for Social Innovation. Promoted by FADEMUR, the program was created to empower rural women to pursue entrepreneurial ventures without having to leave their communities. In a context marked by a lack of job opportunities and gender inequality, Ruraltivity acts as a springboard for local business ideas to become viable and sustainable projects.
The initiative combines digital training, personalized support, and tools for self-employment, with a special emphasis on sectors linked to the circular economy and local services. Beyond economic activity, Ruraltivity works to strengthen women's autonomy, reduce the digital divide, and contribute to retaining population in rural areas. In this case, entrepreneurship is not only a career option but also a way to guarantee continuity, social cohesion, and a future for the region.
Las Albaidas: sustainable livestock farming with a vision for the future
Las Albaidas has been awarded the Big Good Prize for Environmental Innovation. The initiative promotes an extensive, transhumant livestock farming model that revives traditional practices while incorporating technology to make them viable in the current context. The objective is clear: to reconcile economic activity, land stewardship, and environmental sustainability in a sector facing significant economic and climate pressures.
The project integrates tools such as GPS, drones, and digital traceability systems to improve herd management, optimize the use of natural resources, and ensure more transparent and efficient production. This combination of ancestral knowledge and technological innovation allows for soil restoration, biodiversity protection, and the recognition of extensive livestock farming as an ally in the fight against environmental degradation. Beyond its production, Las Albaidas champions a living, connected rural model, with the capacity to shape the future.
Established awards
With this second edition, the Big Good Awards consolidate an initiative that aims to continue supporting transformative projects in rural areas. In the first edition, the awards recognized initiatives such as Conect@ en Rural, from the Association of Families and Women in Rural Areas (AFAMMER), which focuses on the empowerment and digitalization of rural women and was awarded in the Social Innovation category. A sustainable sheep farming project was also recognized in the Environmental Innovation category for its commitment to integrating livestock production with the natural environment and the circular economy.
