Land Access and land stewardship Case Studies from CataloniaThe current context of the agriculture...

Document ocasional de la xct, 24

Setembre 2014

Autors: Ajuntament de Granollers, Fundació Emys, L’Espigall, Neus Monlló, Paisatges Vius, Rurbans.

Amb el suport de :

Land Access and land stewardship

Case Studies from Catalonia

LAND ACCESS CASE STUDY

AGRICULTURAN REVITALISATION IN GRANOLLERS INTRODUCTION Granollers, capital of the region of Vallès Oriental, is a medium sized city located in the second crown of Barcelona metropolitan area in Catalonia. The city, which creates a great conurbation together with other 3 municipalities, still preserves some natural areas of great interest, such as the river Congost (Natura 2000) and the agricultural area of Palou, a periurban area where the agricultural activity is rapidly decreasing. Granollers city council has always been committed with the conservation of their natural areas and, therefore, the future of the rural area of Palou. This commitment was formally established in the “Management Plan for Natural Landscapes of Granollers”, approved in July 2012, where some specific objectives were defined for Palou:

• Ensure the integrity of agricultural and forest terrains in the Palou plain, the Llevant mountains and the Ponent mountains, protected by the current town planning.

• Grant the inhabitants of these areas with adequate services and facilities.

• Actively promote the revitalization of local agricultural activity.

• Seek the adhesion of landowners and agricultural producers to this Commitment and the principles which have inspired it.

Undoubtedly land stewardship strategies are essential tools to achieve the challenge of restoring the agricultural activity of Palou.

Image 1. Drawing of the central part of the Palou plain

THE STRATEGIC SECTOR OF PALOU In Granollers, Palou has a strategic value, which provides a rich multifunctionality based on three components:

• Economy: o Food sovereignty o Employment o Local trade o Diversification of the economy o Food industry o The economic value of agricultural activity in Catalonia reaches the 3% of

GDP (Gross domestic product), but if you consider the balance of the externalities associated with the activity, this value exceeds 6.5%

• Environment: o Landscape o Biodiversity , especially agricultural habitats o Reducing Greenhouse gas

• Society – Culture: o Local varieties o Seasonal products o Culture and knowledge related to farm o Leisure o Gastronomy o Social insertion o Local identity

To promote this multifunctionality is needed to conserve the values of Palou and tThe best way to protect a rural area is making it valuable.

Image 2. Multifunctionality in Palou

FRAMEWORK The current context of the agriculture in Palou has several drawbacks:

• The number of farmers is hardly decreasing

• Farmland is preserved, there are not abandoned fields, but they are underused

• Farmers are entirely dependent on the funds of Common Agriculture Policy

• Production has lost connection with the city

• Not vegetables, not transformed products

• Not short circuits

• Owners had lost connection with land (lost generation)

• Big urban pressure of the city

• Expectation of owners to build This framework could be completed with the following data:

• 96 % of crops are cereal and other extensive crops

• 52 farmers, but few of them are professional

• 300 different owners of agricultural land

• 65% of properties smaller than 1 ha

Image 3. Cereal crops in Palou

PROJECTS TO RECOVER THE AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY With the aim of increase the connection between the city and the country and promoting a sustainable agricultural activity several projects have been carried out:

• Products of Palou Label “The taste of the local”, the brand which distinguished the quality of products of Palou and contributes to the preservation of the rural landscape.

Image 4. The logo and motto of products of Palou

• The network of shops with Palou products: a list of the producers, shops and restaurants with Palou products (http://www.granollers.cat/productesdepalou/on)

• Local seed bank: The Granollers City Council is working together with other local organisations to create a local seed bank of the Vallès Oriental County. The main objective of this projecte is to preserve, recover and give value this precious heritage that was about to disappear (http://www.granollers.cat/productesdepalou/agricultura)

• Study of irrigation: this is a complete report focus on the important role of water is the Mediterranean agricultural land. Different scenarios are analysis taking care of climate change parameters, the consumption of reclaimed waters and the conversion to an irrigated agriculture.

Image 5. Watering a field located next to Sant Julià Church

• Strategic Plan of Palou: an participative project which aims to define the future guidelines of Palou and different actions related to the agrarian activity, the inhabitants of Palou, infrastructures and services, the natural areas and its biodiversity, as well as, the development of the economy activities.

Nature conservation and land stewardship in Collsacabra Natural

Protected Area

Paisatges Vius

Paisatges Vius (Living Landscapes) is a non-for-profit organisation working on natural heritage,

biodiversity and landscape conservation and restoration actions compatible with human activity

on the land. We use land stewardship agreements as a long-term conservation strategy for

farms and rural estates with natural, cultural and landscape resources. We are developing a

highly specialized expertise and practice in restoration & conservation of Mediterranean and

Atlantic type species, habitats and landscapes, since 2010.

Our network of partners includes the Catalan Land Stewardship Network-XCT, where we share

expertise with +160 organisations, as well as Universities and Research Centres, private

companies, protected areas, municipalties and +10 private landowners & farms where we

develop our long-term restoration & conservation actions.

The project

Territorially “Nature conservation and land stewardship in Collsacabra Natural Protected Area”

is framed in the 10 municipalities that are part of the natural area, about some 10.000 hectares

in NE Spain, near Barcelona. Within this area Paisatges Vius is looking for the most valuable

sites and sign land stewardship agreements with their land owners and farmers.

The main objective of the project is to create a net of sites that allow us to conserve the natural

heritage of the area in a manner compatible with economic activities as agriculture, livestock

farming, forestry or tourism. The conservation targets to select the sites are the presence of

streams with native crayfish, seminatural meadows and ponds for amphibians (existing or

potential).

From 2012 to 2014 Paisatges Vius signed 4 agreements (2 with landowners and 2 with farmers)

that allowed undertaking several conservation actions in about 600 hectares:

• Creation of 2 new ponds and restoration of 6 other for biodiversity.

• Transformation of 1 hectare of intensive pastures to seminatural using innovative

methodology.

• Plantation of 350 meters of hedges along the restored pastures.

• Substitute bath tubs for proper for cattle trough.

• Substitute 5.000 meters of barbed wire for electrified wire

• Installation of escape devices in artificial ponds to avoid wildlife drowning

• Installation of nest boxes for birds, bats and dormice.

Is important to remark that one of the agreements was signed in the Notary and was inscribed

in the Property Register to be sure the project continues even if the farm is sold. The others are

private agreements with no legal frame behind

More information: http://paisatgesvius.org/?p=415

Quasi-‐final Draft_040414

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Rurbans and Terra Franca, Catalonia, Spain: from fostering the new peasantry to enabling its access to land Written by Neus Monllor, February 20141

Overview

Catalonia is a region of small-‐ and medium scale family farms, with a strong prevalence of cattle farming. Like the rest of Spain, it has experienced rapid modernisation since the 1960s, led by the government and accelerated by the accession to the EEC in 1986. As a result, farms have become bigger, more specialised, more mechanised and more integrated in industrial agro-‐food chains. In the Pyrenees, farms are closing down, and land occupation is declining, as a result of economic difficulties, rural depopulation and pressure for tourism development. Rurbans is a non-‐profit association established in 2003 in the county of Pallars Sobirà, a mountain Pyrenees’ area in the north of Catalonia. Its mission is to rejuvenate Pyrenean areas through innovative and participatory projects aiming at preserving and reviving their sociocultural heritage. Its flagship project is the Gripia project, started in 2009, which aims at revitalising Pyrenean cattle farming and at fostering a new generation of peasants in Catalonia. This holistic project thus addresses the various aspects of the issue: training of prospective farmers in the School of Shepherds, support in accessing land through a land bank, agronomic, environmental or business advice service, support in marketing the wool and awareness-‐raising among the youth.

