Neus Monllor, an inspiring figure in the world of agrosocial consultancy and the drive for change in the agricultural sector, was born in Castalla in 1980 and, from a young age, has explored the connections between food, territory, and sustainability, both from her personal and professional experience as well as her studies. She is the main author of the guide “New Farmers”, a practical guide published by the Barcelona Provincial Council to facilitate access to land for agricultural entrepreneurs. In this publication, Neus proposes a model of agricultural and livestock dynamisation based on the creation of Peasant Welcome Services (SAP) at the local level, municipal support spaces that include tools such as land banks, peasant mentoring, farmer nurseries, agricultural test spaces, resource banks, and shared food processing facilites and slaughterhouses.

With a solid academic background, Neus obtained a PhD in Geography and Environment from the University of Girona, which she complemented with master’s degrees in International Comparison of Rural Policies and in Leadership and Change Management. Until recently, she worked as an independent consultant collaborating with other professionals and companies in the primary sector, but now she is immersed in the foundation of a new team, which will soon emerge under the name Amaterra, an initiative aimed at promoting a holistic approach to peasantry and sustainability.

The origins of her passion for agriculture and food date back to her childhood experiences in Castalla, a village in the interior of Alicante, where she spent summers immersed in a rural environment rich in vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and farm animals. Guided by her grandparents, she learned to love the land and its gifts, but it is cooking that is the climax of this story, the activity where Neus finds her main motivation to commit to peasantry. After learning to cook with the television programmes of Karlos Argiñano, she has always maintained a close relationship between the ingredients she uses in her recipes and the people who produce them. With conviction, she maintains that «eating is a direct action of agrarian policy: if we consumed products from nearby peasantry, our farmers would breathe differently».

Her passion for cooking, support for local peasantry, and commitment to the quality and diversity of local foods led her to live a very enriching experience in the world of catering. For four years, she was the soul of Espai Tomata, a committed cuisine restaurant in Burg, in Pallars Sobirà, where she internalised the transformative power of conscious food choices and the crucial role that food plays in building a fairer and more sustainable agricultural system.

This philosophy leads her to invite us to reflect on the influence that consumer individuals have in shaping the future of peasantry with their daily decisions. Through her journey and her commitment to the new generation of farmers and ranchers, Neus Monllor offers us an inspiring and pragmatic vision to face the challenges of the territorial food system, and reminds us that every gesture, every dish, every purchase, can be an act of change and solidarity with local producers and our environment.

What inspired you to create this practical guide for the new farmers?
Local entities need tools to address the social, economic and environmental challenges that arise in their territories. The deagrarianization of the countryside and the loss of productive capacity that we have experienced in recent years alert public institutions about the need to promote innovative initiatives to inspire a new generation of farmers to undertake entrepreneurship. The simplification of the work of the town councils, the Administrations closest to the people, was one of the reasons that prompted us to create this practical guide for the new peasantry.

How would you describe the concept of the new peasantry and what are its main characteristics?
The new peasantry is a concept that emerged during my doctoral thesis more than ten years ago. At that time, I identified a growing number of people who, without having agricultural origins, were promoting projects related to food from a perspective focused on local products, environmentally friendly agricultural practices and agri-food preparations. This led me to talk about a paradigm shift that I called "agrosocial." I believe that currently this concept has even more relevance than a few years ago. During the research, I also identified another group of people who joined agricultural activity as a family relief and who shared this agrosocial approach; That is, they began to produce wine or cheese, they converted their farms to organic production, they opted for sales in local markets, etc. Therefore, my contribution was to baptize this entire wave of people animated with an agrosocial outlook as the new farmers. Thus, the new peasantry is made up of both family and extra-family profiles that are committed to production and marketing models linked to the land, people and life.

«The new peasantry is made up of both family and extra-family profiles that are committed to production and marketing models linked to the land, people and live» Neus Monllor
 

What is the main challenge faced by people who want to join the agricultural sector today? And what is the main opportunity?
The biggest challenge for people who want to work in the field is to achieve a viable and viable business model; That is, after the first few years, they can continue to be active and earn a decent living. The issue is that each entrepreneur starts from a different point. For those without an agricultural origin, the first major obstacle is access to land and productive resources: starting from scratch is an enormous task and only advisable in some subsectors that require little investment, little land and little risk. For those who follow the path of home, it is often personal issues, views on the world or relationships that determine whether or not they continue with the family farm.

The great opportunity that people who want to join the agricultural sector have is the immense need that society has for healthy eating. We eat every day and it should be imperative to have easier access to local agricultural production. Many entities are working along these lines and I am confident that, little by little, the structuring of the channels to access food for our peasantry will become widespread. The challenges are enormous, but the opportunities are even greater. A piece of land will soon be a great treasure. As a society, we have little time left to begin to value what is close to us. The crises that will come will impose this on us.

