BCN Smart Rural, the program promoted by the Barcelona Provincial Council with the aim of improving the food systems of the province, has released its presentation video titled "The Seeds of Resilience".

The audiovisual is led by Sònia Callau, head of the Agrarian Territorial Directorate of the Barcelona Provincial Council and coordinator of BCN Smart Rural, who emphasizes the mission of making the food system more sustainable, healthy, safe, and local. To achieve this, close collaboration is maintained with farmers, municipalities, and local authorities interested in promoting this model in their towns and cities.

With a focus on recognizing the central role of farmers in producing quality food and preserving the landscapes of the territory, the program proposes actions so that agriculture and livestock farming contribute to mitigating climate change, rather than accelerating it. Likewise, it seeks to ensure that new farmers have access to land and that small and medium-sized enterprises can transform and process their products competitively.

The video also highlights how BCN Smart Rural promotes the figure of agricultural and rural parks, ideal spaces for establishing mechanisms to dynamize the primary sector. Additionally, it outlines the various ways in which the project promotes alternative food networks, facilitating direct sales between producers and consumers, as well as food strategies, which are participatory processes where all key agents of the system work together to advance towards this new model.

As Sònia Callau explains, «the audiovisual argues that bringing food production, sales, and consumption closer to urban areas not only contributes to improving food security now and in the future but also to preserving the agroforestry mosaic, which is essential for enjoying a resilient landscape against major forest fires, especially in the Mediterranean context».

"The Seeds of Resilience" can be viewed on the Barcelona Provincial Council's YouTube channel. This piece is part of the BCN Smart Rural Stories, a series of short films aimed at promoting the BCN Smart Rural program and its benefits for society and the territory.

For more information on the actions developed within the framework of the BCN Smart Rural program, please contact Sònia Callau, head of the Agrarian Territorial Directorate of the Barcelona Provincial Council.

— BCN Smart Rural Editorial —