1 This case study was initially reserached by Marie Allagnat (Terrre de liens). It was further researched and written by Neus Monllor, a Catalonian independent researcher on agroecology and new peasants ([email protected]). It was edited by Veronique Rioufol (Terre de liens).


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All these activities cultivate people’s pride of being a peasant and belonging to a peasant culture, and seek to contribute to a broad change of paradigm in agriculture, towards community-‐based, agroecological practices. Rurbans and the Gripia project now are a reference in Catalonia for community-‐based rural revitalisation, and in particular farm renewal, artisan activities, land stewardship and access to land.

One of the key challenges, which turned out to be complex to address, is securing farmland for the new generation of peasants. Landowners, mostly small owners coming from a farming background, are generally reluctant to sell or rent, particularly to “newcomers”. Besides, there is strong competition for the land, coming from industrial livestock farmers and urban sprawl, which has increased land prices dramatically. To address this central issue adequately, Rurbans and a group of organisations and individual involved in local food systems and rural revitalisation, therefore decided to establish a specific organisation on access to land.

After two years of preparation, Terra Franca was formally established as a non-‐profit association in 2013, with the mission of finding innovative solutions to address access to land issues in Catalonia. It seeks to preserve farmland and to maintain existing farms, to facilitate farm transfers, to advice (private and public) landowners and to secure land for young and prospective farmers. It is inspired by the trajectory and the philosophy of Terre de Liens, as well as other European organisations such as Regionalwert AG and Terre-‐en-‐vue. It rests on land stewardship agreements, with both landowners and farmers, to facilitate access to land and promote an approach to managing farmland as a commons. While still in its starting phase, it could become a key element in the collective work of landowners, farmers, public authorities and citizens to develop good quality food and maintain vibrant rural areas.

1-‐ Background

1.1-‐ Agriculture in Catalonia: a majority model of industrial agribusiness

Spanish agriculture is characterised by diversity, between types of production, farming models and regions. Andalusia has very large latifundia producing olives and employing day labourers. It also has intensive conventional and organic vegetable and fruit production under greenhouses in Almeria and Huelva. Castilla y Leon is a region of crop production. Catalonia has become one of the main European regions for livestock farming and is dominated by small-‐ to medium-‐scale family farming. At the same time, the whole of Spain has experienced the same evolution over the past decades, marked by modernisation, mechanisation, specialisation and intensification of agricultural production. These trends, started in the 1960S, accelerated with Spain’s accession to the EEC in 1986. This led to an increase in food production, higher competitiveness, and development of exports. It also resulted in a decline of the farming population, land concentration, and loss of farmland. Thus, while there were 2.8 million farms in 1962, there were only 0.9 million left in 20092.

This evolution is well illustrated in Catalonia, where agricultural jobs have diminished, and where the majority model is now that of medium-‐size family farm integrated in the industrial agro-‐food chain. Agricultural workers represented 2.6% of the workforce in 2001, and only 1.9% in 2012. Agriculture contributed to only 1% of the regional GDP in 2010. One of the major changes of the last decades in Catalonia has been the rapid and drastic industrialisation of livestock farming3. Forty years ago, livestock constituted only a small part of regional agriculture, scattered in numerous small farms characterised by self-‐consumption and low levels of yield and profitability. After the Green Revolution, it became the first Catalan farming sector

2 Data is based on the Agricultural Census (Censo Agrario) 2009 from the Spanish Institute of Statistics. 3 Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentacion, Libro blanco de la agricultura y el desarrollo rural, 2002.


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in terms of economic value and livestock volume. As a corollary, Catalonia became the epicentre of Spanish livestock farming, and one of the main livestock producers in the EU4.

Farms’ integration in agro-‐business chains is the rule for pork and chicken meat, and more and more often for beef and dairy sector. This intensive livestock farming is based on a high level of external inputs: fodder, pesticides, machinery, investment and capital. Such a model enables farmers to increase their volume of production and competitiveness on the markets. It also results in a high level of farmers’ indebtedness, high dependency on long-‐supply chains and CAP subsidies, environmental damage, and lower quality and safety risks for consumers.

Crop production in Catalonia is mostly linked to this livestock industry and also rests on intensive practices. Thus, irrigation is developing rapidly, as one of the central element in the modernisation process. About a third of cultivated area was irrigated in 2011, representing about two third of the economic value of crop production. Another element is the high use of transgenic production, particularly of corn. In 2012, 95% of the European Union area allocated to transgenic crops was in Portugal and Spain5, and 25% was just for Catalonia.

1.2-‐ Farmland in Catalonia: context and issues

Catalonia is a region of forestry: the latter covers 63.8% of the territory, while farmland represents 26.8% (18.6% of dry land and 8.2% of irrigated land) and urban areas constitute 6.2%. Farmland area is in regular decline: it was above one million hectares in 1984, 980.000 hectares in 1999, and 790.000 hectares only in 2009, i.e. a 20% decrease in 25 years6. Farmland disappears at the profit of urban sprawl and forestry. Most abandoned land is dry land, which is less productive and profitable than irrigated land. The main cause of land abandonment is the closing of small farms, especially in areas where farm capitalisation has been lower, as well as in areas affected by urban sprawl7.

In Catalonia, most land belongs to small owners, most of whom used to be peasant farmers. In the past, land was used for self-‐sufficiency. Later, these small farmers progressively enlarged their farms, buying or renting land in order to increase their income, both by developing their activity and by receiving more area-‐based CAP subsidies. In the highlands of Catalonia (from 1200 to 2500 metres), land is communal and belongs to small village communities who manage it for agriculture or forestry. There is also some public land, mostly related to natural parks and reserves.

The Catalan land market is not very active, with high prices and few transactions. Most property in rural areas has a strong emotional value for families and communities; preference is to rent it to neighbours and local people, or even to leave it under-‐used, rather than sale it to newcomers. Besides, in peri-‐urban areas, many landowners retain abandoned land, in the hope that it will be classified as development area and can therefore sale at a high construction price. As a corollary, land prices have increased as a result of urban sprawl, and high demand from the intensive livestock sector. The latter buys and leases most of the premium land for breeding cattle. It also needs land for crop production and for managing manure8. On a national level, land prices increased drastically in the 1990 and 2000 decades, with an average of +5.3% per year between 1993 and 2008. Despite a regular decrease since the financial crisis of 2008, they still remain at a national average of 10.000€ in 2011.

4 Peix, J. (2008): Catalunya primer clúster agroalimentari d’Europa, Generalitat de Catalunya. 5 Source : webpage of Inf'OGM http://www.infogm.org 6 Source Idescat, Institut d'Estadistica de Catalunya. 7 GARCIA PASCUAL Francisco, "Analisis socioeconomica de la agricultura catalana", Lleida University, September 2002 8 Soldevila, Victoria; Viladomiu, Lourdes and Frances, Gemma (2009): Catalonian pork value chain’s resilience: ready for environmental challenge?. Paper prepared for presentation at the 113th EAAE Seminar “A resilient European food industry and food chain in a challenging world”, Chania, Crete, Greece, date as in: September 3 -‐ 6, 2009 [On line].


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1.3-‐ The development of industrial organic farming

Organic agriculture has flourished in the last decade. In 2011, Spain had 1.8 million hectares of organic farming, 50% more than in 2009, which makes it the first EU country in terms of organic acreage. This development is spurred in part by the new CAP, and in part because of increasing European demand and regional public policies. The sector is mostly integrated into industrial farming. Organic livestock farming is rapidly developing (+17% from 2009 to 2010), with Catalonia being the second region in Spain for organic meat production, just after Andalusia. It is also the second region for organic food processing and agro-‐food industry9.

