The importance of the green transition of the agricultural sector is one of the topics highlighted in the latest BCN Smart Rural Press Digest.
The transition of the agricultural sector towards sustainability, underway
The Director of Strategy in the Directorate General of Agriculture of the European Commission, Tassos Haniotis, has recognized that the implementation of the “From Farm to Fork” and “Biodiversity 2030” strategies, framed within the European Green Deal, will have negative impacts on short term in agriculture and livestock in the EU and will mean greater environmental demands for the rural world. But during an interesting virtual meeting, he made it clear that there would also be negative impacts if the EU freezes the technological and environmental changes that are transforming our sector and its member states do not lead the evolution towards the sustainability of agricultural practices.
Tasos Haniotis' intervention is available at this link.
74 million euros to improve the environmental state of the Llobregat Delta and the Parc Agrari
The Catalan Water Agency (ACA) will allocate 74 million euros during the period 2022-2027 to improve the environmental state of the Llobregat Delta and its agricultural park.
(Sostenible)
The project, a pioneer in Catalonia and unique in Europe within a wine estate, will allow you to enjoy the natural wealth of the area where aquatic birds, raptors, mammals, ancient holm oak forests and vine crops coexist.
(Món Rural)
El Olivo wants to plant more vineyards in Barcelona
The L'Olivera cooperative is determined to recover the vineyards that once covered Collserola. With this objective, the campaign Plantem un cep a Barcelona has been launched.
(Lo Mejor)
Catalonia, a country of unique forests and good health
Catalonia celebrated the International Day of Forests with a focus on forest restoration, understood as the action of reestablishing the functions of forest spaces so that they recover their complexity.
(Arrels)
Mature forests, small vaccines against global change
Experts point out that a brave policy is necessary to conserve the mature forests of Catalonia, but without forgetting that we must enjoy a landscape where old trees coexist with younger ones and with open spaces, such as areas of pastures and crops. This mosaic is key to making the territory more resistant and resilient to climate change.
(Viure als Pirineus)
Forests accumulate less carbon dioxide in regions with extreme fires
A study from the University of Cambridge shows that continued fires in the same area cause long-term changes in the ecosystem. The data shows that after fifty years, regions with the most extreme annual fires have 72% less wood area and 63% fewer individual trees than regions that have never burned.
(El Món)
This will be the climate and energy collapse in Catalonia
According to Joan Boades, the author of this article, the massive deployment of local organic agriculture, public transport with low fossil consumption and environmental recycling by families and companies are some key policies for reducing pollution. Catalonia's energy footprint.
(El Critic)
The Gastroteca promotes the products and companies of the Earth Products Network
The Barcelona Provincial Council and Prodeca have joined forces to encourage the promotion of the local agri-food sector and, from now on, more than a thousand companies producing and processing quality food products in the territory will appear on the Gastroteca website.
(Barcelona Provincial Council)
El Prat and Sant Boi join forces to promote the Baix Llobregat artichoke
Both municipalities claim to be world capitals of this emblematic product of the Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat and are promoting a joint campaign.
(La Vanguardia)
'Gastronomic March' arrives claiming the chefs and products of Baix Llobregat
The twelfth edition of this event is celebrated until April 11. The conferences, organized by the Prat de Llobregat City Council with the collaboration of the Gastronomy and Tourism Association (AGT), are a good opportunity to taste menus made with Pota Blava, Prat artichoke and seasonal products from the Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat in 32 restaurants in Prado de Llobregat, Abrera, Barcelona, Begues, Castelldefels, Cervelló Esparreguera, Gavà, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Martorell, San Andrés de la Barca, San Boi de Llobregat, San Feliu de Llobregat, San Justo Desvern and Viladecans.
(Cuina)
Maresme gives itself to the pea, its green pearl
About thirty restaurants in Maresme are participating in the Gastronomic Days 'Pea Time' until May 2.
(Capgròs)
Local commerce will be the first to recover from the economic effects of Covid-19
Commercial hubs with high demand from the resident population, whether with a supra-municipal area of influence or with local businesses, will be the first to recover from the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. It is one of the conclusions of a study carried out by the Barcelona Provincial Council, with the collaboration of ESCODI.
(Barcelona Provincial Council)
A new website is underway to visualize the influx in the municipal markets of the Barcelona district
The Barcelona Provincial Council has launched the website datamercatsdiba.cat, a new tool that identifies footfall trends in all municipal markets in the Barcelona district and contributes to improving the urban commercial fabric. Currently, the province of Barcelona has 92 municipal markets.
