Carlos Delgado: «We, the resin tappers, are the guardians of the forest»
Carlos Delgado and Elizabeth Ibanga are the last resin tappers in Catalonia, as well as the pioneers of a new generation in this nearly forgotten trade. In Vallirana, they have revived this craft, which not only helps care for the forest and reduce fire risks, but also provides natural raw materials that are integral to our daily lives, including cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food production.
Trees are a source of health and life. Elizabeth is sixty-seven years old, and Carlos is seventy, and perhaps precisely because of this, they are aware of the importance of their work in the forest. They are a couple in love with resin and, naturally, with the white pines (Pinus halepensis) from which they extract their sap from March to November.
The resident of Igualada holds a doctorate in biology and serves as the president of Eixarcolant, a cooperative entity working towards the recovery of traditional agricultural varieties and edible wild species.
We talked to the coordinator of the Central Catalonia Cooperative Athenaeum about the new associative models being promoted by the younger generation in rural areas.
Conxita Enrich is seeking someone to take over the 12 hectares she inherited from her family and believes the best option is through the Montserrat Rural Park Land Bank.
The president of Som Pastura and owner of a dairy goat farm in Moianès advocates for the return of herds to the forest in order to protect it.
This young graduate in Energy Engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya is one of the first people to have signed a lease agreement thanks to the services of the Montserrat Rural Park Land Bank.
The head of the wildfire prevention strategy at the Barcelona Provincial Council talks about the importance of preserving the agroforestry mosaic to prevent forests from burning.
The technical director of the Lluçanès Consortium tells us about the Alpens collective cheese dairy, a pioneering facility in Catalonia that is integrated into the BCN Smart Rural strategy.
The coordinator of sustainable food projects at the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation is a person passionate about her work. We wanted to interview her to find out her thoughts on local agri-food workshops, among other topics.
In the demarcation of Barcelona, the protection of agricultural spaces has a name, Josep Montasell Dorda. And an intention: to bring food closer to people.
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