In parallel, organic consumption has also increased rapidly (+16% from 2004 to 2012). The supermarket distribution sector is playing an important role, particularly as outlet for the production of long organic agro-‐food chains. About 60 to 70% of Spanish organic production is exported, while Spain imports around 20-‐30% of the organic food it consumes10.

1.4-‐ The rise of agroecology and “new peasants”

Besides this rapid development of agro-‐industrial organic production, Catalonia also sees the rise of agro-‐ecology and related production, processing and marketing models: direct marketing and short supply chains, self-‐picking, diversification of productions, multi-‐activity, community-‐based finance, etc. These experimentations have had a new impulse since 2008, with the social crisis and related mobilisations. They are initiated both by farmers or future farmers seeking new ways to practice more sustainable, ethical and community-‐based agriculture, and by consumers and citizens willing to support them. The last few years have thus seen an increase in bulk-‐buying groups and other community-‐supported initiatives in Catalonia. There were at least 130 self-‐organized short food chains initiatives in 2012, mostly in the Barcelona metropolitan area11. In parallel, new organic farmers markets are appearing every month. There is a strong push from consumers to eat real food and to make a social contract with farmers in their area. This push is decisive to foster a new generation of farmers willing to make a living from sustainable agricultural models.

As a result of a PhD12 research, it is possible to identify a new group of farmers shifting to a new agrosocial paradigm. They may be called the New Peasantry, following the theoretical framework presented by Van der Ploeg in his book “The New Peasantries”13. They are farmers rooted in their community and local area, who believe in diversified production and on-‐farm activities, promote environmentally friendly practices, engage in cooperation (e.g. sharing equipment or distribution schemes), experiment low cost and less intensive technologies, and try to reduce the capital intensification embedded in conventional farming. This new peasantry includes both continuers -‐ who come from a farming family -‐ and newcomers – who come from another background. There is evidence from different sources that this group is increasing, but it is difficult to quantify it exactly, or to know what they represent in terms of food production. Newcomers tend to be older, more educated, more urban and more often female than

9GONZALVEZ Víctor, "Situación actual y perspectivas de la agricultura ecológica en España", Vida rural, May 2012 10 Agricultura ecológica estadísticas 2012, MAGRAMA [On line]. 11Análisis del consumo ecológico organizado : buscando sinergias con el comercio justo y otros ámbitos del consumo responsable, Red de Consumo Solidario (ed.), 2012. 12MONLLOR Neus, Young farmers: pathways, practices and attitudes in a new agrosocial context. A comparative exploration of young farmers’ practices and attitudes between Southern Ontario (Canada) and Girona area in Catalonia (Spain), University of Girona, 2011, available at: http://www.tdx.cat/handle/10803/70011 13 Ploeg, J.D. van der (2008): The new peasantries. Struggles for autonomy and sustainability in an era of empire and globalization. London: Earthscan.


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continuers14; they often have previous experience or training in another sector. In terms of farming businesses, they tend to maintain a small-‐scale of operation, avoid making big investments in the early stages, sell directly to the consumers and introduce innovative practices. They also have a strong sense of autonomy, and seek ways to be more autonomous from banks, companies (chemicals, seeds, etc.) and expensive machinery.

These new peasants are renewing agricultural and rural practices, and offer the prospect of maintaining agriculture on a human scale. Evidence15 shows that this group is serious and is recognized by more and more sections of society as having a strategic role in providing local quality food and taking care of the environment, thereby meeting rising social demands.

These new peasants, particularly newcomers, are facing many obstacles to enter agriculture. Access to land is a major barrier, given the price of farmland, limited sale and rent offers on the markets, and the intense competition from industrial cattle farming to access premium land. They also often lack access to financial means, adequate training, adapted extension services, and sufficient and adaquate local marketing outlets. Today in Catalonia, the easier way to become a farmer is to start by doing organic vegetable gardening. It is much more difficult to enter cattle farming, in terms of access to land, financial means and skills. Lluis Vila, organic farming advisor in the Catalan Ministry of agriculture explains: “the most powerful agroecological projects are always linked with vegetable gardening. And fruit production. (...) There are very few young people who want to start with dairy cows. Why? Because starting on a dairy farm requires very large investments. Starting on a pork farm as well, besides, organic pork production is technically difficult. Among the sectors that are more accessible is for instance vegetable gardening. Because with a small area, say 2 hectares, you can earn a living for one person. With 2 hectares in dairy farming, you cannot do anything. Chicken farms as well, you can earn money with a small area, and there’s been quite some people starting as chicken farmers”16.

A common feature of these new peasants is that they mostly set up their projects out of the traditional tracks, and with no public support, at least initially. Indeed, public policies are not 14 Figures of new farmers who registered in Catalonia in 2012 thus show a slight increase in the number of young farmers and women -‐ data based on responses to the Unique Farming Declaration (DUN), Generalitat de Catalunya. This data is not fully representative of the phenomenon of newcomers as it does not include new farmers who do not register officially when getting established. 15 A series of recent studies, reports and books have been published about this group. See Monllor, ibid. for further references. 16 Interview with Lluis Vila – Monternartro, February 2013.


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adapted to their profile, and rather require new farmers to meet the standards of conventional farms (specialisation, minimum area, mechanisation, etc.). As a corollary, not all new peasants enter farming through the official pathway, by registering as an agricultural worker in the social security system. Indeed, some are not sure that they will succeed or will want to continue. Others do not see the need for registration. Some decide to register officially, only when they need to ask for public subsidies (such as measure 112 supporting the setting-‐up of young farmers).

This group of new peasants also represents the hope of replacing aging farmers with a new generation. As in many parts of Europe, Catalonian farmholders are aging and many do not have identified successors. “Farm transfers are very much a family affair here. Farms go from parents to children, and if there are no children to take over, very often they sell the farm. They don’t look for somebody to replace them” says Lluis Vila. The overall data is however confusing and more research is needed in order to understand better the dynamics of farm renewal in Catalonia. Data from the agrarian census show an aged sector, where 75% of current farmers will retire within the coming two decades17. But figures of people affiliated with social security point to the average age of farmers as being 49.

This situation of generational renewal is an additional difficulty for the group of new peasants. Besides the general difficulties noted above in terms of entry into farming, they have to face the specific issues stemming from farm transfer, particularly for newcomers: they have to find and connect with retiring farmers with no successors, create trust, agree on viable and fair conditions for the farm transfer. It is all the more difficult as this farm transfer goes hand in hand with a change of farming model, due to the new peasants’ wish to shift from conventional to agroecological ways of farming. They therefore have to adapt infrastructure and machinery, change selling schemes and productive schemes, or create new ones, so that they match their agroecological project. Because this group can not only ensure the continuation of farming, but also renew the sector and bring many social, economic and environmental benefits for local communities, civil society organisations – first of which Rurbans and the Gripia project – emerged to support them and facilitate their entry into farming.

2-‐ Rurbans: new energy in the Pyrenees

Rurbans is a non-‐profit association established in 2003 in the county of Pallars Sobirà, a highland Pyrenean county in the north of Catalonia (see map 1). Its mission is to rejuvenate Pyrenean areas through innovative and participatory projects aiming at preserving and reviving their sociocultural heritage. It was born in the midst of a strong debate about the future of the region. At the time, Spain was in a construction bubble, where every land was susceptible to be developed. Municipalities and landowners were strongly pressing for construction oriented towards mass tourism. A small group started to meet every weekend to discuss the orientations to be given to economic and social development in Pallars Sobira county. Most of them were people born in the area, but were studying or working in Barcelona. They had innovative ideas about the future of rural areas and called for the development of new sustainable economic activities. Rurbans managed to push the local government to write the first local development plan for the area, (Pla Director Urbanistic de Pallars Sobirà), endorsed from the Generalitat de Catalunya. Two members of this group, both young women -‐ Vanesa Freixa and Eva Tarragona – thereafter decided to returned to their native rural area in order to engage in sustainable and innovative local development, through Rurbans.

