In the Barcelona region, only 25% of agricultural holdings are managed by women. This is a reality that needs to be transformed if we want to achieve a more sustainable, local, and inclusive food model.
In the Barcelona region, only 25% of agricultural holdings are managed by women. And of these, only 8% are under the age of 41. Young female farmers are scarce in a sector traditionally dominated by men, and perhaps for this reason, they are largely overlooked in the territory.
On International Women's Day, we talk about three women who defy the statistics and pave the way towards a more sustainable, local, and inclusive food model.
Mònica loves animals and seeing them being born, grow, and live outdoors. This love is the foundation upon which she builds her extensive livestock farming project, a company she shares with her brother, who is as young and passionate as she is.
It was their grandfather who taught them the trade from a young age, and through play, they eventually took over. Today, Masiets & Perich is a small, family-owned, and sustainable business that sells high-quality beef and chicken. Directly and without intermediaries. In a market that is increasingly demanding regarding animal welfare, Mònica's company represents an ethical alternative to industrial meat consumption.
At the age of 18, Valentina Muñoz began working as a shepherdess on a livestock farm in the Montserrat Rural Park, where, in addition to caring for a herd of three hundred goats, she produces fresh milk, cottage cheese, cured cheeses made from raw milk, soft cheeses, yogurt, kefir, egg flans, cheesecakes, and other delicacies. The family business is the first in Catalonia to have obtained the organic certification for its dairy products, a milestone they achieved a quarter of a century ago.
Surrounded by mountains and fully integrated into the landscape, Artelac is a great example of artisanal cheese making. In an era marked by the prevalence of industrial products, Valentina's herd grazes in the forests of the area every day, and this has an impact on the quality of the milk she obtains and, obviously, on the quality of the products they make at home.
Mariona is young, very young, but when she talks about wine, olive oil, and vegetables, no one would guess it. Her wisdom comes from generations past, and she's one of those people who seem to have ingested soil instead of milk while growing up.
For the first time in centuries, the family lands will be inherited and worked by a woman. Fifty hectares where there are vineyards, olive trees, fruit trees, vegetable gardens, rabbits, and chickens. The heiress of the Can Morral del Molí farmhouse values highly what she produces and the landscape that surrounds her estate, and for this reason, she is very concerned with protecting the ecosystem. On the farm, she practices organic farming, works with minimal mechanical intervention, and does not use insecticides. In addition, she allows a shepherd to graze his flock there, thus preventing the soil from compacting and fertilizing it naturally.
— BCN Smart Rural Editorial —
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