Strong turnout at the UAB's first farmers' market

There was a strong turnout at the UAB Farmers' Market on its opening day, Wednesday 18 February. The market featured some ten stalls selling fruits and vegetables, cold cuts, cheeses and dairy products, natural soaps and air fresheners, fruit juices, bread and pastries, olives and honey, all located in the Plaça Cívica. All stalls belonged to local producers and processors and thereby constituted a direct sales space. PDI, PTGAS and students visited the different stalls throughout the morning, and most of them ended up buying a variety of products.

At 1:30 p.m. the inauguration ceremony was held, led by Javier Lafuente, rector of the UAB; Xavier Gabarrell, vice-rector for Campus and Sustainability; Xavier Montagut, economist, president of the Xarxa de Consum Solidari and coordinator of the Mercats de Pagès; and Laura Calvet, researcher at the Metròpoli Institute.

Rector Lafuente praised the outcome of a project that has been in the works for some time with the involvement of various stakeholders from the university community. The rector emphasised the social education aspect of this initiative, which aims to raise awareness among the university community about a “different way of coonsuming.” Gabarrell highlighted that the project was made possible thanks to the cooperation of the UAB, the Xarxa de Consum Solidari, and the Metròpoli Institute.

Montagut thanked the UAB for hosting this farmers' market, which according to him contributes to "recovering the wisdom of farmers" and bringing it closer to consumers. And Laura Calvet praised the UAB's commitment to "the agroecological transition towards a more sustainable and fairer food model". Calvet also acknowledge the involvement in the project of lecturer Pep Espluga, from the UAB Department of Sociology.

The EU-Mercosur agreement on debate

Coinciding with the first day of the market, a talk was also held with market producers about the potential impacts of the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur on small-scale farming in the region. Participants included David Álvarez, a beekeeper with Mel dels Erms, Xavier Montagut, and Sete Rivera, vegetable producer from Brot Agrològic. 

The goal of the UAB Farmers' Market is to bring organic, local, and seasonal products to the entire university community, to promote direct food sales channels for the region's crop and livestock farmers, and to raise awareness of sustainable models of production, distribution, and consumption.

The UAB recently approved the creation of the UAB Food Board. This participatory advisory body aims to guide the UAB's policy on healthy and sustainable eating habits, as well as facilitate communication among different groups of the university community and the food environment at the University. The UAB thus reaffirms its commitment to the health and well-being of the university community and society as a whole, an objective developed in the Healthy and Sustainable Campus Plan for the 2023-2027 period (Campus SiS).

Activities scheduled for the month of March

As part of the Farmers' Market and the revitalisation of the Plaça Cívica as a meeting place and a space for reflection, a variety of complementary activities have been scheduled for the month of March.

On 11 March, the social theatre proposal Onades de dones [Waves of Women] will take place. Performed by La Xixa Teatre, this proposal invites the public to reflect on the experiences and struggles of women from a critical and participatory perspective. The activity is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. (time subject to final confirmation).

On 18 March from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. the paint workshop Plantes d’aquarel·la will be held. The workshop is a creative space to experiment with painting and nature. On the same day, at 1:15 p.m. and as part of the Culture and Human Rights Week, the talk “Generative AI versus the Right to Water: the case of the CD de Cerdanyola", will be held by Ecologistes en Acció and REFEM, which will address the environmental and social impacts of digital technologies from a critical perspective.

Finally, Asian Day will be held on 25 March with various cultural activities, as well as new initiatives linked to the Culture and Human Rights Week, involving Community Mobilisation and the Culture Unit. Specific details and timings of this event are still to be confirmed.