17 Based on data from the Agricultural Census 2009, National Institute of Statistics (Spain).


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Map 1-‐ Location of Rialp in Spain and Catalonia

In 2006, Vanesa Freixa and Eva Tarragona created mOntanyanes, a consultancy company, complementary to Rurbans, and specialised in “conceiving and implementing innovative strategies for local revitalisation of mountain areas and rural territories (economy, culture, environment and social relations)”18. They began to work with local administration to help them foster new projects related to farming, direct marketing, arts and crafts, etc. and have become a reference in Catalonia for local rural development projects.

Since 2008, Rurbans has entered a new stage: it shifted from focusing on a specific objective with regard to the development of the Pyrenees to developing a broader vision aimed at creating new realities all around Catalonia. It started by organising a multi-‐stakeholder seminar to discuss different projects related to local artisans, farmers and rural entrepreneurs. The main proposal that stemmed from it was to establish a “Shepherds School” in the Pyrenees. In just 6 months, Rurbans managed to raise enough money to start the “Gripia project” (see below), which started in January 2009.

The spirit of Rurbans lies in the conviction that rural areas can be lively economic, social and cultural areas and that this revitalisation will include agriculture. They want to restore the pride of being a peasant, and to recover and renew the rich array of peasants’ practices in Catalonia. In this way, they will revalorise the trade of being a shepherd or cattle breeder, and will highlight existing local knowledge and know-‐how. For Rurbans, the “ new peasants” have the passion and the drive to renovate peasants’ spirit and ways of managing agriculture

18 See: http://www.montanyanes.net/ (in Catalan).


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and cattle. It is therefore trying to create an optimum environment to help this new generation and to facilitate generational renewal, by providing them the support and training that they need.

3-‐ Gripia project: working for the next generation of farmers

Gripia project19, a joint project of Rurbans and mOntanyanes, is a holistic project geared at facilitating the continuation of agroecological cattle farming in the Pyreneans, and more broadly at countering land abandonment and the desertification of rural areas. The project began with five different lines of action, which are presented below: 1) the School of Peasantry and Cattle Farming of Catalonia, 2) the land bank, 3) the advice service for farmers, 4) marketing of local wool, and 5) awareness raising among the youth20 and 6) employment exchange. The Gripia project started in Rialp in Pallars Sobirà county, and progressively developed some activities in other parts of the Pyreneans, and of Catalonia.

3.1-‐ The School of Peasantry and Cattle Farming of Catalonia

The mission of the School of Peasantry and Cattle Farming of Catalonia is to foster a new generation of peasants. The School philosophy is to develop a new group of farmers who want to work with an agro-‐ecological model, where organic production, economic activity, social transformation and environmental protection are closely linked. In this sense, the change of generation goes hand in hand with a change of agricultural model, based on agroecology, small and viable farms, short supply chains, cooperation between farmers and the (renewed) pride of being a peasant.

The main goals of the Schools are to: 1) Train, encourage and foster a new generation, while changing the agricultural model, 2) Provide support and advice to people trained through the School to help them start their farm and consolidate their activities, 3) Raise people’s awareness about peasant’s job, 4) Build a network of cooperation in the territory to promote access to land, and 5) Facilitate access to land for young farmers and breeders who have no family heritage.

The courses last for five months. Students pay 500€ for enrolment; they receive food and lodging for the duration of the curriculum. The first month of training (128h) is focused on theory, with courses covering production, commercialisation, businesses skills, public aids, etc. The four following months are dedicated to practice in a farm, either on the farm or in summer pastures. “Students choose: their desired place of practice, the period of practice and the animal with which they want to work”. We then try to find a farm matching their wishes, as close as possible to where they want to go. Then, it’s an exchange: the farmer provides food, lodging, equipment and training, in exchange for the work of the student”, explains Montse Barado, staff of the School of Shepherds21. Host farmers commit to providing effective training, and to share a range knowledge and know-‐how to the trainees. The School ensure that they have the required patience and desire to share their skills and knowledge. This practical period is key as it this the time when young people enter in direct contact with what it means to be a farmer. The School’s training is officially recognised by the Department of Agriculture of the Catalan government, the Agricultural College and the association Rurbans. The Catalan Department of

19 Gripia is the name, in Catalan dialect from Pallars Sobirà, of a portable trough used for sheep and goats. 20 See: http://www.projectegripia.cat/ (in Catalan). 21 Interview – Monternartro, February 2014


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Agriculture funds all theoretical courses; practice is funded by more punctual, and variable funding.

The School began in January 2009 with 25 students coming from around Catalonia. The first day the School attracted a lot of media, interested in an innovative rural project supporting new farming. It created a large debate in Catalonia about farm renewal and access to land for the new generation of farmers. Table 1 shows the profile of the students entering the School from 2009 to 2014. For its first six years, the School has received 235 applications and selected 101 students, based on specific criteria and valorising student’s motivation22. The student’s profile is mostly a man (80%), with an average of 30.5 years old. T 99% are newcomers to the sector, some with urban origins (56%) and others with rural origins (44%). 51% went through prior vocational training, while 41% went to university, not always relation with agriculture. 39% of the applicants are unemployed and 32% have a job.

Table 1: profile of the students of the School of Peasantry (2009-‐2014).

Source: School of Shepherds, January 2014.

Table 2 shows the situation of students after graduation. From 2009 to 2013, 85% of the 90 students graduated successfully. On average, 21 farms per year were involved in the training of students; some have been the same since 2009, others have come more recently. The table also shows that, in total, around 60% of the students are still connected with farming in some ways. Some are employed by other farmers (39%), some are self-‐employed (26%), some are still searching the resources to become farmers (35%). Most of these farmers/ prospective farmers keep a close connection with the School.

Table 2: Students’ graduation and entry into farming (2009-‐2014).

Source: School of Shepherds, January 2014.

The School has its operation base in Pallars Sobira, but has expanded to other territories. In 2014, it had delegations in other counties like Ripollès, Lluçanes, Terres de l’Ebre and Camp de 22 Principles to enter the school are exposed in the document: “Bases de l’Escola – 2014” available on-‐line, at: http://www.montanyanes.net/gripia/bases_2014.pdf


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Tarragona (see map 2). The aim of the School is to cover the entire Catalan territory. The delegations, hosted by local authorities or other associations, seek to promote the School’s presence locally, and to support the students who are doing their practice in the area.

The School of Peasantry is clearly meeting a demand coming for training in organic cattle farming for newcomers, which is not met by regular education programmes. As most students do not have a farming background, the School is for them both a training experience, and a way to begin establishing connections in the sector. The School’s work “is important because the primary sector is important. Besides, nobody else is offering what we offer. And these students don’t come from a peasant tradition, they come with motivation and it’s an easy way for them to experiment whether it is really what they want to do, or not”, says Ms. Barado. After they graduate, the School still tries to support students who want to make their way into farming, by providing mentoring and by putting them in connection with farmers and other relevant local people.

3.2-‐ The land bank, the precursor of Terra Franca

A project of land bank was included from the start of the Gripia project. It was conceived as a complement to the School of Peasantry, with the aim of enabling students coming from a non-‐farming family, to find the necessary land and infrastructures to get started. There was indeed no other public or private organisation serving as go-‐between between those offering land and those looking for land. Initially, the aim was also to spot and recuperate abandoned or under-‐used land, to put it at the disposal of prospective farmers.

