Production

Escarxofes

The metropolitan area of Barcelona is a densely built-up region in which food production takes up 6 % of the land, principally growing fruit and vegetables. Livestock farming is less important (with 315 holdings) and fishing is negligible. Taken as a whole, it produces 38,752 tonnes of agricultural foodstuffs, 3,181 tonnes of fishing catches and 4,238 livestock units each year.

Although the primary sector's overall importance is small, the AMB is home to one of the finest examples of peri-urban agriculture (agriculture around cities), which accounts for some of the food eaten in the area: the Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park.

Farming in the AMB also spills over into Collserola, the Marina Mountain Range and the Baix Llobregat mountains. In these cases, the farms are smaller and their agriculture is also closely tied to their surrounding towns. Generally speaking, the chief foodstuffs grown in the AMB are artichokes, tomatoes, potatoes, barley, grapes and cherries.

Growing awareness about the environment and healthier eating has led some people to take an interest in urban allotments. Farm sites have been carved out of empty plots in the centre of cities, more and more schools are creating their own allotments, municipalities are setting up community allotments and vegetables are proliferating on many private balconies.

Production areas

The metropolitan area of Barcelona is home to a peri-urban agricultural legacy with high strategic and all-round value which, unfortunately, is not immune to urban strains and other more global processes.

One of the main threats to maintaining its peri-urban agricultural legacy is the acute development pressure resulting from proximity to built-up areas. Between the mid-1950s and the end of the first decade of the 21st century, 78 % of the agricultural area was destroyed, decreasing from about 24,600 hectares in 1956 to some 5,400 hectares in 2009.

The Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park was set up in the early 1990s to protect crops in the Llobregat Delta and drive local usage networks via public policies. The Collserola Range National Park Consortium and the Marina Mountain Range Park were also later recognised under the same principles.

Agriculture and livestock farming

Agriculture and livestock farming are strategically valuable in growing food, preserving the natural water cycle and preventing natural hazards. The goal is to safeguard metropolitan production which delivers sustainable development.

Professional agriculture accounts for 8.5 % of the metropolitan area and runs alongside other types of self-consumption agriculture such as tenancy-at-will allotments, urban allotments sponsored by municipalities and community allotments. Vegetables (72 %), fruit trees and mixed trees (24 %), grapevines (2.1 %) and olives (1.6 %) are the most commonly grown foodstuffs.

Even with the shrinkage in land and the labour force, there are still currently around 1,500 people engaged in agricultural work in the AMB.

Professional agriculture plays a key role in sustaining ecosystem services and food production. Four areas are recognised in the AMB:

  • Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park (2,264 ha of agricultural land).
  • Marina Mountain Range Park (20 ha of agricultural land).
  • Collserola Park (413.6 ha of agricultural land).
  • Baix Mountains.

Livestock farming is split among 315 farms and mainly comprises horses, followed by goats, sheep, hens and chickens, most of which are in the Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park.

Fisheries in the AMB are negligible: they add up to just 12 % of the total volume in Catalonia and are conducted through the Barcelona Fishermen's Association.

  • Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park

    This area consists of 3,348.02 hectares spread over 14 municipalities and serves as the agricultural hub of the metropolitan area of Barcelona. It is nestled in the alluvial plains of the River Llobregat delta and lower valley and encompasses Castelldefels, Cornellà de Llobregat, Gavà, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Molins de Rei, Pallejà, El Papiol, El Prat de Llobregat, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Sant Joan Despí, Sant Vicenç dels Horts, Santa Coloma de Cervelló and Viladecans.

    Run by the Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park Consortium (Barcelona Provincial Council, Baix Llobregat County Council, government of Catalonia, the 14 town councils which are members of the park and the Farmers' Union), it is an agricultural area equipped with its own customised plan where more than 1,200 people work, the vast majority of them professional farmers.

    The Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park is a highly productive, eco-friendly and socially valuable agricultural site due to its exceptional climate and water supply. Forty-five percent of the land is owner-occupied and the other 55 % rented.

    Artichokes are the Park's flagship product (405 ha) followed by tomatoes (188 ha). Other crops include potatoes (142 ha), cauliflower (132 ha), peaches (114 ha), green beans (111 ha), lettuce (99 ha), chard (97 ha) and onions (87 ha).

    The food produced by the Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park is basically marketed through Mercabarna (70 %), although 30 % of its output gets to consumers through direct sales channels (online sales, markets and cooperatives).

  • Collserola Range National Park Consortium

    The Collserola mountain range is part of the Catalan Coastal Range. It covers an area of 11,000 ha, stretches between the Besòs and Llobregat rivers and runs through nine municipalities: Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Esplugues de Llobregat, Molins de Rei, Montcada i Reixac, El Papiol, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Sant Feliu de Llobregat and Sant Just Desvern.

