farmers

Demonstrations planned this week at Mercabarna wholesale market, French border and Tarragona port

Consumers pay three to five times more for basic food products than what farmers get paid

Drought and climate crisis focus of first Women in the Rural World Congress

Dairy farmers cite supermarkets' "abuse of power" in complaint lodged with Spain's competition commission

Uncontrolled animals combined with drought and rising production costs causes land to go uncultivated

Around 30 farmers take animals back to valley after enjoying cooler weather during hottest season

90% of milk producers have gone out of business over the last 20 years

Primary sector companies call themselves "greatly forgotten" industry of the pandemic

Mercabarna food wholesalers to carry out 9,000 antibody tests

Government approves first aid and estimates 16,000 hectares of agricultural land were damaged by severe weather

The quota established by the European Commission to be withdrawn from the market is insufficient to take pressure off the sector

Sector demands prompt action by Brussels as peach and nectarine perish-dates loom

An increasing number of people are fed up with living in concrete jungles. Many think of the countryside as a solution to problems such as stress, a low-paying job and pollution. Due to the start of the economic crisis, this phenomenon boomed, with people beginning to look for an 'alternative way of life' or, at least, new opportunities. Catalonia and the whole of Spain are no exception to this. Here, moving (back) to the countryside nowadays looks like an attractive option to many, especially to young unemployed graduates. However, sustainable agriculture initiatives and the like are the 'junior division' compared to more complex social, cultural and ecological experiments: the eco-villages. Coming in different shapes and sizes, their members share resources and spaces, grow their own food and cover in a sustainable way the energy demand of the buildings they live in. With different missions and features, many eco-villages can be traced back to one or two decades ago and could teach a lot to newcomers.

Catalan supermarkets and charities are working together to fight against the 1.18 million tonnes of food wasted each year in Catalonia. With 1.3 billion tonnes of food wasted each year worldwide, the issue of excess food is becoming increasingly important. Of the global figures, 89 million tonnes come from the EU, while 8 million come from Spain, making it the 7^th highest in Europe. Of Catalonia’s share, the equivalent of 34.9 kg is wasted per person on an annual basis. One approach in reducing this figure is being undertaken by supermarkets, which are responsible for 16% of total excess food in Catalonia, equivalent to 41,600 tonnes of food a year. Approaches vary from locking bins to reducing prices, and relabeling food products. Moreover, Catalan charity Banc dels Aliments has been active in the campaign against wasting food, running a six-year long annual event of redistributing donated food.