Research areas

The Departament of Animal Science is focused on optimising livestock systems and making them more sustainable, as well as producing foods of animal origin, conserving indigenous breeds, upgrading value chains and preventing infectious diseases with a public health impact. To this end, work is being done to improve the use of Aragon’s resources and to increase the technical and economic efficiency of livestock production, and the quality and safety of animal products. Studies are also being carried out on epidemiology as well as the diagnosis and control of livestock diseases and zoonoses.

The Department contributes to knowledge on the technical management of cattle and sheep flocks, the development of new feeding systems and their effect on product quality and traceability, the improvement of fertility and prolificacy through the management and use of genomic/genetic tools, product diversification in different livestock species, and the effects of livestock farming on the environment and its capacity to provide ecosystem services. It thus contributes to providing society with healthy, sustainably produced food and meeting the expectations of different consumers. In the field of animal health, the department is renowned for its significant advances in epidemiological studies and in developing vaccines and diagnostic methods for the prevention and control of diseases such as brucellosis, salmonellosis and various parasitic diseases.

The Department of Plant Science carries out research on 4 main groups of plant species: temperate fruit trees, horticultural species, aromatic and medicinal plants and truffle species.

In fruit and vegetable species, 4 main interrelated areas are covered:

Agriculture and forestry systems provide us with environmental goods and services. Such provision must be guided by the principles of sustainability, and, in the face of the difficulties imposed by global change, we must manage it in a way that strengthens its long-term resilience.

The Department of Environmental, Agricultural and Forestry Systems aims to generate scientific and technical information to establish and promote more competitive, efficient and sustainable agricultural and forestry systems. In order to meet this objective, our work is focused on:

Research activity focuses on the economic analysis of bioeconomy activities and their relationship with the rural environment, the environment, natural resources and climate change. The group’s three research areas are:

The first area analyses the economic activities of the bioeconomy and its contribution to economic and social development in rural areas and to the fight against climate change and rural depopulation.

In the “agri-food chain competitiveness and sustainability” area, economic studies are carried out on the value chain of agri-food products, from production and processing to distribution, trade and consumption, taking into account not only efficiency and productivity, but also sustainability linked to more environmentally and socially responsible practices.

In the last area, “environment and natural resource economics”, economic and environmental analyses are carried out for the assessment and design of public policies that promote a more efficient and sustainable use of resources (water, energy and other renewable resources). In addition, the impact of bioeconomy activities and trade on natural resources is quantified.