The food lung of the metropolitan area, the Baix Llobregat Agrarian Park

Spread across 14 municipalities, from El Prat de Llobregat through Sant Boi, Viladecans, and El Papiol, the park is a vibrant area where dozens of farmers and ranchers work daily to provide fresh produce to the community, keeping agricultural and livestock traditions alive alongside the city. Among the many crops that thrive there, the El Prat artichoke stands out, having become a symbol of the area's agricultural identity and a gastronomic ambassador for the Baix Llobregat region. All of this takes place on highly valued, fertile soil irrigated by the Llobregat irrigation network. Livestock production (poultry, pigs, and sheep) is also present.

Despite being surrounded by infrastructure such as the airport and the highway, the park maintains a vibrant, robust, and modern agricultural and livestock sector. It is a space that has managed to preserve itself, give meaning to its own history, and project a sustainable future model that emphasizes the importance of a diet based on locally sourced products and respect for the land.

A territory that has resisted

The fields of the Baix Llobregat have nourished the region for centuries. Long before the noise of airplanes and asphalt shaped the delta, this territory was already a mosaic of pastures and crops supplying fresh fruits and vegetables to the city's markets. The agricultural and livestock relationship between the Llobregat Delta and Barcelona dates back at least to the 19th century, when the Catalan capital was experiencing unprecedented population growth and needed to bolster its food supply. During the first third of the 20th century, the delta became a key player in the export of fruits and vegetables to Europe, with products such as artichokes and early peaches.

However, in the 1990s, the future of this agricultural and livestock landscape was called into question. Urban and industrial expansion, coupled with the construction of strategic infrastructure such as the airport and transport links to Barcelona, ​​threatened the continuity of this activity. Faced with this risk, the Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park Consortium was established in 1998 with a clear objective: to guarantee the preservation, management, and revitalization of a unique agricultural and livestock area near Barcelona.

"We have some of the most productive soil in Catalonia," notes Helena Perxacs, manager of the Consorci del Parc Agrari. She adds that the decisions made today are crucial not only for farmers and livestock breeders, but also for the entire metropolitan area: "The agricultural park not only produces high-quality food, but also plays a vital role in mitigating climate change."

Generations of peasants

The park's present is in the hands of people like Imma Tugas, an organic farmer and heir to a five-generation family dedicated to the land. But she wasn't always sure she would end up growing vegetables. It was the pandemic that reconnected her with the family land: "I started dedicating myself fully to it during the pandemic, when I understood that feeding people by caring for the land was the most dignified work in the world," she explains.

On their farm, in the municipality of Viladecans, all their crops are organic. In winter they grow leafy greens. –such as endive, chard and lettuce–, While tomatoes, melons, and watermelons predominate in the summer, the cultivation of sweet potatoes has recently been incorporated into soil regeneration projects. This involves applying a significant amount of pruning waste from woody crops to increase the soil's organic matter content.

His business is a prime example of local integration. Almost half of his produce goes directly to nearby school cafeterias. "It's a way of sowing seeds for the future: ensuring children grow up eating healthy, local products," he says. However, he doesn't shy away from denouncing the challenges: "There's a lack of support for renewing machinery, improving roads, and dealing with frost and hail. Farmers are key to the region and need more real support."

The generational shift

One of the major challenges facing the Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat is generational renewal. Germán Rodríguez, better known as Nano Baby Food, is one of the few exceptions that break this trend.

Thirty years old and thirteen hectares in production –which will soon be fifteen–Rodríguez is one of the few young people who has decided to stay in the country. He started when he was only nineteen.

Rodríguez points to a problem of perception: "Society believes that farmers are like they were forty years ago: uneducated people who don't earn a living and who work incredibly hard." This stereotypical view, he says, discourages younger generations from joining the sector. "Young people see on TV that everything is a problem and that we're always angry. We haven't been able to properly communicate what we do, or the importance of our work."

Despite the difficulties, Rodríguez is proud of the progress made. He started with two hectares and today has consolidated a project that combines tradition, innovation, and food sovereignty. And one of the things he values most is being able to continue working alongside his grandfather: "I started this adventure with my grandfather, and he's still here."

Local product

"We are Barcelona's breadbasket," says Agustí García, a farmer and president of the El Prat de Llobregat Agricultural Cooperative. With this phrase, García sums up a reality often ignored by many urban consumers: a considerable portion of the fresh vegetables that arrive in the city are grown in the fields of the Parc Agrari.

"The public needs to trust us more. By buying from farmers, they get fresh, recently harvested produce with a minimal ecological footprint," argues García, who runs a 56-hectare family farm. For him, the future lies in strengthening the bond between producers and consumers, building trust, and supporting locally sourced products.

The Producte Fresc collective branding system, promoted by the Consorci, aims to certify the quality and origin of these foods. "When you buy a lettuce from Parc Agrari, you're not just buying a vegetable, but also the work of deeply rooted farmers and the preservation of a territory," explains the manager, Helena Perxacs.

To strengthen the link between produce and land, the Parc Agrari promotes initiatives such as Sabors de l'Horta. This campaign produces a guide to restaurants that hold the certification.Flavors of the OrchardThis guarantees that the dishes they offer are made with products identified with the Producte Fresc seal, meaning local, seasonal, and seasonal foods from the Parc Agrari. In this way, these products not only reach homes but also become key ingredients in the local cuisine, highlighting the vital connection between the field and the table.

A space that balances city and nature

The importance of the Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park goes beyond its role as a food source. It is also a vital green space that acts as a climate and environmental regulator in one of the most urbanized areas of the country. According to Perxacs, "the park helps to reduce the urban heat island effect, improves air quality, and regulates water."

This often invisible environmental function is vital for the resilience of the metropolitan area. In times of climate change, spaces like this are essential: they keep the soil alive and offer an ecological counterpoint to urban density.

"Food is not just a purchase, but also a way to take care of health and the territory," reflects farmer Imma Tugas, who recalls that each vegetable that arrives at the table from the park carries behind it a specific story and a commitment to the future.