In its first stage, from 2009 to 2012, the land bank focused on researching and receiving offers and demands to buy or rent farmland. It has also acted as intermediary to facilitate contacts between owners and future farmers. First, the land is offered to past and present students of the School. If none is interested, the offer is made public. Besides, the land bank provides technical and legal advice about types of contracts, viability of a farm/ plot for a given project, viability of a future farmer’s project, etc. Succeeding in finalising a contract between a landowner and a future farmer was however difficult, as owners often wanted to receive a good income from the land, or to first be sure that the future farmer would do well. To build the owners’ trust, Rurbans imagined a new tool: the land stewardship agreement (Acord de


11

Custòdia Agrària). These trilateral agreements are private contracts signed between the landowner, the future farmer and Rurbans. They guarantee to both the landowner and the farmer that the terms of the negotiations will be implemented as agreed, with Rurbans as a guarantor. They also bring future farmers to effectively include environmental protection in their project and create an additional appeal and guarantee for the landowner that the land will be adequately managed23. This tool was later further developed and experimented by the Catalan Land Stewardship Network (Xarxa de Custòdia del Territori), of which Rurbans is a member. In addition, the Gripia Project recovers pastures and their associated habitats, to make them fit again for livestock use. Rurbans signs land stewardship contract with (public and private) landowners: it organises workshops to clear and restore abandoned pastures (bush clearance, paths, etc.); in exchange, land owners commit to maintaining them in good state for a minimum of five years, which implies to re-‐introduce cattle breeding where it had stopped. Rurbans has signed several such agreements with landowners in two different municipalities, thereby contributing to the conservation and enhancement of silvipastoral ecosystems.

The land bank project however did not succeed in answering the needs of all graduated students from the School, nor in dealing with all land offers it received from across Catalonia. Most land offers concern poor quality land, plots that are too small, too remote or too scattered to be viable, and specific work needs to be done to turn them into a viable project. Faced with these difficulties, and inspired by the work of Terre de liens24 and other European organisations, it started in 2012 to promote the foundation of Terra Franca, as a specific organisation focusing on promoting access to land for new farmers in the whole of Catalonia.

3.3-‐ An advice service for beginning farmers

From the start of the Gripia project, Rurbans has aimed at offering an advice service for graduated students who want to set up as a farmer. But lack of sufficient resources made it very limited at first. 2013 was the first year when Rurbans could offer regular support for some of the students. Before starting the advice service, Rurbans made an enquiry to hear from all former students if they need this service and what kind of help they need. Most of the newly established farmers asked for business skills and support with administrative procedures. Other needs regarded production and marketing. The service is free for the students as Rurbans

23 For a model of agricultural land stewardship agreement, see on-‐line at: http://www.montanyanes.net/ACAGmodel.pdf 24 See: V. Rioufol and S. Wartena, Terre de liens: removing land from the commodity market and enabling organic and peasant farmers to settle in good conditions, 2011, available at: http://www.terredeliens.org/IMG/pdf/2012_terre_de_liensl.pdf


12

received funding from the regional government and private foundations (Fundacion Biodiversidad and Obra Social de la Caixa).

In 2013, Gripia project had four different advisors: two organic farmers specialised in cattle farming, one agronomic technician specialised in dairy farming and one person helping with business plans, tax and accountancy. Agronomic advice takes place on the farm, on a personal basis, while administrative and financial advice takes place in group sessions. Rurbans advised eight projects of new farmers. Five were running for over a year and one for just few months. At the end, beneficiaries of the advice service gave it a “grade” of 4.7 out of 5. In 2014, the advice service will be further developed, with seven advisors (including one expert in conflict resolution and two technicians for project development) and an objective of 18 beneficiaries.

In 2014 Rurbans was certified by the Agriculture Department as an extension service organisation (Entitat d’Assessorament Agrari), i.e. an organisation involved in providing regular advice services to farmers. Farmers pay for this service, albeit they sometimes receive public support to cover this cost. Catalonia has a range of extension services, some more specialised than other. Rurbans focuses on livestock, marketing, diversification and office duties issues.

3.4-‐ Valorising and marketing the wool: Obrador Xisqueta

The fourth branch of the Gripia project focuses on a common problem faced by shepherds in the Pyrenees: the price of the wool. In the last decades, natural wool has become a non-‐profitable material – it is hard work to get good quality wool and nobody wants to buy it for a fair price. The Gripia project seeks to promote, organise and develop the marketing of quality wool, aimed at rejuvenating a textile craft sector and providing raw material for sustainable construction (insulation). In 2008, a specific non-‐profit association was created: Obrador Xisqueta, as a daughter of Rurbans. Xisqueta is the name of a local breed of ewe, which was an endangered species.

Obrador Xisqueta seeks to close the production cycle from the field to the craft product. It supports shepherds and tries to rebuild a network of local artisans. To that end, Obrador Xisqueta pays the wool at a price between 0.18 cent./kg (cross ewes) and 0.60 cent./kg (sheep breed Xisqueta), i.e. ten times more than the regular market. Obrador Xisqueta started buying wool during the 2009 campaign. Table 3 shows evolution of land bought from 21 local farms.

Table 3: Evolution of the quantity of wool bought by Obrador Xisqueta

Years 2009 2010 2011

Quantity (in kg) 14,461 13,005 12,307 In order to promote local artisan jobs, the association has organised vocational training for people wanting to learn about manufacturing the wool (cleaning, carding, spinning and weaving). It has led to the constitution of a group of local people who create a new crafts


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collection every year. These products are sold locally, in fairs and on-‐line 25. Besides, Obrador Xisqueta also organises regular broader educational activities. It provides initial training to discover the wool and wool processing at all ages. It also co-‐organises, with Rurbans, activities in primary and secondary schools, aimed at presenting the Xisqueta breed, the trade of shepherds, and agricultural work. It thereby seeks to foster knowledge and interest among the youth as well as, fostering vocations for becoming a cattle farmer. Recently they also set up a caravan travelling around the Pyrenees to organise educational activities for the inland rural population.

According to Mariona Lloret, member of Obrador Xisqueta “what we have achieved with Obrador, is to have people know of the Xisqueta breed, because now it is well-‐known locally. Also it is that the shepherd’s trade is better known. They tell us it is important for them, that they are valorised.”26 Through its work, Obrador Xisqueta thus manages to create small additional income for cattle farmers, to create local activities and to revalorise wool products and craft sectors. Importantly, it also revalorises the work of shepherds and its importance for mountain areas.

3.5-‐ Raising awareness among young traditional farmers

One of the problems of the farming sector in Catalonia is that traditional farmers are not open to change. It makes it hard for a new generation of farmers to think out of the box. The Gripia project therefore also seeks to engage with continuers –i.e. young farmers who come from a farming family (18 to 30 year old). Debates are organised about the advantages of the trade or mountain farmers (autonomy, environment protection, quality of life, etc.), the challenges faced by the profession, and possible solutions (e.g. economic profitability can be better reached by adopting some changes, such as cooperative practices with other farmers). It also shows examples of different ways of farming, coming from other regions or countries. In 2009, Gripia project organised a field trip the Basque Country, to which 15 young farmers participated. They visited farms and learnt about alternative farming and marketing approaches. Gripia then released a video entitled “Sóc jove i vull ser pages!” -‐ I’m young and I want to be a farmer! – which received a lot of media attention, and was shown in a main cinema in Barcelona.

