This Thursday, September 7, the Barcelona Provincial Council organized a session of reflection and debate aimed at exploring the actions that should be promoted from the local level to facilitate the incorporation of new entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector of the Barcelona counties, with a special focus on the formulas for transfer and mentoring between farmers who are passing on the baton and people who want to work in the field. The event took place at the Collbató Cultural Center and is an integral part of the Action Plan for Generational Renewal that the corporation is promoting to encourage new entries in the sector.

The session brought together twenty experts and professionals from various fields related to agriculture and livestock farming in the heart of Montserrat Rural Park. This heterogeneous group included farmers, academics, educators, municipal technicians and experts from the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda of the Generalitat of Catalonia (DACC), in addition to members of the Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of Catalonia. All these participants explored and debated the causes, challenges and needs of the generational transition in the territory.

The presentation of the session was made by Sònia Callau, head of the Agrarian Territorial Directorate of the Barcelona Provincial Council. In her speech, she emphasized the need to adopt comprehensive and inclusive public policies at the local level that will encourage the most relevant actions to promote a new farming generation.

Next, Anna Claret, researcher at the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), facilitated a participatory workshop with the aim of specifying the policies and actions necessary to ensure that farming becomes a viable economic activity, attractive and socially recognized. Among their proposals to facilitate generational renewal in the agricultural sector, the group of experts highlighted the protection of agricultural land to give guarantees of continuity and investment to new entrepreneurs, the establishment of taxes or fees on land that nobody is working on, and the design of support programs for farmer mentoring, which should include the figure of the 'farmer mentor', as well as business and productive advice for the people who would like to join the sector. Thanks to her knowledge and her experience as facilitator of working groups, Claret was able to guide the participants in the exploration of solutions and strategies that promote generational renewal and ensure a sustainable future for the farmers of the Barcelona counties.

For more information on the Action Plan for Generational Renewal promoted by the Barcelona Provincial Council, please contact Sònia Callau.

— BCN Smart Rural Editorial —