Last updated: July 2022
The Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat is located in the floodplains of the delta and lower valley of the river Llobregat, in the Catalan county of Baix Llobregat, in a central position within the metropolitan area of Barcelona. The territory of the park (nearly 3500 hectares), includes a rich traditional agricultural activity and comprises fourteen municipalities totaling about 818,000 residents. It is protected by a specific planning instrument and managed by the Barcelona Provincial Council (Diputació de Barcelona) (Ref. 1 and 9). The park acts as a green lung for the metropolitan area of Barcelona and at the same time as a pantry for Mercabarna, the large wholesale market that provides food and drink to the inhabitants of Barcelona and surrounding towns, although there is also production that is exported (Ref. 10). The Agrarian Park is the only one in the world so close to a large city and it promotes specific programs to preserve the productive values of the agricultural space and promotes quality local products and local consumption. (Ref. 10)
Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat
https://joseantonioarcos.es/2019/08/16/parc-agrari-del-baix-llobregat/
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Community gardens and allotments
- Other
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Green space creation and/or management
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Regulation of built environment
- Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
- Preservation of natural heritage
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
- Improving mental health
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
- Inclusive governance
- Effective management
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social cohesion
- Social justice and equity
- Social interaction
- Environmental education
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Economic development: agriculture
- Employment/job creation
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable consumption
- Sustainable production
Focus
Maintenance and management of urban nature, Protection of natural ecosystems, Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Improved governance of green or blue areas, Other
Project objectives
The goals of the Special Plan for the Protection and Improvement of the Agrarian Park is: 1) to promote the expansion of sustainable agricultural production on a competitive level while 2) preserving the natural habitat and its biological value and 3) prevent harmful infrastructural expansion in the green area and build a social space for people to enjoy and be educated about environmental protection (Ref 2).
- structure the agricultural space to guarantee the necessary conditions for competitive and quality agricultural production.
- guarantee the survival of the system of natural spaces and preserve the biological diversity, in a quality landscape environment.
- preserve the cultural and landscape heritage, and structure the agrarian space in order to facilitate the social order, as far as compatible, with the space for environmental education (Ref. 2)
Implementation activities
5 main strategic actions were designed in the plan:
1) To improve the efficiency of already existing infrastructural and agricultural services;
2) To improve a system of production and commercialisation in favour of better entries from the agrarian sector;
3) Improvement of infrastructures to better help viability;
4) To design a space for quality social life in harmony with the natural environment; and
5) To preserve the natural habitat and create better connection with the agrarian activities (Ref 2).
Researchers and land experts have been working to introduce eco-friendly farming techniques using less spraying and minimal amounts of pesticides, as well as modernising existing irrigation channels and helping farmers sell what they grow. (Ref 8)
traditional knowledge transmission: In an attempt to further encourage Barcelona’s residents to choose fresh and local, over other alternatives, the park’s management is designing tours to the park, which will educate visitors about the history of the ecosystem and allow them to see farmers at work. Each year, hundreds of students from Barcelona’s metropolitan area are already learning about it (Ref 8).
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
- Means for conservation governance
- Manage biological resources for conservation and sustainable use
- Create and use scientific knowledge for conservation
- Other
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Non-government organisation/Civil Society
- Researchers/University
- Citizens or community groups
- Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Regional government
- Local government/municipality
- Other
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Dissemination of information and education
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Co-management/Joint management
- Citizen oversight (e.g. boards, advisory)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The Consortium for the Protection and Handling of Natural Spaces of the Llobregat Delta is a key player in the project in cooperation with the Municipality of Barcelona and other local municipalities (Ref 2).
The consortium, which was formed on June 26, 1998, already incorporated the Generalitat in 2007 through a delegate from the Department of Agriculture. Currently, the Council is made up of the Barcelona Provincial Council, the Baix Llobregat Regional Council and the Unió de Pagesos as promoting entities, in addition to the municipalities of Papiol, Molins de Rei, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Sant Joan Despí, Cornellà de Llobregat , L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, El Prat de Llobregat, Castelldefels, Gavà, Viladecans, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Santa Coloma de Cervelló, Sant Vicenç dels Horts and Pallejà (Ref. 12)
The management includes: infrastructures - for example the arrangement of roads - passing through agronomic advice (in Catalonia there are ADVs, Plant Defense Associations, as public-private entities) that includes, for example, aid for modernization up to projects for research, such as the one studying the introduction of brassicas (Ref. 11). Researchers and land experts have been working to introduce eco-friendly farming techniques using less spraying and minimal amounts of pesticides, as well as modernising existing irrigation channels and helping farmers sell what they grow. (Ref 8). The Park was also under the focus of the EU Life Project (Ref 9).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
(Unknown)
... a national policy or strategy?
