The market has stalls specializing in fruit, vegetables, dairy products, and artisan sausages. Among the participants are producers such as El Petit Bané, Can Pedret, and the cooperatives La Selvatana and La Vall de la Casella. According to Xavier Montagut, president of the Xarxa de Consum Solidari, the aim is to consolidate a model that guarantees fair prices for both producers and consumers.
Response to gentrification
The launch of this point of sale stems from a long-standing demand by the Barri Gòtic Neighbourhood Association. Residents were calling for the restoration of spaces for the sale of basic foodstuffs in an area where traditional commerce is in decline due to gentrification and mass tourism.
The Barcelona City Council has channeled this demand through the Neighborhood Plan. The technical organization is carried out by the Xarxa de Consum Solidari, an entity that coordinates farmers and producers. This system brings products from the countryside to the city and helps to weave community relationships among neighbors.
An expanding model without its own law
Barcelona has been promoting these markets since 2014, with milestones in neighborhoods such as Poble-Sec, Sants, and Sagrada Família. Despite their success and growth , direct sales on public roads still lack specific regulations that provide total legal certainty for producers.
For this reason, the Barcelona Farmers’ Market Coordinator is currently collaborating on the draft of the new food law. The group is requesting that the future legislation of the Generalitat (Catalan government) adequately regulate this activity to protect the work of farmers and ranchers who choose to sell without intermediaries.
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