This fifth line of work is essential to the whole of the Gripia project. Indeed continuers who are shifting from an industrial to an agrosocial model have a lot of resources to share with newcomers. Most of them have agronomic knowledge, good access to farmland, machinery, and a good network in rural areas. On the other hand, newcomers are more likely to bring new ideas, a strong vision and a more ecological perspective. Research also shows that continuers are more attracted to agroecological models, than their practice demonstrate. By continuing on an existing farm, they may find it difficult or lack the resources to develop farming practices which are fully consistent with their beliefs27. The good relationship between these two groups of young farmers is therefore one of the keys for generational renewal and the future of sustainable food and farming.

3.6-‐ Employment exchange to facilitating links between farmers

The School has started an employment exchange: where interested in hiring young farmers ask Rurbans who puts them in contact with potential employees. Rurbans first asks all former students if they are interested in the offer; if not, it publishes it on its website. Jobs can be very diverse in terms of type of production, area or duration. This service gives former students an

25 http://www.xisqueta.cat/ 26 Interview with Mariona Lloret – February 2013 27 Monllor, ibid.


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opportunity to find a job, at least a seasonal or temporary job. Rurbans thereby enables students to keep a link with the sector and to increase their professional experience.

There is also a substitution service which enables graduated students to replace farmers while they are away or on leave. It is a way for students to keep one foot in practice and to meet established farmers. Besides, it contributes to developing cooperative practices and spirit among cattle farmers. In this way, the School clearly seeks to be the doorway for newcomers to enter farming.

4-‐ Terra Franca: securing land for the “new peasants”

Terra Franca28 started in 2012 as a joint project bringing together organisations and individuals united by a common concern: finding innovative solutions to address access to land issues in Catalonia. The promoters were a heterogeneous group of people: some are university-‐based; others come from the Catalan ethical/ sustainable consumers’ movement, others from the farming sector and others from the social agroecology movement. Their aim was to continue and deepen the work of the land bank started as part of the Gripia project. Access to land has indeed been identified as a key obstacle for generational renewal and the entry into farming of the group of “new peasants”. Experience has shown that accesses to land issues are similar ones in the Pyrenees and in other parts of Catalonia, for cattle farming and for other sectors of farming, for land and for buildings and other infrastructures. The scope of Terra Franca has therefore been enlarged to encompass all aspects of access to land, as well as include the question of our relationship to agricultural land (in terms of property and use). It was soon felt that creating a formal organisation was needed to develop the project and to inspire trust and provide better guarantees to owner, farmers, and public institutions. In 2013, Terra Franca thus became a non-‐profit association.

The overarching aim of Terra Franca is to preserve farmland in perpetuity and secure access to land for agroecological production models. It is inspired by the trajectory and the philosophy of Terre de Liens, as well as other European organisations such as Regionalwert AG and Terre-‐en-‐vue. Terra Franca’s objectives are to:

Preserve land for forms of agriculture which are of socially and economically fair, and respect the environment,

Promote access to land for people and organisations who are developing long-‐term agroecological projects,

Gear the needs and expectations of land ownership in a noble and responsible way to take due account of the status of land as a commons,

Train and support new farmers who are starting agroecological projects, Influence current policies to foster a change of agricultural model, Raise people’s awareness about the intrinsic dignity of farmers’ trade, and Claim disused public spaces and manage them to foster new agroecological projects.

In order to reach these objectives, Terra Franca positions itself as an intermediary and facilitator between landowners and farmers. It does not want to buy land, but to rent it or acquire it through donations. It aims at signing long-‐term stewardship agreements with landowners, so as to guarantee them an optimum use of the land. It would then sub-‐let, on the long term, to prospective farmers whose projects meet the contract requirements in terms of land stewardship, as well as overall objectives of Terra Franca. Terra Franca would then support the

28 Terra franca means “free land” and “open land”. It is a reference both to the idea of freeing the land so as to facilitate access for peasants, and to Medieval time when farmland in certain areas was exempted of some of the taxes and tributes so as to facilitate establishment of farmers and repopulation. See the website: www.terrafranca.cat (in Catalan)


15

farmers in achieving their objectives. Part of its role as a mediator would also be to get a fair price of the land for all the parties involved.

Terra Franca is therefore directed to landowners who have land that they are not farming, and would like it to be farmed in a agroecological way. To these owners, Terra Franca provides different services such as advice on the rental or purchase of the property, agroecological land studies, search and selection of projects adapted to the characteristics of their property, purchase or lease through long-‐term contracts, support in the process of handing over the farm, and support for projects undertaken on their land.

At the same time, Terra Franca is also directed to future farmers committing to developing agro-‐ecological practices preserving and improving the values of the land. It helps them looking for land and offers them the possibility to sublet land through long-‐term contracts. It also provides advice on finding educational resources tailored to each project, helps to find ethical funding to cover establishment costs, proposes project monitoring and counselling to individuals and organisations involved, and helps them connect with other organisations and agencies to foster synergies.

During its first months of operation Terra Franca has received ten demands and five offers of farmland. Based on this, it has identified three different profiles of people looking for land: * Students of the School of Peasantry and Cattle Farming, * People with no experience nor training in the sector, and * Farmers who are looking for better conditions. Terra Franca is involved at all stages of the project, together with the future farmers, from its start to its consolidation, including by providing training, business advice or strategic contacts.

For now, Terra Franca has relied on volunteer’s work, but aims to hiring a staff in 2014. In the coming year, it will organise a communication campaign to make people aware of the necessity to preserve farmland. Terra Franca will also start raising money from membership fees, donations and public subsides. An important challenge for the future is to succeed in having citizens getting involved in the progressive and innovative idea of Terra Franca. But prospects


16

are good as the Catalan society is increasingly calling for initiatives ensuring good and healthy local food, and supporting farmers producing it.

Conclusion: searching for a new agrosocial paradigm

Catalonia experiences a rising social demand for new ways of doing agriculture. Consumers do not just want to buy food, they are asking for real quality food and for more sustainable practices. Solutions are experimented for reconnecting fields to food and farmers together with consumers, citizens and other stakeholders. Rurbans and Terra Franca are two clear examples of how civil society is getting involved to foster a paradigm change in agriculture, by supporting the new peasantry, promoting agroecology and experimenting innovative ways of producing and marketing products.

The Gripia project is working revitalise Pyrenean cattle farming and foster a new generation of peasants in Catalonia. It is necessary to be aware of the importance of having a vibrant agrarian sector. Its activities cultivate people’s pride of being a peasant and belonging to a peasant culture, and seek to contribute to a broad change of paradigm in agriculture, towards community-‐based, agroecological practices. Rurbans and the Gripia project now are a reference in Catalonia for community-‐based rural revitalisation, and in particular farm renewal, artisan activities, land stewardship and access to land. They are also part of a broader movement of European community-‐based initiatives working in the same direction.

Today, one of the main obstacles for this new generation to succeed is access to land, which is particularly difficult in the Catalan context. The newly-‐established organisation Terra Franca focuses on the issue. It seeks to preserve farmland and to maintain existing farms, to facilitate farm transfers, to advice (private and public) landowners and to secure land for young and prospective farmers. It rests on land stewardship agreements, with both landowners and farmers, to facilitate access to land and promote an approach to managing farmland as a commons. Through the vision and practical tools it offers, Terra Franca will bring together the efforts of hundreds of people willing to see agriculture on a human scale, vibrant rural areas, and a better future for their children.

MAY IT BE POSSIBLE TO MAKE THE CONSERVATION OF AGROBIODIVERSITY COMPATIBLE WITH THE INCREASE OF ECONOMICAL INCOMES IN FARMS?

L’ESPIGALL, S.C.P.

We are a small company founded in 2013, but with a previous 10 years experience in agriculture. We sell vegetables, but we also work in the fields of research, environmental and agricultural assessment and evaluation and agronomical training, among others.

Our land access is through field renting: we pay a percentage of our benefits to the owner. In the beginning, the organisation was a cooperative among consumers, producers and capitalist partners, but this model did not reach our expectations and nowadays we work as a company with several types of customers.