Yes
(The agricultural areas of the delta and low basin have continued to suffer from strong peri-urban impacts. Putting on the table the infrastructure project of the Delta del Llobregat - with new actions in the agrarian territory - makes the need to foresee a model of a stable future for the agrarian space and for the peri-urban agriculture that was taking place in the delta and The lower basin of Llobregat. To this discussion is added the drafting, by the Baix Llobregat Regional Council, of a proposal to establish an agricultural park in the region. Proposal that coincides in time with the design by the Diputación de Barcelona of the project Anella Verda (Green Ring) (Ref 1).)
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The approval of the Metropolitan General Plan (PGM) (1976) is still based, in the case of the lower basin and the delta of Llobregat, In a forecast of strong industrial and urban expansion, but at the same time provides for the maintenance of an area of rustic land protected with agricultural value of about 2,700 hectares with the objective of - through specific planning figures - maintain its characteristics and preserve it in its incorporation to the urban areas (Ref 1). )
Financing
Total cost
€2,000,000 - €4,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- EU funds
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of goods
- Provision of labour
- Provision of other services
- Exchange of services
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Reduced emissions
- Environmental quality
- Improved air quality
- Improved soil quality
- Water management and blue areas
- Enhanced protection and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
- Increased conversion of degraded land or soil
- Reduced biodiversity loss
- Increased number of species present
- Improved prevention or control of invasive alien species
- Increased spread of native/heirloom/open-pollinated seed
- Other
Economic impacts
- Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
- More sustainable tourism
- Stimulate development in deprived areas
- Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
- Attraction of business and investment
- Generation of income from NBS
- Increased market share for green economies
- Other
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved social cohesion
- Fair distribution of social, environmental and economic benefits of the NBS project
- Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Health and wellbeing
- Improved physical health
- Improved mental health
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Protection of natural heritage
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
- Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
- Increased awareness of flora and fauna as culturally and historically meaningful
- Increased appreciation for natural spaces
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
- Safety
- Increased perception of safety
- Other
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. Diputació Barcelona (no date). Parcs de Catalunya - Xarxa de Parcs Naturals. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
2. Generalitat de Barcelona (2015). "Revisió del Pla Especial de Protecció i Millora del Parc Agrari del Baix Llobegrat". Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
3. Diputació Barcelona (no date). Plan step-by-step development. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
4. Parc Agrari del Baix Llobegrat (2013). Línies Prioritáries d’actució 2013. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
5. Diputació Barcelona (no date). Management bodies. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
6. Dawber, A. (2015). Barcelona smell: Agricultural park in Baix Llobregat blamed for stink hanging over Spanish city. The Independent Diary. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
7. Montasell i Dorda, J. and Callau i Berenguer, S. (2008). The Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park (Barcelona): An instrument for preserving, developing and managing a periurban agricultural area. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
8. Serafina, S. (2010). Farming at Parc Agrari: Barcelona's backyard. Metropolitan Barcelona. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
9. European Commission (no date). Preparation and implementation of a pilot action for the conservation, improvement and economic promotion of Barcelona suburban agricultural area. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
10. Blog Hedonista (2019). El Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
11. Arcos, J. A. (2019). "Descubrimos la Huerta de Barcelona". Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
12. VilaPress (2019). "El Consorcio del Parque Agrario del Baix Llobregat incorpora el AMB a su gestión". Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
2. Generalitat de Barcelona (2015). "Revisió del Pla Especial de Protecció i Millora del Parc Agrari del Baix Llobegrat". Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
3. Diputació Barcelona (no date). Plan step-by-step development. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
4. Parc Agrari del Baix Llobegrat (2013). Línies Prioritáries d’actució 2013. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
5. Diputació Barcelona (no date). Management bodies. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
6. Dawber, A. (2015). Barcelona smell: Agricultural park in Baix Llobregat blamed for stink hanging over Spanish city. The Independent Diary. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
7. Montasell i Dorda, J. and Callau i Berenguer, S. (2008). The Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park (Barcelona): An instrument for preserving, developing and managing a periurban agricultural area. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
8. Serafina, S. (2010). Farming at Parc Agrari: Barcelona's backyard. Metropolitan Barcelona. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
9. European Commission (no date). Preparation and implementation of a pilot action for the conservation, improvement and economic promotion of Barcelona suburban agricultural area. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
10. Blog Hedonista (2019). El Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
11. Arcos, J. A. (2019). "Descubrimos la Huerta de Barcelona". Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
12. VilaPress (2019). "El Consorcio del Parque Agrario del Baix Llobregat incorpora el AMB a su gestión". Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 27, 2020)
Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat
https://bloghedonista.com/2019/03/11/el-parc-agrari-del-baix-llobregat/