This is how the women rice farmers of the Ebro work: "We take care of the landscape as if it were a child"

Around Deltebre, the rice fields create a mosaic of water and mud. The river meanders between canals and banks, and the Delta's light floods everything with a metallic sheen. It is in one of these wetlands that a unique rice variety is born: the only long-grain, aromatic rice cultivated in the Ebro Delta, known as Essència del Delta. It is grown, managed, and marketed by the Women Rice Growers of the Ebro Delta, a cooperative of five women who have made the land their livelihood. The result is a fine, fluffy, and versatile rice—perfect for salads, stir-fries, and celebratory rice dishes—but also a product imbued with values: respect for the environment, a deep connection to the land, pride in being women who preserve the craft, and the dedication that rice cultivation entails.

The cooperative began to take shape in 2022, spearheaded by a group of women who had long been involved, directly or indirectly, in the world of rice. They decided to launch a project together. "We saw an opportunity to have a voice to advocate for everything that happens in the Delta and to give visibility to women in a world where they haven't been taken into account," they explain at ARA. In fact, the Women Rice Growers of the Ebro Delta were born primarily from this desire: to recognize all the mothers and grandmothers who, for generations, have worked the land in silence. Today, they define themselves as workers, because they work with their hands; as artisans, because they also use their minds; and as artists, because they do it with their hearts. From this balance between effort and sensitivity comes Esencia del Delta (Essence of the Delta), a rice that they maintain is both food and story, a symbol of a way of life rooted in the land and in memory. After some initial steps taken together in 2022, the cooperative was officially established in January 2023.

The invisible role of women

For decades, women have been present at every stage of rice cultivation, yet they have almost never been at the center of the narrative. They have worked in the fields, at home, and in all those invisible tasks that sustain life in the Delta. "The role of women has always been essential, but at the same time, very little recognized," they admit. With Esencia del Delta (Essence of the Delta), the cooperative wants to break that silence and reclaim the importance of women in rice processing and in the perseverance of maintaining their culture. "For us, being able to cultivate rice in a territory as unique as the Ebro Delta is a privilege," they affirm. "It is our way of caring for the Delta, preserving it, and keeping it alive."

Their perspective on the Delta is not only as producers, but also as caretakers. They understand cultivation as a way of balancing the environment, a way of inhabiting it without depleting it. "Our perspective as women brings to the world of rice and the Delta landscape a way of working that draws on care, sensitivity, sustainability, and memory," they explain. They speak of rice as a living being that needs to be listened to, observed, and respected, because each vintage is different and each field has its own character. This approach translates into small daily gestures—the slow pace, the manual labor, the patience that nature demands—and a clear awareness that what they do goes beyond cultivation. "Rice and our land are a way of living, caring for, and understanding everything around us," they add. "We care for the landscape as if it were a child."

A great, simple product

In Catalan cuisine, rice holds a privileged place. It's an essential food in the Mediterranean diet and, at the same time, an ingredient capable of adapting to any recipe. Boiled, sautéed, or pan-fried, combined with fish, meat, or vegetables, it always finds its place on everyday tables as well as at grand celebrations. "Rice always goes well with everything," say the rice cooks. Perhaps that's why it has become a symbol of identity in the Terres de l'Ebre, where a single kilo can bring an entire family together around the pot. In each grain lies the simplicity of a humble product and, at the same time, the collective memory of a land that has learned to live to the rhythm of water.

For the women rice farmers of the Ebro Delta, cultivating rice is also a form of responsibility. "Our work is connected from the very beginning to the sustainability of our territory," they explain. They know that if they don't take care of the Delta, no one else will. That's why they are committed to environmentally friendly methods: they reduce the use of chemicals and pesticides, cultivate by hand, and respect at all times the biodiversity that makes this environment unique. But their commitment goes beyond ecology. They advocate for true food sovereignty, where society can decide what it wants to eat and where farmers play a central role. "We want our food to come from a culture based on traditions," they affirm, "and not from an obligation that prevents us from choosing anything else."

A bet on the future

The Women Rice Farmers of the Delta project is, above all, a forward-looking endeavor. "Our project is an investment in the future," they explain. They want to keep alive the rice-growing tradition they inherited from their families, but they want to adapt it to modern times. With respect, they incorporate technologies that allow them to save water and reduce pesticide use, and they seek ways to reconcile innovation and biodiversity. In a territory threatened by erosion and climate change, their work becomes a form of resistance and hope. For them, growing rice remains much more than a job: it is a way of caring for the land, giving it a future, and keeping the Delta alive.

The women rice farmers know the path ahead is not easy. "Today we face many challenges, but also a strong desire to overcome them all," they acknowledge. The first, and for them one of the most important, is to continue raising the profile of women in the rice industry. But this is not the only challenge: they must also confront the effects of climate change, pests, salinization, and the erosion of the Delta, in addition to the lack of generational succession that threatens the sector's future. However, they affirm that they have not lost hope. "We want to continue with our work, cultivating rice and keeping our Delta alive," they say. "And we want women to have an increasingly prominent role in the future of the rice industry."