(Barcelona Provincial Council)
Municipal markets: a digital and sustainable present
Barcelona City Council is working to ensure that all the city's markets offer home deliveries and increase the supply of organic and local products.
(El Crític)
Alcampo and the El Prat Agricultural Cooperative ratify the commitment to local agriculture
Since this month of March, Alcampo offers homegrown products from the El Prat Farming Cooperative in the centres of Esplugues de Llobregat and Vilanova i la Geltrú. Soon, the Sant Boi de Llobregat centre will also be added.
(El Prat Farming Cooperative)
Between 1960 and to date, the use of nitrogen to fertilize wheat crops has multiplied by 10 in the world, because it improves soil performance. This practice may be directly related to the high prevalence of celiac disease, a human autoimmune condition.
(Món Rural)
Carme Ruscalleda will open the first Catalan Gastronomic Marketing Congress in Vilanova
The initiative will take place in Vilanova i la Geltrú from April 28 to 30 and is promoted by the city council and the NODE Garraf Development Agency, with the support of the Barcelona Provincial Council.
(Eix Diari)
These days all secondary schools in the territory are receiving a copy of the publication "Agricultural memory and prospection of local varieties of the Vallès Occidental". The objective is to highlight the farmers of Vallès Occidental and their products.
(County Council of Vallès Occidental)
Bages students learn how the school can help “save” forests thanks to biomass
The bioenergy cluster of Catalonia will teach forest management workshops in schools in the region.
(Món Rural)
'Closing the circle', the project with schoolchildren to build nests with recycled wood
Students from several schools in Lluçanès, Berguedà and Osona will build more than 300 nests and 26 insect hotels.
(Arrels)
The scientists who make the desert green
Scientists have transformed vast swaths of arid land into a lush agrarian oasis in China. Now, a team of engineers wants to do the same with Sinai.
(The Guardian)
The UdL tests different vegetal covers in Penedès to preserve the soil in organic vineyards
Reducing mechanical interventions to control weeds, reducing CO2 emissions and facilitating soil conservation are the main objectives of the experimental studies that the Weed and Plant Ecology group of the University of Lleida (UdL) has initiated in the Jean Leon vineyards, in the Alt Penedès region.
(University of Lleida)
Including red algae in livestock diet could reduce greenhouse gases
Cattle are a source of methane emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas. But this problem can be reduced by up to 82% by adding a red algae supplement to the animals' diet, according to a scientific study published in the journal PLOS.
(Agropopular)
Mafrica and IRTA work together to optimize the beef maturation system
The matured meat market allows adding value to cull cows at the end of their reproductive cycle.
(IRTA)
The Pita Awards for agri-food innovation are ready
With these awards, the Department of Agriculture wants to distinguish agricultural companies, agribusinesses and entrepreneurs in the sector that have transformed a product, a process or management to be more sustainable.
(Arrels)
The list of projects that could qualify for the European 'Next Generation' program can be consulted at this link. An initiative to produce biohydrogen in Berguedà from agricultural and livestock remains, the creation in Can Gallecs of the Mediterranean Agroecology Research Center and the organization of a land bank in the Agrópolis/Camino del Mar area of the Agrarian Park of Baix Llobregat are some of the projects selected by the Barcelona Provincial Council.
(Barcelona Provincial Council)
This collaboration will allow us to act more intensely and in a coordinated manner in the monitoring and characterization of rural areas and their needs, in the fight against depopulation and demographic challenges, in the promotion of the socioeconomic framework of the rural world, in the improvement of the implementation of ICT and its applications in the agricultural sector, and in the development of the energy transition and sustainable mobility in areas with low demographic density.
(Barcelona Provincial Council)
The main objectives of this project are to carry out ethnobotanical surveys and network activities in order not to lose the cultural and gastronomic heritage spread throughout the country.
(Món Rural)
The number of women in agriculture has been slowly increasing in recent years. The most recent data (Eurostat 2016) indicates that, on average, 29% of farms across the European Union are managed by women.
(European Commission)
The Planter, an online initiative aimed at young people who join agricultural activity
The new virtual office of the RuralCat portal wants to be a meeting and information point for all young people who decide to join the agricultural activity in Catalonia. Special attention is paid to those who have no previous experience in the sector.
