• Read “New Farmers: Practical guide to facilitate access to land for agricultural entrepreneurs”

The Barcelona Provincial Council publishes the guide "New Farmers: Practical guide to facilitate access to land for agricultural entrepreneurs", a digital publication that is born with the will to reactivate the agri-food systems of the province. Aimed especially at municipalities and other local entities interested in promoting a new generation of agricultural and livestock entrepreneurs, “New Farmers” has as its main objective to facilitate the incorporation of people into agricultural activity, both those with a family farming background and those without any ties.

With a focus on revitalizing the local primary sector, the guide details the steps that local entities can follow to encourage generational renewal processes in the countryside. In addition, it proposes the creation of a Peasant Welcome Service (SAP), an accompanying program that includes tools such as land banks, peasant mentoring, farmers' nurseries, agricultural test spaces, resource banks and equipment shared by to agro-food processing.

The guide collects outstanding experiences of land banks and agricultural test spaces in Europe, with special mention of the French association Terres de Liens, which has been working since 2003 to facilitate access to land for agricultural entrepreneurs. It also highlights the experiences of the French network RENETA, with more than 60 agricultural test spaces in operation.

With photographs by Patxi Uriz, the guide is the result of the joint and transversal work of three experts in the field: Neus Monllor, an agro-social consultant specialized in rural development, generational renewal and local agri-food systems; Anna Roca, professor at the University of Girona and consultant for agri-food revitalization projects; and Sònia Callau, head of the Agrarian Territorial Directorate of the Barcelona Provincial Council. The publication has been edited as part of the BCN Smart Rural program and has been co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER).

For more information on the tools and resources available to facilitate access to land for agricultural entrepreneurs, please contact Sònia Callau, head of the Agrarian Territorial Directorate of the Barcelona Provincial Council.

— BCN Smart Rural Editorial —