McDonald’s Spain Celebrates Agricultural Changemakers

In November 2025, McDonald’s Spain hosted the second edition of the Big Good Awards, a celebration of social and environmental innovation in Spanish agriculture. Taking home the grand prizes were two pioneering projects: Ruraltivity and Las Albaidas.

But the awards weren’t just about celebrating smart ideas – they were about empowering innovators to scale their solutions too. Each winner received €20,000 to help promote more sustainable development either at the farm level or across the wider Spanish countryside.

€20,000 awarded to two pioneering projects aimed at advancing more sustainable agriculture

Supporting Entrepreneurs with Ruraltivity

In the Social Innovation category, FADEMUR (the Federation of Rural Women’s Associations) won with RURALTIVITY, a program that aims to empower rural entrepreneurs. Through digital training, self-employment tools, personalized mentoring and cross-territory exchange experiences, the initiative helps them build successful, community-focused businesses.

Helping Preserve Nature with Las Albaidas

The winning idea for the Environmental Innovation category was Las Albaidas, presented by Felipe Molina Pérez, livestock farmer and owner of the extensive Córdoba-based livestock operation.

Las Albaidas is rooted in the tradition of transhumance – the seasonal movement of herds between winter and summer pastures. But the project doesn't just draw on the best of the old: it combines it with the best of the new too. Managing merino sheep and Retinto cattle, Las Albaidas uses modern technologies such as GPS, drones and blockchain designed to help regenerate soils, protect biodiversity and support end-to-end traceability of its halal-certified meat and wool.