Sustainable Food

The meeting on 27 May was a resounding success. It brought together some thirty representatives from the organisations that make up the OCAS – the Government of Catalonia (Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda {DACC}and Prodeca), Barcelona City Council and the Barcelona Metropolitan Strategic Plan (PEMB) – and provided an opportunity to enhance collaboration between the different institutions, as well as to advance the joint work on sustainable food undertaken so far.

In fact over the course of just two years, the OCAS has consolidated itself as an innovative space for shared governance, which is key when it comes to coordinating and promoting projects with a view to transforming the food system and developing a fairer, healthier and more sustainable model.

The event, in which Mercabarna also took part, provided a convivial meeting space where technical teams from the different institutions could interact and share knowledge in an environment of trust. Furthermore, it was an opportunity to share projects in collaboration with the OCAS that are currently underway, together with other projects being undertaken by each institution, exploring possible synergies and new projects to work on.

The choice of the Gallecs Rural Space as the setting for this year’s meeting was not a random one, given the emphasis placed on re-establishing the rural-urban nexus within the strategic framework that underpins the office’s initiatives aimed at driving forward the transformation of the food system.

Working together in support of sustainable food

The projects presented during the event were related to the generation of inter-administrative links in areas of governance and the commercialisation and mainstreaming of sustainable food, with the rural-urban nexus as a cross-cutting theme.

Just some of the projects shared – some in collaboration with the OCAS and others of interest in terms of analysing future challenges – were:

• The Local Product Seal
• The distribution networks and future subsidies
• The action plan for agroecological production and the pooling of ideas within the sector
• The Green Commerce in Barcelona Markets project, and campaigns to promote sustainable local produce
• Benvinguts a pagès / Welcome to the Countryside
• The Gastroteca
• Twinning: schools and farmers
• ‘L’estiu és teu’ [The summer is yours], stays for young people involving activities in agriculture and livestock farming
• Healthier and more sustainable school canteens
• The Schools’ Eat Smart Micro-Network
• Twinning : eateries and farmers
• The Barcelona City Council instruction for public food procurement
• The Mercabarna Farmers Association
• The Mercabarna Proximitat brand
• The Biomarket
• The Foodback project
• Waste prevention campaigns and seminars
• The Metropolitan Region Food Charter (CARM)
• Agricultural spaces and an analysis of metropolitan farming
• Municipal training in food strategies
• Work groups involved in the City Agreement on Healthy and Sustainable Food

In addition to project presentations, the day included group work to explore projects in greater depth, and identify possible lines of joint action between the different institutions with the support of OCAS. The activity was based on collaborative co-creation on a project to be implemented by all the institutions during 2025, based on the key issue of the rural-urban nexus.

A guided tour for discovering the Gallecs Rural Area

The meeting at Gallecs was an opportunity for attendees to explore and learn about the history and future plans for the space, thanks to Gemma Safont, manager of the Consortium of the Gallecs Rural Area. There was also a visit to the Can Jornet Mill – a cultural site of local interest- with lots of information imparted by a farmer representing the Gallecs Agroecological Association.

Finally, Lourdes Chamorro – a biologist who specialises in ecology, botany and environmental science and is studying the shift to organic farming in Gallecs – shared the excellent work being done by the University of Barcelona’s agroecology research group in this area of natural interest.

Gallecs, an agroecological model in a metropolitan setting

Gallecs is a 733-hectare rural area located 15 kilometres north of Barcelona that has been designated an Area of Natural Interest (EIN) since 2009. This haven of nature and open fields has succeeded in preserving the landscape within an environment marked by human presence.

Agriculture, which is the main activity in the area, is moving towards a more sustainable ecological model.

The Consorci del Parc de l’Espai d’Interès Natural de Gallecs manages this area, and is firmly committed to preserving its natural and cultural value. The organisation comprises the Generalitat de Catalunya and the councils of six neighbouring municipalities: Mollet del Vallès, Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, Palau-solità i Plegamans, Parets del Vallès, Lliçà de Vall and Montcada i Reixac.

Over the last few decades, agriculture has been moving away from the monoculture of cereals such as barley in favour of diversification and organic farming. At present, 40% of the agricultural land is given over to organic farming, using agricultural techniques that keep the land alive, enhancing biodiversity in the area, reviving traditional crop varieties with the support of IRTA, facilitating economic diversification and adding value by setting up a workshop (thanks to the DACC) that allows producers to develop products from their raw materials, in this way promoting quality local products.

Since 2009, Gallecs has been designated an Area of Natural Interest (EIN), with the aim of protecting one of the most emblematic landscapes of the Vallès region. The protected area extends over 698 hectares.

Today, Gallecs is considered an excellent example of a dynamic, sustainable rural space where organic farming, local products and the preservation of the environment go hand in hand, guaranteeing the conservation of this exceptional area in the future.