Next year, the first shared vegetable processing facility in Bages will begin operating, a fundamental infrastructure to move towards a healthier and more sustainable food system in the region. The initiative has emerged from local farmers who wanted to have access to an equipped space for making preserves, vegetable preparations and broths, among other products.

The facility will be located in the Puigmercadal market in Manresa, in the space left by an old restaurant on the first floor, and it will accommodate interested people from inside and outside the municipality. With an area of 154 square meters, it will be fully equipped with the necessary machinery and will comply with all regulatory requirements for hygiene and food safety. The design of the infrastructure, very innovative, has been decided through a participatory process in which the farmers who will use it have been able to have their say.

Farmers are willing to process their produce themselves or collectively pay a cook to prepare it. In principle, they also intend to sell the processed foods directly, but they do not rule out creating a brand that refers to the workshop and selling them in markets, supermarkets and local stores. In any case, they are cautious and believe that it will not be until next summer that they will be operating at full capacity.

An agri-food transformation space with many advantages

The initiative was presented at the beginning of this month in the Can Calafell vegetable garden in Manresa, in an event attended by the deputy of Natural Areas and Forest Fire Prevention of the Barcelona Provincial Council, Josep Tarín; the mayor of Manresa, Marc Aloy; and the secretary of the Association of Rural Initiatives of Catalonia (ARCA), Francesc Lluch, among other personalities. The representative of the farmers who promoted the shared facility was Pere Calafell.

During the presentation event, attendees highlighted the advantages of the new food processing space. To begin with, the implementation of this infrastructure will allow farmers to take advantage of the surpluses of their farms, as well as open new lines of business. In addition, the existence of the workshop will facilitate the path of entrepreneurs who want to join the agri-food sector. It will also serve to bring local products closer to consumers, create networks between farmers and food artisans, and innovate in products and formats. And cooking courses or other related activities may be organized there. In the words of Pol Huguet, Green City councillor of the Manresa City Council, the space will be a real shocker for the sector and «it may even help ensure the generational transition».

To carry out the initiative, the farmers have had the support of the town councils of Manresa, Artés and Navàs, municipalities promoting the Food Sovereignty Network of Central Catalonia. Also, the Barcelona Provincial Council, who contributed to the construction of this infrastructure with 20,000 euros. The PECT BCN Smart Rural, co-financed by the corporation and the FEDER fund, has contributed another 50,000 euros. The remaining 70,000 euros have been covered by Manresa City Council.

More details about the new shared workshop are at this link.

— BCN Smart Rural Editorial —