    Although Collserola has been officially protected since 1953, it was not until 2010 that 8,000 hectares were listed as a national park by the government of Catalonia.

    Historically, agriculture and livestock farming have been the main human activities in the Collserola mountain range. However, they began to decline from the late 19th century onwards due to the phylloxera crisis. Over the last 50 years, agricultural land in the park has fallen from 21 % to 4.19 %, although several social partners associated with Collserola have recently pooled their efforts to buck the trend and push the recovery of farming and animal husbandry.

    Agriculture and livestock farming in the mountain range is currently divided over 20 holdings. Most of them are small, which means their volume of food output is low, although it is high quality and largely organic. Fruit trees and vegetables are the main crops grown, followed by olives and vines.

    The ‘Alimentem Collserola! Promoting Agroecological Transition in Collserola' project was launched in 2018 to drive fairer and more sustainable local food systems while reviving crop farming and animal husbandry in the Park's catchment area.

    Plus, since October 2015, the Park's lamb, Mandó tomatoes, honey, cherries, wine and tangerines have been marketed with the ‘Produce of Collserola' quality label.  

    Related links (in Catalan)
    Alimentem Collserola! Promoció de la Transició Agroecològica a Collserola
    Catàleg de productors del parc
    Producte de Collserola

  • Marina Mountain Range Park

    The Marina range stretches along the southern part of the Catalan Coastal Range between Sant Mateu massif and the Besòs River. It covers an area of 4,000 hectares, 3,032 of which are in the Marina Mountain Range Park under a special plan adopted in 2002. It is run by the Marina Mountain Range Park Consortium and includes the municipalities of Badalona, Montcada i Reixac, Sant Fost de Campsentelles, Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Tiana.

    It is a green educational and leisure site in the metropolitan area of Barcelona where agriculture is negligible after local residents gradually started moving out in the second half of the 20th century, leading to significant recovery of the plant cover. However, 240 hectares are classified as agricultural land. Half is given over to vineyards and the rest to allotments, fodder and cereals, whilst intensive cultivation of flowers and ornamental plants is also economically significant. Livestock farming plays a minor and declining role.

    Today a lot of traditional agricultural land lies in peri-urban areas that are struggling for profitability and viability and exposed to strong urban development pressure.

  • Baix Mountains

    This project involves 16 municipalities in El Baix Llobregat (Begues, Castellví de Rosanes, Cervelló, Corbera de Llobregat, Gavà, La Palma de Cervelló, Martorell, Pallejà, Sant Andreu de la Barca, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Sant Climent de Llobregat, Sant Vicenç dels Horts, Santa Coloma de Cervelló, Torrelles de Llobregat, Vallirana and Viladecans), with the County Council coordinating and sharing strategies and actions to run their agroforestry land.

    The Baix Mountains stand on the right bank of the Llobregat River and run from the towns in the river's delta across the Garraf-Ordal massif and up to the ridges bounding the Anoia and Llobregat basins. They cover more than 120 km2, and over 10,000 ha are forested.
    Their proximity to the towns in the area brings advantages to local residents, such as the supply of forest produce and crop harvests.

    It is also helpful in regulating the area's hydrological and biogeochemical cycles. The vegetation on the mountain range's upper and middle slopes protects the soil against erosion, which prevents nutrient loss and helps buffer rainwater and lessen the risk of flooding in the lower valleys. Meanwhile the stream network furnishes a natural drainage system which enhances biological connectivity, and the woodland areas are carbon stores.

    Pla d'accions de les Muntanyes del Baix (2019-2023)
    Informe tècnic de les Muntanyes del Baix


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Unique produce

Artichokes and ‘pota blava' chicken from El Prat de Llobregat, asparagus from Gavà and cherries from Torrelles de Llobregat are just some of the outstanding local foodstuffs in the AMB. Likewise, the cultivation of Mandó tomatoes, which are native to the area, was resumed in Collserola National Park in 2011.

However, the range of metropolitan foodstuffs with some kind of recognition is even more extensive, according to the Ministry of Climate Action, Food and the Rural Agenda's Local Produce Inventory:

  • El Prat chicken and capon: they have a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) and are animals with fine, lean, tender meat.
  • El Prat artichoke: this is the flagship vegetable in the fields of the Llobregat River delta covering more than 500 hectares. It is soft, tender and rich in B vitamins.
  • Gavà white asparagus: this vegetable is thin, tasty and slightly bitter.
  • Baix Llobregat cherries: Sant Climent de Llobregat is the capital of this sweet, firm-fleshed fruit.
  • Baix Llobregat chard, especially from L'Hospitalet: this is one of the most popular vegetables in Catalonia and a good source of vitamins and nutrients.
  • Baix Llobregat leeks: less well known than artichokes and asparagus, this vegetable has recently carved out its own distinctive reputation.
  • Alella wines: 550 hectares with denomination of origin where mainly white wines are made from white sultana, xarel·lo and garnacha grapes.