(ARCA)
The rural population in Catalonia increases slightly
The demographic indicators for 2019 confirm for the first time a slight growth in the rural population as a whole. Although it is not very significant, 3,798 new inhabitants, breaks the dynamic of depopulation and thus culminates the slowdown trend that began some time ago. The data corresponds to the Rural World Observatory 2020; We will have to wait for the 2020 data to assess the effects of COVID-19.
(DARP)
The light of the pandemic? This town may have been saved thanks to her
Gósol had spent years asking outsiders to come live in the town. Thanks to the pandemic, the school in this municipality of Berguedà has been saved.
(New York Times)
Berguedà will have 3,572 geolocated farmhouses and isolated buildings
This initiative will serve to facilitate the work of the emergency bodies linked to the 112 telephone number: Firefighters, Mossos d'Esquadra, Civil Protection, Rural Agents and the Medical Emergency Service (SEM).
(Món Rural)
They ask to stop urban growth and the expansion projects of the airport and the port of Barcelona.
(El Far)
Farmers assure that the decision of the Generalitat to expand the Special Protection Zone for Birds on agricultural land could end production in five years in these municipalities.
(El Far)
19 mills 200 meters high are planned between the municipalities of Copons and Rubió.
(Món Rural)
The entity asks to review and modify the decree law of urgent measures for the climate emergency.
(Món Rural)
Vanesa Freixa: "Food is the origin of many of the problems we will have"
In this conversation, the rural activist, illustrator and rancher from Pallars invites us to rethink the current agrarian model and question where the food we eat comes from.
(El Crític)
Laura Saula: "It is time to fight so that women who want to be farmers can be"
The author of the book 'Terra de Dones. Farmers of Catalonia', Laura Saula, reviews what life and work are like in the countryside.
(Arrels)
Marc Vives: "With innovation, the rural world is the future"
Marc Vives is the promoter of Mobile Week Rupit, a parallel event to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that will focus on technological innovations from around the world that can improve the lives of villagers. It will take place from June 21 to 27.
(Arrels)
To leave or not to leave the city: this is the question
The general coordinator of the Barcelona Metropolitan Strategic Plan, Oriol Estela, states in this article that it is necessary to promote not only certain conditions of the urban environment in the entire territory, but also a greater integration of the countryside into the city, betting on its renaturalization.
(El Crític)
The Dasgupta Report explores the benefits of biodiversity and details the risks and costs associated with its loss. Commissioned by the UK Treasury, the document analyzes all sectors of the economy, including agriculture and livestock, and recommends profound policy changes on pollution legislation, carbon taxation, primary sector natural capital, etc. Among its suggestions is incentivizing agricultural practices that reduce emissions or increase biodiversity.
(UK Department of the Treasury)
Food systems account for more than a third of global greenhouse gas emissions
A scientific article published in the journal 'Nature Food' analyzes the role that agri-food systems play in climate change and offers mitigation strategies from a comprehensive perspective.
(Nature Food)
Water and agriculture: towards sustainable solutions
A study by the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows that wider adoption of sustainable agricultural production practices is necessary to improve the state of water and the biodiversity of ecosystems.
(European Environment Agency)
Global Food Security Index 2020
A study by the prestigious British publication “The Economist” addresses the structural inequalities that affect the development of strong and sustainable food systems. According to this report, political commitment to promoting adaptation, technological innovation and R&D in the agricultural sector can help countries prepare for imminent environmental risks.
(The Economist Intelligence Unit)
Sustainable food: Manual for cities
As part of the celebration of the 2021 sustainable food capital status, Barcelona City Council and the Barcelona Metropolitan Strategic Plan have prepared Sustainable Food: Manual for Cities, a document that proposes nine areas of action around sustainable food, current problems and possible solutions.
(Barcelona City Council)
According to a report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), 17% of all food available to consumers is wasted, leading to significant environmental, social and economic impacts: reducing food waste would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, would stop deforestation and pollution, increase food availability and save economic resources. This study represents the most comprehensive collection, analysis and visualization of food waste data ever, and supports global efforts to halve food waste by 2030.
(UNEP)
A European Parliament report examines the concept of Smart Villages, analyzes the policy framework, lists information sources and funding opportunities and concludes with implications for Member States to consider in the preparation of the strategic plans of the Common Agricultural Policy.
(European Parliament Committee of Experts)
Women in the food industry in Catalonia 2020
A report commissioned by the Department of Agriculture of the Generalitat of Catalonia shows that women represent around 40% of all workers in the agri-food sector and that they earn 23.19% less than men on average, among other highlights.
(DARP)
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