«A piece of land will soon be a great treasure» Neus Monllor
 

What role do public policies and local entities play in promoting agricultural and livestock entrepreneurship?
Public policies are essential for the agricultural ecosystem to function and not collapse. The agricultural sector is a highly regulated sector in which many agents have their say, which makes day-to-day life in the countryside increasingly unbearable from a regulatory point of view. We have recently seen that this is one of the main demands of many peasants who have taken to the streets. More than legislating to supervise, it is necessary to legislate to facilitate. We need the figure of the agrarian facilitator, a person who helps the few who are left working the land and makes their daily lives more manageable. Much more could be done by local entities for the peasantry. The town councils, associations and councils countyles enjoy a proximity that other administrations do not have. They know the territory, its history in the primary sector, the families that work in it and everything that can make a sector like the agricultural sector feel more supported and valued.

«More than legislating to supervise, it is necessary to legislate to facilitate. We need the figure of the agrarian facilitator, a person who helps the few who are left working the land and makes their daily lives more passable» Neus Monllor
 

How does the Payesa Welcome Service (SAP) that it proposes to the guide work and what benefits does it provide to people who want to start an agricultural business?
This guide proposes that local entities have a person in charge of a comprehensive service with the aim of promoting entrepreneurship and revitalization projects to guarantee that a new agricultural generation has the opportunity to establish itself in the territory. The main benefit is that people interested in working in the field have a point of reference to go to. They have a compass, a point of light, eyes to look at and ask questions. In addition, this peasant welcome service includes various tools that can be made available to the entrepreneur. These tools should not be managed directly by the local administration; The essential thing is that the person who has a need can satisfy it.

Do you think that land banks and agrarian test spaces are essential tools to facilitate access to land for people who want to start an agricultural project?
I am convinced. They are basic tools for those people who do not have a direct agricultural origin: if you do not have land, infrastructure, knowledge or support network, your process of incorporation into the agricultural sector is much more complex, slow and burdensome. You have a series of needs that people who were born and raised on a family farm do not have. Both agrarian test spaces and land banks are elements that facilitate entry into the agricultural world. Until now, a good part of public policies have focused on the moment when a person registers and starts their company. This model is outdated, since it mainly serves those people who live in farmhouses. Those who do not come from families with an agrarian tradition need other facilities. It is necessary to pave the way and roll out the red carpet for all people who want to venture into the field.

«We must pave the way and roll out a red carpet for all people who want to start a business in the countryside» Neus Monllor
 

What are the most notable experiences of land banks and agrarian test spaces in Europe and what can we learn from them in Catalonia? Is there any European initiative on land banks or agricultural test spaces that has had a significant impact on the writing of the guide and that is included as a reference?
What we have learned about the referring experiences is that each one is a world. It is complex to identify which contributes more or less, since each one responds to the needs of its territory. However, we can point out some important aspects to take into account, such as good governance, a clear commitment to financing these projects and providing them with resources or a long-term view to prevent these initiatives from turning into one-day flowers. The guide includes a good variety of examples, and there are certainly more and more.

What is peasant mentoring and how can it contribute to generational change in the countryside?
Farmer mentoring is the support that a person who is entering the agricultural sector receives from another who is already established and from whom they can learn directly. It is about accompaniment, about equal-to-equal advice, where technicians disappear from the equation to give all the protagonism to the peasants who work the land. It is a model that has worked very well in other territories and is increasingly in demand. This system values the knowledge of the most experienced generations and, at the same time, makes it easier for the new farmers to receive training in a practical, direct and efficient way. It is highly recommended for any field, as long as there is a desire to transmit knowledge and promote agricultural ties based on respect.

What other resources or public facilities do you recommend to the guide and how can they improve the profitability and sustainability of the agri-food projects of the new farmers?
Beyond facilitating the process of incorporating a person into an agricultural company, what must be done to promote the peasantry on a local scale is to recover the agrarian fabric that has been undervalued in recent decades. The process of deagrarianization is causing the necessary infrastructure to remain so that the peasantry can carry out their task with ease. In this sense, it is essential to reactivate workshops, slaughterhouses, markets and everything that can serve agricultural production and that is capable of feeding the local and nearby population.

What main advice would you give to people who want to dedicate themselves to the agricultural sector or who are already there and want to improve their project?
I would recommend that they trace a path of incorporation with their head, heart and hands: they need all three elements to be able to create an agricultural project that provides them with resources to live in a dignified way and that allows the activity to last over time. Therefore, they must think about what productive model to follow, what orientation to adopt and where to establish themselves; characteristics that are sometimes given and other times to be defined. It is also essential to feel what motivates them: without a vocation, this work loses much of the meaning that gives it identity, and, in fact, the majority of people who join the sector have a clear agricultural vocation, whether they were born on a farm. family farm or newcomers. Finally, you have to roll up your sleeves and work. It is a job that requires knowing many things, constant attention, the ability to manage uncertainty, entrepreneurial skills, skills to produce and sell, and a whole series of elements to assess before starting the path. That is why it is so important to have programs such as agricultural test spaces, which offer the opportunity for entrepreneurs to test the activity they have in their minds and hearts. Putting it into practice allows them to understand if this is what gives them energy and to reorient their projects according to the needs that arise.

