By Judit Manuel
On September 23rd, as part of the European Research Night, we organized a route through Vic (Catalunya-Spain) to get to know agroecological projects and experiences and share what we do in SWIFT. The day kicked off in Mengem Osona, a non-profit Association of Producers and Consumers driven by agroecological projects in the Osona region that takes the form of a shop. There, we presented the research we do at SWIFT and we gave a brief explanation of agroecology as an alternative to the dominant agri-food system, emphasizing the importance of consuming agroecological products and supporting local producers and networks.
The colleagues from Mengem Osona and El Circell, an organic farm in Gurb, talked about the importance of changing the paradigm of intermediaries in the agri-food system and how to generate alliances in distribution through commercialization channels, placing special emphasis on the importance of networking.
We then moved to the weekly market, visiting the stand of El Serradet de Barneres, shepherds and cheesemakers, and Mas Bellpuig, bread and pastry makers, talked about direct sales, the relationship with consumers, the challenges of ensuring that quality, sustainable and accessible products are offered to everyone.
Many thanks to all the collaborators and participants, it was a very special day!