KEY POINTS THAT MAKE US DIFFERENT - Research and innovation for more than ten years - Production based on local varieties (quality, taste, tradition ... ) - Use of modern agronomic techniques - Proximity with our customers (trust relationship) - Diversification of services, not only vegetable production

OBJECTIVES OF THIS WAY OF PRODUCING - Contribution to the increase of agro-biodiversity - Improving the health of consumers, either by the consumption for lower environmental pollution. - Contribution to preserve the agricultural and culinary history of our region/county - Food Sovereignty - Extending this way of producing to other interested farmers

HOW WE PRODUCE?

We try to close, as much as possible, matter and energy cycles: more than 80% of production is done with landraces, and we produce, in the same farm, all our seeds.

We are producers, not sellers. All our vegetables are produced in state to ensure the highest quality.

We cultivate almost 80 different varieties of vegetables throughout the year, to diversify risks and to provide a diversified and healthy diet to our customers.

We produce using several techniques to incorporate, as much as possible, nutrients to our vegetables: local varieties adapted to the region and climate (with better organoleptical properties) .

We optimize watering to produce plants with low water content, and therefore, increase the concentration of nutrients and flavours.

We increased the amount of organic matter in the soil to promote soil microorganisms and to reduce water consumption.

Our vegetables are produced under the criteria of maximum respect for the health of consumers without using synthetic chemicals.

OUR WATER CONSUMPTION

Our farm: Gross irrigation needs 2234 m3/ha Conventional farms: Gross irrigation need 3,982 m3/ha 44 % less irrigation water

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Total m3 rec

Pluja

OUR ENERGY CONSUMPTION

l oil/ha l oil/kg % Irrigation pumps 334,66 42,0% Tractor 185,71 23,3% Logistics and distribution 214,29 26,9% Machinery 14,29 1,8% Illumination and electricity 12,59 1,6% Human power 34,98 4,4% Total 796,52 0,02 100,0%

Energy return over energy investment Wheat production in Roman Empire 1:12

Nowadays, wheat production: 1:5-7

Corn production: 1:1,5

Our net production: 1:1,3

Our gros production: 1:4,9

Oil extraction 70’s 1:35

Oil extraction 90’s 1:20

OUR YIELD Our individual crop yield is 17% less than the conventional

Crop Yield Tn/ha 2013 Conventional yield Potatoes 26 30 Onions 52 49,2 Pumpkins 30 28 Tomatoes 41 72 zucchini 58,3 60 Eggplant 8,3 55 Peppers 29,2 48,6 beans 17,4 9,3 Peas 11,6 6,3 spinach 11,6 19,5 Chard 69,4 27,2 beets 27,8 33,5 Carrots 37,0 52 Average yield 32,28 37,74

Total yield production 34,5

OUR ECONOMICAL BALANCE

26 GIRONAGASTRONÒMICA

Can Moragues, obrador social de melmelades i conserves ecològiques

Producte de proximitat de primera qualitat amb certificació ecològica és el que podem trobar a partir d’aquest mes de Juny a la nova botiga de Can Moragues a Riudarenes. La botiga és la proposta per apropar productor i consumidor, a través del projecte Selvia impulsat per la Fundació Emys, una cistella d’horta que fins ara es repartia a través dels associats d’Econselvia que ara, a més de seguir gaudint de la cistella i de la seva compra a través del web www.selvia.org, ho podran fer a la botiga oberta a tots els consumidors interessants en un consum ecològic i de temporada de verdures i productes diversos del camp produïts en un radi de 50 Km.

La botiga estarà oberta de dimarts a divendres en horari partit i els caps de setmana per facilitar les compres a l’usuari. La botiga és un pas més cap a la consolidació de projectes pel foment del desenvolupament sostenibles tant a nivell territorial com a nivell humà, i representa un espai físic que dóna cara al projecte Selvia que va néixer el 2011 i que es nodrirà en breu d’un altre projecte paral·lel que donarà una empenta a la botiga de Can Moragues com és el projecte de l’obrador social de melmelades i conserves ecològiques que tindrà la seva seu, també, a Can Moragues.

Què representa el producte de Selvia?

L’interès de Selvia és vendre producte ecològic, de proximitat i de primera qualitat. El consumidor podrà comprar a Can Moragues les collites dels productors de la Cooperati-

va Agroecològica de la Selva, SCCL (CAS). Tots ells produeixen en certificat CCPAE i han signat un acord de custòdia amb la Fundació Emys per garantir el bon estat dels terrenys que es cultiven.

Donat l’interès a que el producte sigui de proximitat es dona prioritat als productors de la comarca de la Selva i membres de la cooperativa CAS però també compta amb alguns productors ecològics associats independents per complementar els productes de la cistella.

Selvia va néixer amb la intenció de donar viabilitat econòmica a les noves explotacions ecològiques i agríco-les vinculades als espais naturals que protegeix la Funda-ció Emys.

Selvia reivindica la feina del pagès, encara moltes vegades desconeguda, potencia la recuperació dels espais agraris en desús i contribueix a la conservació dels espais naturals de la comarca. És per tot això que la nova botiga de Can Moragues de productes d’horta, entre d’altres, té un valor que va molt més enllà del producte en sí mateix.

Obrador Ecològic i Social de melmelades i la Fundació Astres

L’obrador de melmelades i conserves ecològiques, amb productes d’horta i fruita, tindrà el seu emplaçament a Can Moragues, on s’està habilitatnt un obrador i un magatzem, i ha entrat ja en la seva darrera fase de desenvolupament. El projecte està impulsat conjunta-ment per la Fundació Emys, la Fundació Astres i la Imma Lladó, coordinadora d’aquest projecte, i haurà estat possible gràcies als voluntaris de Fundació Emys, compta amb el suport de la línia d’Emprenedoria de l’Obra Social “La Caixa” i al micromecenatge, aportacions voluntàries anònimes que han cregut en el projecte i que han permès recaptar una quantitat significativa de 1.667€ en el

moment de tancar l’article per poder fer front a la compra de maquinària auxiliar i material divers necessari per poder obrir l’obrador el pròxim mes de juny. La Fundació Astres durà a terme, entre altres coses, la selecció de 3 persones en risc d’exclusió social.

Recentment es va celebrar a Can Moragues una plantada d’arbres fruiters diversos. A la llarga es preveu que els fruits puguin abastir el mateix obrador i que donin ocupació a més persones en risc d’exclusió.

Perquè a Can Moragues?

La Masia de Can Moragues ha estat cedida per l’Ajuntament de Riudarenes a la Funda-ció Emys que ara l’ha convertit en la seva seu i en un espai per descobrir i mostrar els seus projectes al ciutadà. Tothom hi és benvingut. Marc Vilahur Chiaraviglio, que assumeix la direcció de la Fundació Emys explica que “el cas de l’obrador és excepcional i neix a partir de la situació peculiar en què l’ajuntament decideix cedir-nos un espai. Això fa que comencem a pensar en diferents accions per generar activitats”. Arran de poder fixar la seu a Can Moragues, la necessitat d’implicar a la ciutadania en tots els projectes és cada vegada més essencial. El fils de tot el que hem anat teixint des dels inicis de l’entitat van creant una malla robusta que fa veure el material sostenible. Les idees deixen de ser abstractes i passen a ser una realitat. L’obrador és un exemple d’això”.

La Fundació Emys va néixer el 2003 com a consolidació i herència de l'experiència recollida per ADEPAR, associació naturalista de Riudarenes fundada l’any 1987; la qual tenia com a objectiu conservar el patrimoni natural de Riudarenes i espècies en perill d’extinció presents al municipi, d’aquí el nom de la fundació Emys, tret de la tortuga d’estany (Emys orbicularis).