Plus, products bearing the ‘Produce of Collserola' guarantee have been on the market since December 2016:

  • Mandó tomato: this variety of tomato has been grown for generations on Can Mandó farm in Collserola and was revived in 2011 in partnership with the Miquel Agustí Foundation.
  • Tangerines: Can Carlets is the only tangerine farm in the Collserola mountain range. There is no record of any other tangerine crop so far north or so close to a large built-up area like Barcelona.
  • Kid: these free-range animals of the Rasquera breed are raised under organic farming principles.
  • Honey: la Rural and Melvida harvest honey from the mountains to sustainable beekeeping standards.
  • Wine: Can Calopa de Dalt is the only vineyard in Barcelona; it is run by the L'Olivera cooperative, which works with people at risk of social exclusion.

Chicken and artichokes from El Prat, Mandó tomatoes from Collserola and wines from Alella are also part of the local produce network.

Inventari de productes de la terra
Producte de Collserola
Xarxa de Productes de la Terra


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Non-market agriculture

Horticulture has thrived in the metropolitan municipalities in recent years. The number of allotments outside the areas set aside for productive agriculture has grown; known as informal agriculture, it started up in the 1980s and has been gaining in popularity recently. These crops are grown by individuals and groups operating outside urban planning and market regulations.

  • Tenancy-at-will allotments

    There are more than 250 hectares of tenancy-at-will allotments in the metropolis of Barcelona. They are small plots of land for growing vegetables for self-consumption which are sited around urban areas to meet the social needs of particular groups, especially as a leisure pursuit and to be in touch with nature.

    They are also known as informal garden allotments because they stand on secondary plots on the outskirts which have been left free near road and rail infrastructures or alongside riverbeds (20 % are in these locations) in the areas closest to constant watercourses. They are not regulated by law and usually include small buildings made of diverse and often recycled materials.

    They first became widespread in the 1980s and then grew further in the wake of the 2008 recession. They are usually begun and maintained by people over 60 who are closely tied to the countryside, although more recently younger people with environmental and agro-ecological concerns have joined the ranks.

    This name is also used to refer to some areas historically managed by an irrigation community but which have not been regulated by their local councils. Overall, the distribution of tenancy-at-will allotments is uneven across the AMB and most are in Ripollet and Montcada i Reixac.

    This widespread practice prompted the first public policies to introduce regulated areas of municipal allotments.

  • Municipal allotments

    Almost all metropolitan municipalities have set up allotments in public spaces in towns and cities to promote the social, educational and environmental value of this kind of farming. There are currently more than 20,850 hectares earmarked for this purpose. They are usually on publicly owned land and are temporarily leased for four or five years to the members of the public who tend them. Sixty-five per cent of the area taken up by these allotments is zoned as land which cannot be developed.

    By law, these allotments can only be used for growing vegetables and ornamental plants and for self-consumption by certain social groups (the elderly, associations, people at risk of social exclusion, etc.), and 71 % of the area has to be put aside for agro-ecological production.

    The first experiment in regulating a municipally-developed urban allotment in the metropolitan area took place in Barcelona in 1986. The ‘Hort de l'avi' was set up as a self-managed neighbourhood initiative which was finally recognised by the authorities in 1997 when Barcelona's urban allotment network was established.

    Outside Barcelona, Sant Just Desvern Town Council was a pioneer among the other municipalities in the AMB in 1995, when it set up Can Cardona, an area of municipal allotments similar to the Barcelona model.

    At the time of the property boom in the 2000s, there was a series of municipal allotment initiatives.
    Municipal allotments (in Catalan)

    Related links
    List of metropolitan urban allotments (in Catalan)

  • Community allotments

    These are small plots of land usually set up in urban areas based on social initiatives to grow vegetables for self-consumption. They are self-managed sites on unused public or private land in urban areas, mainly abandoned plots.

    Apart from the horticultural activity itself, they also emphasise building community ties and local development through training and self-employment initiatives. These allotments generally emerge as a result of employment processes, although in some of them agreements have been reached with the owners of the land.

    Sites such as Can Masdeu and Els Jardins del Pou de la Figuera and some projects in the Barcelona City Council's BUITS Plan to recover unused land are good examples of the features of community allotments.

    In short, these allotments for self-consumption purposes are situated in urban or suburban areas and have different kinds of relationships with the authorities.

    Pla BUITS

  • Individual garden allotments

    These are productive plots in private gardens or the yards of houses. They are privately owned, not regulated and usually small, and their produce is grown for self-consumption and recreation.

    Balconies have also been converted into sites for planting vegetables in pots, on grow tables and more recently using hydroponic systems.


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