• Watch 'Artisanal Territory'

Shared agri-food processing and slaughtering facilities have played a crucial role in the growth of rural areas in the province of Barcelona. These spaces have facilitated the sale of locally produced goods. Unfortunately, due to the increasing industrialization of the agri-food industry, several such facilities have been shut down. This has created a gap that adversely affects young entrepreneurs in the agri-food sector.

This situation has prompted the Barcelona Provincial Council to promote the establishment of shared facilities that can serve individuals with business ideas and the motivation to bring them to fruition. Of the fifteen collective agri-food processing and slaughtering spaces currently in operation in the Barcelona region, six have received support from the corporation: these include the Lluçanès cheese dairy, the Montserrat Rural Park meat-cutting facility, the Bages vegetable processing facility, the Central Catalonia mobile abattoir, the small modular abattoir in Moianès, and the meat-cutting and slaughter room in Montseny.

In 'Artisan Territory', the new short film from the 'BCN Smart Rural Stories', Anna Puig and Joan Rius present the two collective spaces they currently use to produce and transform their agri-food products. They are accompanied by the geographer and consultant Anna Roca, who explains the importance of shared agri-food facilities and abattoirs when promoting the transition towards a more sustainable, local and inclusive food model.

— BCN Smart Rural Editorial —