Com s’ensenya i com s’aprèn a Can Moragues

Can Moragues convertida en seu de la Fundació Emys obre les seves portes a tothom que tingui inquietuds per fomentar un desenvolupament sostenible a nivell social i ambiental així com per participar en activitats de tota mena i a aquelles persones que vulguin donar una mica de si mateixes de manera desinteressada. La masia és un espai obert per acostar la societat al medi natural i a la vegada esdevenir un punt de partida per a diferents activitats. Un lloc per rebre coneixement i deixar l’empremta personal de

cadascú. Gràcies això caldria remarcar la feina de l’equip de voluntaris que de manera desinteressada arreglen la masia poc a poc per adequar-la als nous projectes. Seu de tallers diversos, ensenyar noves matèries es planteja compartint els coneixements des de l’experiència personal de cadascú per crear un nou enfocament educatiu profitós i generós.

En aquest sentit Marc Vilahur, explica en un vídeo del web de la fundació que “de Can Moragues no queda només un esquelet, o una estructura en forma de 4 parets sinó un espai que val la pena recuperar. És l’oportunitat per crear un projecte de futur basat en les nostres iniciatives col·lectives. Aquí el temps es mesura en aprenentatge. Treballem en el bé de la col·lectivitat. Aquí volem construir una societat”.

26 GIRONAGASTRONÒMICA

Can Moragues, obrador social de melmelades i conserves ecològiques

Producte de proximitat de primera qualitat amb certificació ecològica és el que podem trobar a partir d’aquest mes de Juny a la nova botiga de Can Moragues a Riudarenes. La botiga és la proposta per apropar productor i consumidor, a través del projecte Selvia impulsat per la Fundació Emys, una cistella d’horta que fins ara es repartia a través dels associats d’Econselvia que ara, a més de seguir gaudint de la cistella i de la seva compra a través del web www.selvia.org, ho podran fer a la botiga oberta a tots els consumidors interessants en un consum ecològic i de temporada de verdures i productes diversos del camp produïts en un radi de 50 Km.

La botiga estarà oberta de dimarts a divendres en horari partit i els caps de setmana per facilitar les compres a l’usuari. La botiga és un pas més cap a la consolidació de projectes pel foment del desenvolupament sostenibles tant a nivell territorial com a nivell humà, i representa un espai físic que dóna cara al projecte Selvia que va néixer el 2011 i que es nodrirà en breu d’un altre projecte paral·lel que donarà una empenta a la botiga de Can Moragues com és el projecte de l’obrador social de melmelades i conserves ecològiques que tindrà la seva seu, també, a Can Moragues.

Què representa el producte de Selvia?

L’interès de Selvia és vendre producte ecològic, de proximitat i de primera qualitat. El consumidor podrà comprar a Can Moragues les collites dels productors de la Cooperati-

va Agroecològica de la Selva, SCCL (CAS). Tots ells produeixen en certificat CCPAE i han signat un acord de custòdia amb la Fundació Emys per garantir el bon estat dels terrenys que es cultiven.

Donat l’interès a que el producte sigui de proximitat es dona prioritat als productors de la comarca de la Selva i membres de la cooperativa CAS però també compta amb alguns productors ecològics associats independents per complementar els productes de la cistella.

Selvia va néixer amb la intenció de donar viabilitat econòmica a les noves explotacions ecològiques i agríco-les vinculades als espais naturals que protegeix la Funda-ció Emys.

Selvia reivindica la feina del pagès, encara moltes vegades desconeguda, potencia la recuperació dels espais agraris en desús i contribueix a la conservació dels espais naturals de la comarca. És per tot això que la nova botiga de Can Moragues de productes d’horta, entre d’altres, té un valor que va molt més enllà del producte en sí mateix.

Obrador Ecològic i Social de melmelades i la Fundació Astres

L’obrador de melmelades i conserves ecològiques, amb productes d’horta i fruita, tindrà el seu emplaçament a Can Moragues, on s’està habilitatnt un obrador i un magatzem, i ha entrat ja en la seva darrera fase de desenvolupament. El projecte està impulsat conjunta-ment per la Fundació Emys, la Fundació Astres i la Imma Lladó, coordinadora d’aquest projecte, i haurà estat possible gràcies als voluntaris de Fundació Emys, compta amb el suport de la línia d’Emprenedoria de l’Obra Social “La Caixa” i al micromecenatge, aportacions voluntàries anònimes que han cregut en el projecte i que han permès recaptar una quantitat significativa de 1.667€ en el

moment de tancar l’article per poder fer front a la compra de maquinària auxiliar i material divers necessari per poder obrir l’obrador el pròxim mes de juny. La Fundació Astres durà a terme, entre altres coses, la selecció de 3 persones en risc d’exclusió social.

Recentment es va celebrar a Can Moragues una plantada d’arbres fruiters diversos. A la llarga es preveu que els fruits puguin abastir el mateix obrador i que donin ocupació a més persones en risc d’exclusió.

Perquè a Can Moragues?

La Masia de Can Moragues ha estat cedida per l’Ajuntament de Riudarenes a la Funda-ció Emys que ara l’ha convertit en la seva seu i en un espai per descobrir i mostrar els seus projectes al ciutadà. Tothom hi és benvingut. Marc Vilahur Chiaraviglio, que assumeix la direcció de la Fundació Emys explica que “el cas de l’obrador és excepcional i neix a partir de la situació peculiar en què l’ajuntament decideix cedir-nos un espai. Això fa que comencem a pensar en diferents accions per generar activitats”. Arran de poder fixar la seu a Can Moragues, la necessitat d’implicar a la ciutadania en tots els projectes és cada vegada més essencial. El fils de tot el que hem anat teixint des dels inicis de l’entitat van creant una malla robusta que fa veure el material sostenible. Les idees deixen de ser abstractes i passen a ser una realitat. L’obrador és un exemple d’això”.

La Fundació Emys va néixer el 2003 com a consolidació i herència de l'experiència recollida per ADEPAR, associació naturalista de Riudarenes fundada l’any 1987; la qual tenia com a objectiu conservar el patrimoni natural de Riudarenes i espècies en perill d’extinció presents al municipi, d’aquí el nom de la fundació Emys, tret de la tortuga d’estany (Emys orbicularis).

Com s’ensenya i com s’aprèn a Can Moragues

Can Moragues convertida en seu de la Fundació Emys obre les seves portes a tothom que tingui inquietuds per fomentar un desenvolupament sostenible a nivell social i ambiental així com per participar en activitats de tota mena i a aquelles persones que vulguin donar una mica de si mateixes de manera desinteressada. La masia és un espai obert per acostar la societat al medi natural i a la vegada esdevenir un punt de partida per a diferents activitats. Un lloc per rebre coneixement i deixar l’empremta personal de

cadascú. Gràcies això caldria remarcar la feina de l’equip de voluntaris que de manera desinteressada arreglen la masia poc a poc per adequar-la als nous projectes. Seu de tallers diversos, ensenyar noves matèries es planteja compartint els coneixements des de l’experiència personal de cadascú per crear un nou enfocament educatiu profitós i generós.

En aquest sentit Marc Vilahur, explica en un vídeo del web de la fundació que “de Can Moragues no queda només un esquelet, o una estructura en forma de 4 parets sinó un espai que val la pena recuperar. És l’oportunitat per crear un projecte de futur basat en les nostres iniciatives col·lectives. Aquí el temps es mesura en aprenentatge. Treballem en el bé de la col·lectivitat. Aquí volem construir una societat”.

Can Moragues

Date post:	02-Aug-2020
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