«It is essential to reactivate workshops, slaughterhouses, markets and everything that can serve agricultural production and that is capable of feeding the local and nearby population» Neus Monllor
 

Could you share a memorable experience or personal learning you had during the research process to write your guide? What have you been most surprised to discover in your search?

I have been surprised by how little knowledge exists from local entities about the reality of today's Catalan peasantry. I feel that most of the institutions still live very far from the day-to-day lives of the people who work the land. For this reason, I think that this guide can be a good incentive to promote new stories, new perspectives and, above all, new programs that support the peasantry that is already established and encourage more people to join.

How do you think the guide can help local entities that want to promote the local agri-food sector? In what specific way would you like the guide to influence the promotion of generational change in the countryside and the attraction of new agricultural entrepreneurs?

The guide is a document that invites reflection, analysis and action. I think that if there are motivated and visionary people in local entities who want to bet on the nearby peasantry, they have a treasure here. It is a commitment to put life at the center. Without food we do not live, and without peasantry, this daily fact is put in danger. I would love for the technical staff and political officials who have the opportunity to read the pages of the guide to make it their own. That they asked, that they called wherever necessary to introduce improvements from their competencies. That they were an asset.

These days we have seen in the streets the unrest of a good part of the peasantry. And although many of the things that are claimed cannot be solved at the local level, there are others that can. City councils can streamline procedures, invest in local agri-food infrastructure, activate lands for new generations, open new direct sales points, make sustainable public purchases, motivate their young people to dedicate themselves to the sector, honor the generations that are ready to fold... So many things can be done from the local level that it would be absurd for a person with responsibilities in a local administration to do nothing after reading this guide. I invite you to bet on agrarian social regeneration. Nowadays it is almost transgressive to invest in the local peasantry, but it is the only way we have if we want to eat healthily and maintain a living territory.

«Without food we do not live, and without peasantry, this daily fact becomes dangerous» Neus Monllor

With the current situation of decline in agricultural activity and the concern of the peasantry regarding problems as real as excessive costs, excessive bureaucracy, the effects of the drought, the drop in prices at source, imports that compete unfairly with proximity products, etc., do you think that the new generation of farmers can address the challenges of climate change and sustainability? What do you think is their main contribution to the change of model and what do they need to be able to do it?

The tractors in the street are making society aware of part of the problems that affect our farmers. Those of us who have been dedicated to us for a long time have already been expressing this in our positions, in our view of the projects we support or with our contributions, as is the case with this guide. One of the things that is very clear to me is that supporting the new farmers is betting on a new agriculture, on an agrosocial look at the productive model, on respect for the land, food, the environment and people. The future of the countryside does not lie in giving the agroindustry a wide berth to continue polluting, but in accompanying the agroindustrial model in moving towards agricultural companies more linked to the territory, closer to the social reality of healthy eating and more resilient in the face of climate challenges. The new farmers are clear that the way to go is to apply knowledge more than agrochemicals, cooperate more than compete and have a long-term vision to be able to anticipate what is to come.

For this reason, it is so important that we support a new agricultural generation with an agrosocial perspective, whether they are people from a peasant family or newcomers to the countryside. It is essential to pave the way to once again have a living agricultural fabric that guarantees food close to the population. With the sector deeply eroded, it is essential that this new generation regenerates practices, both agronomic and commercial. We must opt for models that promote life. The future will be enough with the challenges before us... Therefore, it is necessary to provide the tools that facilitate the movement towards a new agriculture with people who work the land with viability and vitality .

«Supporting the new farmers is betting on a new agriculture, on an agrosocial look at the productive model, on respect for the land, food, the environment and people» Neus Monllor

How do you hope that the "New Farmers" guide can contribute to social change and the future of the peasantry with a human perspective?
The "New Farmers" guide is presented as a significant contribution at that time of transformation and revolt. The situation in many farmers' houses is unsustainable and I am convinced that in the coming months we will see changes, both from the administrations and from agricultural groups and even from consumers. Therefore, this guide can be a good ally for those people with responsibilities in local administrations who want to take a step forward to support the peasantry of their territory. The guide provides resources, but it is the people who will make change possible. I trust that this step will come and, within a while, we will be able to see tangible results. Without peasants, our society becomes impoverished, the territory is orphaned and food is undervalued. The path must be a good red carpet, both for the generations that are already there and for those yet to arrive.

—Lola Mayenco—​