Back to the roots: rural farming in Barcelona's Collserola hills

Less than 45 minutes from central Barcelona, the cooperative La Rural de Collserola is bringing rural life to the Catalan capital's region by cultivating certified organic vegetables in one of the city’s most treasured natural spaces. 

But this is no ordinary farm. It is a movement rooted in sustainability, social impact, and the belief that rural traditions still have a place, even within a modern and greatly urbanized world. 

The cooperative was founded in 2014, taking a major step forward after winning a tender to manage the Can Ferriol Estate in 2019, an 86-hectare property of forests and fields surrounding an 18th-century farmhouse in the Can Ferriol valley of Collserola. 

"We call ourselves La Rural because one of our goals is to ruralize
 Collserola, which is a peri-urban natural park that historically 
always had rural life, but it lost that in the 1960s-70s," says Alfred March, one of the co-founders of La Rural, to Catalan News.  

"A bit of our purpose, as part of the new wave of farmers, is to recover fields. And that’s not just about restoring cultivated land but also
reviving all the rural life that historically existed here" he adds. 

Rural farming refers to agricultural activities carried out in countryside areas, often on a small to medium scale, with a strong focus on community, tradition, and sustainability. Unlike large-scale industrial agriculture, rural farming tends to support local food systems and ecological methods.  

According to the Catalan Ministry of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, initiatives like La Rural play a key role in socially revitalizing these areas and preventing rural depopulation, which has been a growing concern across the region. 

Approximately 35% of Catalonia's land area is considered rural, although this area only represents about 1% of the population, as the Catalan ministry points out. This shows that a significant portion of Catalonia's territory is rural, but the population is heavily concentrated in urban areas, primarily around Barcelona. 

To guarantee "social rights, decent services, and ensuring a vibrant rural world" authorities have been offering workshops that have been organized throughout the region in order to respond to the numerous challenges facing the rural world.  

Facing rural challenges 

La Rural de Collserola doesn’t just grow food, just like Barcelona's rooftop farms, it also builds connections. The cooperative is deeply involved in the local community, running educational programs and offering volunteering opportunities. 

The cooperative’s commitment to sustainability goes beyond organic certification. Alfred emphasizes that they aim to go “further than the rules of organic production,” by fostering soil health, reducing emissions, and encouraging biodiversity. 

Still, the challenges are real. Operating a farm in a protected park comes with restrictions, and the costs of maintaining land and its structures. At the same time, farmers are increasingly feeling the effects of climate change. 

"If you farm in the lower Baix Llobregat valley, 
near the river, you can simply turn on a tap for water. But here, we rely on wells,
 and not all of them provide water. Making mountain agriculture profitable is a huge challenge," says March. 

"Another difficulty of being in a peri-urban area is that while having customers and volunteers close by is great, we have to deal with complex regulations. Many laws are not designed for rural life," states March, which is a similar message as Joan Solà, president of the Associació de Micropobles and mayor of Riner, told this media outlet in an episode of Filling the Sink. 

In a time when many young people are leaving rural areas behind, La Rural de Collserola is planting seeds of hope, both literally and figuratively. By prioritizing care for the land, social inclusion, and sustainable food systems, they are quietly redefining what farming can look like in the 21st century.